49ers Clubhouse A "Young" Cade McNown
June 15, 2002 by Jeff Shaffer Lets not forget McNown's final year
at UCLA. He just about led that team to a national championship with what
seemed like sheer offensive will. That team lacked defense in a big way,
but McNown led the UCLA Bruins on an offensive terror, keeping that team
alive in high scoring shoot-outs (over 40 points in 7 games) that demanded
he repeatedly re-enter the game and conjure up another touchdown in the
most unlikely of situations. He set school records in passing yards (3,470),
touchdowns (25), total offense (3,652), and a passer efficiency rating
of 156.9 (keep in mind, college ratings are typically much higher than
pro ratings, this ranked 3rd in the Pac-10 conference that year). And this
wasn't a fluke season for Cade, he put up similar numbers the season before
in his junior year.
And now it is Donahue and Walsh at
the quarterback game again. Walsh is well known for his quarterback acumen
- having acquired such talents as Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Jeff Garcia.
Let's not forget though, Walsh has
also been an advocate of Rick Mirer and Jake Plummer. After a great career
at Notre Dame and fantastic rookie season with the Seahawks, Rick Mirer
never panned out as the NFL success that Walsh seemed to think he would
be. He ultimately landed with the 49ers, and some thought he might resurrect
his career here under the tutelage of Walsh in the West Coast offense.
But after his few disappointing years bouncing around the league, he seemed
to have lost his passion for the game by the time he reached the 49ers.
Jake "the snake" Plummer was thought to possibly be the next coming of
Joe Montana out of college. But he has had up and down years as an Arizona
Cardinal, which most people would ascribe to him playing for the Cardinals
as his abilities. It is impossible to tell how good he would or wouldn't
be with a better team, and in a better offense.
Which brings us to Cade McNown. He
seemed to be a good fit for the Niners in the 1999 draft as a successor
to Young. After all, if you are looking for a replacement for Steve Young,
Cade seemed to match up the best to Young's unique abilities - both are
left handed scramblers, with high passer efficiencies, and a competitive
will to win. But after a couple of dismal years in Chicago and a year in
Miami, Cade is an oft criticized and highly doubted prospect. But lets
compare Steve Young's early years to Cade McNown's.
Steve Young had a similarly brilliant
college career. In his senior year he completed 71.3 percent of his passes
for 3,902 yards and 33 TDs. But he was in a significantly less competitive
league playing at BYU, whereas Cade played at UCLA in the Pac 10 against
nationally ranked teams.
Lets compare their pro football statistics:
Steve Young
Cade McNown
The similarities are striking - mediocre
completion percentages, low TD to INT ratios, and low overall efficiency
ratings.
Like McNown, there were some personal
criticisms of Steve Young when he entered pro football - he opted for the
USFL instead of the NFL, he pursued and held out for a mega bucks contract
in his rookie season with the LA Express. He was rumored to be unhappy
in Tampa Bay. And it was widely rumored Young was unhappy and temperamental
sitting on the bench behind Montana. The criticisms of Cade have been different
- that he alienated fans and teammates in Chicago with his criticism of
them and immaturity. But this may indicate an underlying similarity --
both personalities seem to be highly competitive and clearly had difficulty
being part of struggling teams.
Steve Young's first few years as
a pro football player didn't seem to bode well for his future greatness.
Even so, Bill Walsh saw something in Young worth trading for in 1987. Young's
improvement with the 49ers seemed to be instantaneous. Even though he wasn't
the starter, his passer rating skyrocketed in the Niners system. The biggest
improvement was in the TD to INT ratio, indicating his improved performance
within the offensive system.
Year Team Att. Comp. Yds. Pct. TD Int. Rat.
Let's just hope Cade McNown can develop
in the 49ers system like Steve Young did. He seems to have the right physical
tools, time will tell if he has the fierce desire, firm commitment, and
intelligence that Steve Young and Jeff Garcia have used to ultimately succeed
with the 49ers.
Steve Young went on to become a great
quarterback and team leader. He set a standard for competitiveness, performance,
AND good sportsmanship that is still highly admired around the league.
Jeff Garcia has followed in Young's footsteps admirably.
Maybe Cade McNown can enjoy similar
success in the 49ers system. And maybe in a couple of years we'll hear
rumors he is unhappy about being number 2 behind the fan favorite Jeff
Garcia. At that point, instead of shunning Cade, we will hopefully remember
how we came to love that flip-flop wearing, uncombed hair guy - Steve young
- that thrilled us with his spectacular "no helmet" scrambling, those unforgettable
facial expressions, his passion for the game, and his fantastic play. Let's
hope Cade develops into that guy - we'd be blessed to have another quarterback
lineage like that again. |
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