Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Vince Young has never been convicted of running an illegal interstate dog fighting ring.
He's never been locked away in federal prison for almost two full years. And he's never had to claw his way back into the NFL after serving his time.
Yet after the way he was handled this past offseason—Young was cut by the Tennessee Titans and generated very little free agent interest—you'd think maybe he did go through all that listed above.
But just like Michael Vick, the man who now sits atop the Eagles quarterback depth chart and actually did go through that horror story, Vince Young has a golden opportunity to revive his NFL career in Philadelphia.
The No. 1 overall pick in 2001, Vick was a bona fide NFL superstar by his just his second season in the NFL. He made the Pro Bowl in 2002 and then led the Atlanta Falcons past the Green Bay Packers in '02 NFC Wildcard game at Lambeau Field, the Packers fist postseason loss at that venue.
Millions of dollars in endorsement deals followed; Nike, Powerade, the cover of Madden—you name it. Then it all came crashing down.
The summer of 2007 was dark times for Vick's NFL career, and there were plenty of talking heads who said he'd never be an impact player in the NFL again. His involvement in the dog fighting ring landed him 21 months in federal prison and two more on house arrest—an eternity in NFL time. He also had to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 after losing nearly all his endorsements and NFL salary.
Simply put, it was rock bottom for Vick.
But after being released by the Falcons following his imprisonment, Vick hooked on with Andy Reid and the Eagles. He watched and learned as a humbled NFL quarterback behind Donovan McNabb in year one, then kept quiet as the franchise traded McNabb to the Washington Redskins and anointed young Kevin Kolb the starter that following offseason.
All that while, Vick was reinventing himself. Under the tutelage of Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, Vick learned more of the nuances of being a quarterback.
The athleticism was still there for Vick, but he wanted to be a better passer. He started watching film religiously, which was something he admitted he did little of in Atlanta. He worked through some of the mechanical issues that sometimes hurt his accuracy with the Falcons.
And most important of all, he quietly waited. There was never any grumblings from Vick, who just seemed happy to have a second chance.
Everyone knows the rest of the story: Kolb gets injured in Week 1 of last season, and Vick comes in and nearly leads the Eagles back against the Packers. From that point on, Vick put together his best overall season as an NFL player and had locked down the Eagles starting quarterback position.
Now, Vince Young finds himself in almost an identical situation football-wise as Vick did two years ago. There's plenty of people who questioned Vick as he came back, and there are just as many who question whether Young can ever be a starting quarterback again.
He doesn't have the legal problems that Vick had, but there is plenty to wonder about in regards to Young's career in the NFL.
After being drafted third overall in 2006, Young was handed a perfect situation with the Titans. He had a veteran quarterback in Kerry Collins to learn from, but the keys to the franchise were all his.
He threw that all away with immaturity and a lack of commitment to his team. Despite attending two Pro Bowls in four NFL seasons, Young was sent packing by Titans management before the lockout this offseason.
Reid and the Eagles were willing to take another gamble on Young, hoping they could find the same kind of success with a troubled but talented quarterback like they did with Vick a few years earlier.
But it won't just magically happen for Young in Philadelphia. He needs to recommit himself the same way Vick did: learn from Reid and Mornhinweg, put in the work in the film room, and, maybe above all else, stay humbled and patient.
That process might not take just a single year, even though Young signed a one-year deal with the Eagles. In Vick's case, it took two full seasons before he was re-established into the NFL.
The same opportunity is there for Young as it was for Vick. He can pick the brain of Vick, but there's also a good chance he might play some this season. There's no telling when a guy who plays like Vick could go down.
Now, it's solely on the shoulder of Young. Will he take the golden opportunity granted to him like Vick did so perfectly two years ago?
Or will he let himself drift into NFL oblivion?
