6 < 10
Posted on February 27th, 2006 by Bassett
Apparently, Deadspin has heard that Vince Young scored a 6 on his Wonderlic test at the Combine. I am not sure if this is true or not, but apparently the story is that the test was 'improperly given' and he scored a 16 on the next go round…
Whether it's true or not, now he has the stigma that he has poor mechanics AND he is dumb…
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16 is still poor. Have you tried the example test on ESPN? You should be able to get at least 13 and that's out of 15, not 50!
Apparently only 4 starting QBs in the NFL had less than 20 and only Losman (14) had below 16. It's much easier second time around, too. Marino apparently only scored a 13, I'm told.
Does the ability to tell the difference between 3 trapezoids and a pentagon really impact on the ability of a QB? It certainly raises questions about his work ethic, attitude, drive and ability to learn complex schemes.
They should ask more relevant questions like: It's 3rd down and you have Anthony Becht wide open in the end zone. Do you (a) throw the ball to him normally (b) float it gently to him so it's easier to catch or (c) settle for a field goal.
I want VY even less now. (Less than not at all?)
In any event, this result cannot help but be a bad thing for the Jets. Young had other red flags prior to this, but the combination of his Wonderlic score and the comments coming out of Texas that they had to throw out most of the offense to get Vince comfortable are really going to impact his draft status in all liklihood. Cutler is continuing his move up the boards, and I would put the odds at better than 50-50 that he will be taken in the first three picks. So the Jets won't be able to get their man at four, nor will the pick have as much trade value as it would have if teams like Oakland and Detroit were looking to move up for Young.
It's a lose-lose situation for the Jets, basically. Everyone should be hoping Vince can turn things around on his Pro Day.
Thanks! What a fascinating document. So many tid bits jumped out–here's just a few:
1. Marino indeed is down near the bottom w/14 (predictably, Jeff George scored a gerbil-like 10). But Donovan McNabb, another pretty successful qb, averaged the same in two tries–so it's certainly not impossible to be all-pro with pulling a 16 on the test.
I wonder, as a hypothesis, if the more complex offenses and defenses of today's game makes the test an even greater predictor of success than it was when Marino took it in the early 80s–but low scorers McNabb and Dante Culpepper have had great years recently, so it's hard to conclude that with certainlty.
2. Rhodes scholar and super-grind Chad Pennington managed just an average 25–same as Big Ben, btw.
3. Harvard smarty pants Ryan Fitzpatrick seems like…well, a Harvard smarty pants. After taking the test twice–and pulling down excellent scores of 37 and 38–he took it yet a third time (why??) and–apparently determined to show that he could ace the thing–actually went 50 for 50 (was that the only one recorded on this list?)
4. Akili Smith #'s don't add up. I had read at the time that he had done poorly, and, indeed, he scored 15–but a second time, he had a 37. I don't think studying can result in that large an improvement–there's something bogus about the juxtaposition of these two scores.
5. Finally, one wonders how scared NFL teams really are about these low scores from QB's, and whether his score will affect Vince Young's draft position. After all, McNabb was a top three pick, as was Smith, despite questions about his aptitude–and Heath Shuler was #4 pick after scoring the same 16 that Young scored (and now he's running for Congress!). Culpepper was also first round choice. Maybe combined with not running a pro offense and the unorthodox throwing motion, the test score could hurt Young, but by itself, it hasn't seemed to damage other top qb prospects.