Vince Young and Matt Leinart dream of Magic and Bird
NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
Earvin Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
Out of sheer luck, your intrepid author happened to go to school at Michigan State University at the same time that Magic Johnson was in school.
My part time job in Lansing was at the YMCA where magic often frequented to help out kids. Magic was even more special in Lansing, than he has been in the world and that is saying something.
In Magic’s freshman year he lost to Kentucky in the NCAA playoffs in a game where MSU had the lead. The NBA came calling and Magic decided not to go. Lucky for all of us MSU fans as Magic took the team on his back and ended up facing Larry Bird from Indiana State in the NCAA finals.
Larry had an awesome year that year and Indiana State was undefeated, but the MSU Spartans proved to be too much, and with a much deeper team defeated, Larry and Indiana State.
The NBA came calling again and this time it was the Lakers. Hard to say no to Showtime.
Meanwhile Larry had been drafted by the Celtics the year before and the rules at that time gave the Celtics a year to sign him and they did just before the 1979 draft.
Together Larry and Magic went on to save a struggling NBA. It became the big rivalry of Larry and Magic, although off the court they became friends.
Larry and Magic are two of the greatest basketball players of all time!
Now, Vince Young and Matt Leinart want to become the new Magic and Larry, even though the NFL does not need saving.
“They want to be the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird of the NFL,” says Chuck Price, one of Leinart’s agents. “In terms of young guys who excel individually and have a very friendly rivalry and can carry the torch for sportsmanship and race relations, they have a chance to do something similar.” source
At first blush, it is easy to be cynical about the whole idea. Matt and Vince are unproven 2nd year players, although they did meet for the Championship in college, but the notion grows on you the more you think about it.
No, they will not win repeated championships, because in the NFL winning takes more than one superstar, it takes an organization and is set up to deny repeat winners through a salary structure that makes dynasties very difficult. (Don’t tell the Patriots about this!)
But you have to think about the marketing possibilities for the two young stars.
You may think Young and Leinart have no business comparing themselves to the Magic Man and Larry Legend, but on at least one level, you would be mistaken. The linkage of the two as a business enterprise is already in motion, with plans for them to co-host a golf tournament in Santa Barbara, Calif., and a Lake Tahoe, Nevada-based father-son fantasy camp next offseason. Price, who previously worked as a marketing agent for a company owned by Johnson, envisions a humorous TV commercial featuring all four men
How can they be called stars already? It is the winning qualities that they display, including leadership and athletic ability, as well as the uncanny knack for doing the right things as a quarterback.
Also, don’t dismiss the fact that the two of them are genuine friends.
Young remembers answering his cell phone while sitting in the training room at the University of Texas after practice one afternoon and being stunned that Leinart, his USC counterpart, was on the line. “Ever since then we’ve had a close relationship,” Young says. “A lot of people try to make us out as rivals, but I want to see him succeed at all costs. Even if we play each other, I hope he does well, and let the best man win.”
And if it turns out to be win-win – for the Titans and Cardinals, for Young and Leinart – get ready for the marketing machine to milk the nostalgic tie-in for all it’s worth. The only remaining question is which quarterback gets to be which hoops Hall of Famer.
Matt “Bird” Leinart and Vince “Magic” Young are ready to take over the NFL!
NFL Football Fan Question Can Matt and Vince get the job done?
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POSTED IN: Arizona Cardinals, Matt Leinart, NFL Football, Tennessee Titans, Vince Young
1 opinion for Vince Young and Matt Leinart dream of Magic and Bird
Fantasy Football Collective
Sep 2, 2007 at 2:44 am
This is great for the NFL…though I agree probably a bit egotistical on their part…VY & Leinart have the charisma and talent to potentially do it.
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