Michael Ventre

In “The Wizard of Oz,” there were three characters with flaws: the Scarecrow had no brain, the Tin Man had no heart, and the Cowardly Lion lacked courage. Dorothy and Toto had shortcomings as well – she suffered from an overactive imagination, he had fleas – but it was the three costumed gents whose journey was most dire.

In the NFL, there are three such defectives who will be in search of redemption in some form during the upcoming 2008 season. As opposed to the aforementioned trio, there may not be a wizard to hand out what each is lacking, and there may not be happy endings. In the world of professional football, there is no yellow brick road, only (mostly) non-guaranteed contracts and high expectations.

Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush are arguably the three most famous college football players who have ever come into the NFL at the same time. All three were high first-round draft picks in 2006, and all three are entering their third NFL seasons. It can be argued that the third year is the “make or break” season in most cases. By the end of the third season, teams know what they have. By then, franchises are either looking ahead at a prosperous future with these players, or grooming replacements.

A rookie season is just that. Some contribution is expected, but not much, especially when it comes to quarterbacks. Clubs usually consider the rookie season as a grace period.

More is expected in the second season, but even then plans can go awry. An injury here, a coaching change there. Sometimes a player is a slow learner, and a disappointing sophomore season is written off.

But by the third NFL season, if a player has not proved himself worthy of his lofty draft position, he operates with the “bust” tag hanging over his head. And this is what Young, Leinart and Bush face in 2008. And unlike Dorothy, none has the option of clicking his heels and saying, “There’s no place like home,” because each has exhausted his college eligibility.

Young led Texas to a 41-38 victory in the national championship game over USC, which was led by Leinart and Bush. But the knock on Young was that he dominated the college ranks because of his size and athleticism, and those advantages would be negated when he reached the NFL.

For the most part, that is what has happened. Young, who signed a deal with the Tennessee Titans worth $58 million with $25.7 million guaranteed after being drafted third overall in 2006,has been just another middling QB.

While he is still a threat as a runner, he had 12 touchdown passes against 13 interceptions in his rookie season; last year he followed that with only nine TDs and 17 INTs. The results were poor enough that theTitans fired offensive coordinator Norm Chow and replaced him with Mike Heimerdinger in the hopes of salvaging their investment.

Young’s contract runs for five years, but the Titans may dump him after this season if they feel that all his vaunted upside is just an illusion.

While Young was the first quarterback drafted in ’06, Leinart was the second, although he unexpectedly fell to the 10th spot. Leinart’s perceived weaknesses were varied and interesting: a throwing arm that wouldn’t be confused with Brett Favre’s, and a taste for the Hollywood lifestyle. During his rookie season, Leinart played in 12 games for the Arizona Cardinals. He had 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Last season was a washout: He played in only five games before fracturing his collarbone.

While he had proved to be an accurate passer and a smart reader of defenses in college, he appeared confused and overmatched in his first two NFL seasons. To make matters worse, Leinart has a penchant for making the gossip pages; a now-infamous photo featuring him and some beer-drinking lasses only strengthened critics’ contention that he wasn’t completely focused on football.