Buffalo Bills quarterback Vince Young met and spoke with Bills beat reporters and local media for the first time this afternoon. One reporter - I wish I could tell who it was, to give him full credit - had the very bright idea of asking Young whether or not he knew of any special offensive packages (like the Wildcat) that head coach Chan Gailey or quarterbacks coach David Lee might be planning for him.
"Not that I know of," Young responded. "Right now I’m just learning new terminology and just feeding every day. I’m trying to get a lot of work in with Coach Lee the most that I can under the new rules that we have. That’s the biggest thing right now is just trying to learn as much as I can right now."
Note that this doesn't mean that the Bills don't or won't have Wildcat plans in place for Young when training camp begins; it could mean that, but it could also mean that they'd like Young to be familiar with the offense before letting him know about any alternate plans they might have.
In his six-year career - during which he's appeared in 61 games - Young has rushed for 1,459 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 5.2 yards per rush. A large chunk of that production (552 yards and seven scores) came in his Pro Bowl rookie season in 2006.
Last year, the Bills signed Brad Smith to a four-year, $15 million contract - and when they did, Gailey likened Smith's skills to those of former protege Kordell Stewart. Smith spent early portions of the season running the Wildcat before injuries forced him to play receiver full-time; he finished the season with 20 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown out of the formation.
Knowing that Gailey had that specific role in mind for Smith a year ago makes it likely that the package is at least in play for next season - and Lee's presence increases that likelihood, as he's often credited for bringing the formation to the NFL. Whether or not Young will be featured before or more than Smith in the Wildcat, however, is very much debatable - and for now, it's clear that the team wants him to focus on his impending competition for the backup job with Tyler Thigpen.