Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Vince Young (9) will face off against Seattle coach Pete Carroll for the first time since Young led Texas past Carroll’s USC team in the 2006 Rose Bowl.
AP PHOTO
SEATTLE — When Pete Carroll was in the midst of his championship run at USC, he knew the Trojans would play a nearly perfect game and it still wouldn’t be enough to win.
That day came in the 2006 Rose Bowl on a night when Vince Young and Texas was unstoppable.
“I had said for years at ‘SC that we’re going to go out and play the game that we want to play and it’s about us and how we bring our game to it. Some time, somewhere down the road, some guy or a couple players find a way to play so far above the norm and they might beat us some day and we don’t know when that’s going to happen,” Carroll said. “That was that time — the night we faced him.”
For the first time since Young scampered 9 yards for a touchdown in the closing seconds to give Texas a 41-38 victory, Carroll and Young will be on the same field tonight when the Seattle Seahawks (4-7) host the Philadelphia Eagles (4-7) in a prime-time matchup with nearly zero importance.
Mathematically, the playoffs are still possible for both teams. Realistically, the Eagles and Seahawks are entering the stage where the final five weeks are auditions for next season.
Young would be at the top of the list for players trying to leave a good impression and not just with their current employers. Michael Vick is out yet again as he continues to recover from two broken ribs suffered on Nov. 13 against Arizona, so it’s likely Young will make his third straight start against Carroll’s Seahawks.
Young threw for a career-high 400 yards last week against New England, although most of it came in the second half after the Eagles were down 31-13, Most of the focus was on a heated sideline exchange between defensive line coach Jim Washburn and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg that added another layer of drama to the Eagles’ underwhelming season.
Young says despite the opportunity he’s receiving, he’s not looking at it as an audition tape for when free agency comes after the season.
“I’m not really thinking about that right now,” Young said. “I’m just, like I said I want to go out there and compete and lead my team to combat and make sure that I’m calling the plays right, adjusting and doing all of the different things from practice and bring it out to the game field. So that’s pretty much all that’s on my mind.”
Young was nearly reunited with Carroll in another way, as Seattle took a look at Young before deciding to go with Tarvaris Jackson as its quarterback for this season.
“We see him as a dynamic football player. He’s very comfortable in the pocket — just look at what he did last week in throwing for 400,” Carroll said. “He’s very comfortable standing in the pocket; he’s not a running quarterback any longer.”
UP NEXT
Philadelphia Eagles
at Seattle Seahawks
8:20 p.m. today, NFL Network