All the buzz yesterday at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis — because when something's buzzing in Indianapolis, it can be heard everywhere — involved a supposed score of "6" by Texas quarterback Vince Young on his Wonderlic test. (To wit, realizing that the pen they give is to be written with, and not used as a Q-tip, is enough to get you a five.) It would have been the first time a high-profile quarterback had put such a low number up; it also would have been dangerously near the lowest score ever, Iowa State running back Darren Davis' four.
Well, it looks like Young didn't do that bad after all; apparently the test was "incorrectly scored" and Young actually put up a 16, which, while still being nothing to strut about, is at least better than a six. Pro Football Talk, which has been all over this story from the get-go, explains thusly.
The guy who graded the test who was wrong. As we've explained, the guy screwed up the scoring of Young's test, and someone leaked the number to the crowd at the combine before the error was spotted.
Ignoring the fact that Wonderlic scores are supposed to be confidential — we repeat: Nothing ever ends up confidential. Nothing — we have to wonder about the grading skills of the "guy" in charge. If you've seen the sample Wonderlic test — which we encourage everyone to take — it's difficult to understand how one could grade a test (particularly one so high-profile) so wrong. Strikes us as a bit fishy, actually.
But anyway: So Young's score is not six, which means he can probably walk upright. Good to know. Now let's see what we can do about getting him to throw overhand.
False Score Gives Young Wrong Kind Of Buzz [Houston Chronicle]
If Your Wonderlic Score Is Lower Than Your Jersey Number [Deadspin]
Sample Wonderlic Test [Angelfire]
(UPDATE: We're told that Roderick Green, an outside linebacker from Central Missouri drafted by the Ravens in 2004, actually scored a "3." Good for him!)