First Texas quarterback Vince Young shook up the pecking order in the NFL draft with his performance in the Rose Bowl against Southern California. Now Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler is stating his case at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Cutler closed the 2005 season with a flourish, passing for 1,410 yards and 13 touchdowns in his last four games against South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky and Tennessee. Then the 6-4 Cutler blew away the scouts during Senior Bowl practices with his cannon arm and quick release. ?He?s the No. 1 quarterback on my draft board,? said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. ?I have him ahead of Matt Leinart. I have him ahead of Vince Young. And I know after this week that some NFL scouts feel the same way.? Jeff Fisher of the Tennessee Titans is coaching Cutler and the South squad. His team owns the third overall pick in the draft. Mike Nolan of the San Francisco 49ers is overseeing the North team. His club owns the second overall pick, although the Niners used the first overall pick on quarterback Alex Smith last season and are hoping that USC running back Reggie Bush will still be there at No. 2. The Titans may not be able to restructure quarterback Steve McNair?s contract, which includes a whopping $50 million bonus in March. Even if they do, the choice of taking Young or Cutler is a possibility. ?First of all, we think Steve is still a valuable asset to our team,? Fisher said. ?However, it is time to address the idea of preparing to replace him in the future.? So, even with Billy Volek as the backup to McNair, Fisher admits the Titans will look at drafting a quarterback and Cutler certainly has made an impression. ?He?s made the adjustments we?ve asked of him and has done a very nice job,? Fisher said. ?He takes very well to coaching.? And Cutler does not lack confidence. ?I think I?m right there with Matt (Leinart) and Vince Young in every aspect,? Cutler said.

Steve McNair doesn't plan on collecting anything less than his scheduled salary of $9 million from the Titans this year, the quarterback's agent said yesterday at the Senior Bowl. That's not a big surprise, but Titans General Manager Floyd Reese's response was a bit unexpected. Reese said the Titans hope to negotiate something more salary cap friendly, but are willing to handle that salary and the approximately $14.5 million cap charge that will come with the final year of McNair's contract. Bus Cook, the quarterback's longtime agent, said McNair is slated for a $9 million base salary in 2006 in addition to the $1 million payment that buys out the $50 million option that would have extended the contract through 2009. "Why should he take a pay cut?" Cook said. "That's their choice. It's certainly not ours. I don't think Steve's going to take a pay cut. He's scheduled to make $9 (million), maybe $10 million, this year. Why would you take less?"

After having been through what Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese calls ?salary cap jail? for the past few seasons, the Titans will have come through the other side when the new league year opens in March. According to Reese, the club will have about $10 million in free agency to spend this offseason. Any new deals for quarterback Steve McNair, defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch and possibly center Justin Hartwig would be a part of that budget. ?It could be a little more or a little less, depending on how things work out, but for free agency, we should have about $10 million to spend on improving the club. That includes McNair and Vanden Bosch and whoever else we pursue in free agency,? Reese said. Reese and McNair?s agent James ?Bus? Cook have had conversations about a new contract for McNair, who is due a $50 million roster bonus in March, one the Titans cannot pay out. If the sides cannot reach an agreement on a new deal, there is a $1 million buyout clause the Titans can exercise that would prune back the contract from 2009 to 2006, but would push the quarterback?s cap number still to around $14 million.

Vince Young is headed to the NFL. The quarterback who led Texas to its first national championship in 36 years announced Sunday he would make himself eligible for the NFL draft. "I thank God for the opportunity to be in this position," Young said at a news conference. "Hard work has paid off a whole lot." Young, who led the Longhorns to a 41-38 Rose Bowl win over top-ranked Southern California on Wednesday, could have returned to Texas for his senior season and would have been a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. The versatile quarterback accounted for 467 yards against USC -- 200 running and 267 passing -- and ran 8 yards for the winning touchdown with 19 seconds left.