Says Who?

Last night I watched the Titans defeat the Texans on TV. I watched Vince Young run and pass in the game to get his team down the field and help them win. Then after the game, the comments I kept hearing were about Vince Young needing to become more comfortable staying in the pocket.

WHY?

Because that's the way it's been done? Who's to say an athletic/running quarterback can't win a Superbowl? What rule is there that says until Vince Young becomes a pocket passer he won't be successful? I thought the whole objective of playing football is to help your team win? Why does the QB need to stay in the pocket for that to happen? Just because a non-pocket quarterback hasn’t won the Superbowl yet, doesn’t mean that it won’t happen. John Elway and Steve Young didn’t stay in the pocket and their teams won Superbowls. John Elway even rushed for a touchdown in his first Superbowl win.

What’s really interesting is that some of the analysts who say that quarterbacks like Young and Michael Vick need to become pocket passers either never won The Big Game or weren’t big contributors to their teams winning the championship. Knowing that, it almost sounds like they may either be a little envious of the skills of the “new” quarterback or want to make themselves sound like more of a contributor than they actually were to their teams.

My advice to Michael Vick, Vince Young and other quarterbacks who have similar skills is to continue being you. Hone your craft until you can do it in your sleep. Don’t let anyone try to change the type of football player you are!

Did Earl Campbell let anyone change his running style? Did Lawrence Taylor let anyone change the way he got after the quarterback? Will Jerry Jones let anyone change his management style? No and today, they’re considered some of the most successful men in football.

Did Bill Gates let anyone tell him that his style of software wouldn’t work? Did Oprah listen to anyone who told her that her media style would never catch on? Did Madonna change her show style because of critics? NO and they are all successful in their fields.
Why? Because they stuck to what they knew was right for them. They didn’t change to get favorable reviews or stop their critics.

All anyone can ask of you is to be the best you that you can be. Believe me, once your championship night happens, your critics will jump on your bandwagon. At that point, you can tell them to go kick rocks!