![](\"https:\/\/longhornswire.usatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/97\/2020\/11\/5a3b71766cac4bc99436b9316dc5a7b3.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1\")
<\/div>\nThe 2005 BCS National Championship between the Texas Longhorns and Southern California Trojans remains one of the greatest contests in college football history. It might even be the best championship game in the modern era. The Trojans were coming off back-to-back championships when they drew the challenge of stopping Vince Young and Texas in the Rose Bowl.<\/strong><\/p>\n So what did it mean to Young to win that Rose Bowl over USC on Jan. 4, 2006? Young sat down with former Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray as part of the Campus Lore Championship Moments series presented by Amway and XS Energy Drink to provide some insight:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYeah, it was a beautiful moment,\u201d Young said. \u201cNot only just for us as players but as well as our fans. They stuck with us through all the years. My teammates, we put in all the hard work in the offseason. Guys going to class. Guys doing what they were supposed to do, being accountable. Just the small things like that can really change your team if everyone is on the same page. On one accord to go to a championship game, because it is not easy. I want people to know that it is not easy at all, to go to a championship.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/V-YOUNG-300x213.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
If there is one person that understands the modern evolution of the quarterback, it is Vince Young<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The former Tennessee Titans<\/a> quarterback was the NFL<\/a> Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2006, and he is pleased to see the new generation of signal callers impress as soon as they arrive in the league, with Justin Herbert the front-runner for rookie of the year and No 1 overall pick Joe Burrow providing enough evidence to suggest he can lead the Cincinnatti Bengals for years to come before his season-ending injury.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n And Young puts the immediacy of a quarterback\u2019s impact in the league down to the development of coaching at younger levels.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a passing league now, and the fans want to see touchdown passes,\u201d Young tells The Independent<\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe young quarterbacks are starting far earlier than expected, and you have to respect their understanding of the game.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cHigh school coaches do a really good job of teaching them more in advance than in my era \u2013 the X\u2019s and O\u2019s of the game, reading defences, understanding coverages and different terminology.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI had a greater option to audible out of the play in my fifth year but you see it more today \u2013 in college as well \u2013 and that just shows you how smart these quarterbacks are.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cFinding an offensive coordinator or a quarterback coach who can critique and improve your game is important, but it is still down to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cLamar Jackson<\/a> was ridiculously doubted coming into the NFL, so to see him win MVP and almost go to the Super Bowl shows the hard work he put in.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Like Jackson, Young is no stranger to using his legs to extend the play and rushed on fourth down to win the 2005 National Championship for the Texas Longhorns.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The 37-year old unsurprisingly believes it is increasingly important for a quarterback to run the ball due to the need to adapt to improved defensive scheming.<\/strong><\/p>\n He said: \u201cI hate doing this, but you have to give defences a little credit as they\u2019re changing the game as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThey bring safeties down to linebacker and linebackers go to the defensive line to speed the game up, so offensive players have to adjust to that.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe NFL recognises that the game is changing and when a team has a quarterback who can move like that, they want to take full advantage of it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The league understands the value of a quarterback to the sport, and \u2013 to the dismay of purists \u2013 penalise defences far more to protect them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson have changed the way the quarterback position is played<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Young is relieved to see the position receive special treatment, but he doesn\u2019t agree with some of the calls.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The former-Longhorn said: \u201cThe quarterback is the face of the team: they get the ball almost every play, everybody knows you and you get criticised for wins or losses, so it\u2019s understandable.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cEven though Drew Brees got injured, that player wasn\u2019t trying to hurt him and it was a good tackle.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to tell defensive players to slow down when they\u2019re trying to be aggressive and make plays to represent themselves and their organisation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe way that we used to get hit, I never heard anyone crying. I understand it, but football is a physical game and people have to understand that.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Traditionally, mobile quarterbacks get hurt often as they are more vulnerable to big hits.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Young urges the young stars of today to use their advanced maturity and influence within their franchise to take control of their future.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n He added: \u201cThe NFL stands for \u2018Not For Long\u2019 \u2013 you want to make sure that you\u2019re protecting yourself.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cThe young quarterbacks are more mature nowadays, so I would like them to go to their front office and say what they want upfront, especially in regards to the offensive line.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhen I get the opportunity, I tell these guys to take a lesson from Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and others that took a pay-cut to make sure the offensive line was taken care of.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re protected, you can play longer than most mobile quarterbacks.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n While he was influenced by the likes of Steve McNair and Michael Vick, Young welcomes the modern era of the NFL where mobile quarterbacks are far more common.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n It is a more diverse era too, with the only three African-American quarterbacks to win MVP in the league\u2019s 101-year history \u2013 Cam Newton<\/a>, Patrick Mahomes<\/a>, and Lamar Jackson \u2013 playing today to inspire the next generation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Young said: \u201cBeing a former player who has played the position, I\u2019m just happy to see that the game is changing for good and these guys are representing the quarterback position in a special way.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPatrick Mahomes is top of the charts right now with the game that he plays, just having fun with his weapons.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/V-YOUNG-TEX-300x169.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"<p>Vince](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2020\/12\/10\/14\/newFile-5.jpg?width=982&height=726\")
<\/strong>![\"<p>Patrick](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2020\/09\/29\/09\/GettyImages-1277273437.jpg?width=982&height=726\")
<\/strong>