Young starts to live up to the hype
Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young has never been short on confidence. There have been times during his short career when that confidence has been misplaced, but it has always been there.
On Sunday night,
And what followed was the highlight of Week 12, proving that Young has matured on and off the field. It also placed the Titans right back in the AFC playoff race, with five successive victories following a shocking start of six successive defeats.
Young guided the Titans on an 18-play, 99-yard drive that was a thing of beauty. If a quarterback is truly judged on how he performs when the stakes are at their highest, Young passed his latest test with flying colours.
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He converted a third down and three fourth downs on the scoring march. And with the game on the line, he faced a fourth and goal at the Cardinals' 10-yard line with six seconds remaining.
Given their poor start to the campaign, the Titans have left themselves with little wiggle room. So as Young broke the huddle for the final play, he would have known an incompletion or interception would likely have ended Tennessee's season. That is pressure.
But whereas Young might have crumbled in such circumstances a year or so ago, he shone on Sunday, extending the play with his feet by stepping up in the pocket before threading the needle between two Arizona defenders to hit a leaping Kenny Britt in the back of the end zone.
It was a play that encapsulates all that is good about Vince Young - he is exciting to watch, can make things happen with his running skills and he has a strong arm to fire every pass necessary in the NFL.
And now it looks like he has the maturity to go with his physical skills. He spoke to the media after Sunday's big win and appears to be more grown up, more humble and therefore much more likeable.
While everyone might think being a superstar quarterback is great, Young has struggled to find happiness in his personal life and I think it has had a knock-on effect on the field.
His father, Vincent Young Sr, missed much of Young's college career while serving a prison sentence for burglary. So things have not always been great on the home front. And even after , Young seemed intent on self-destructing.
He made the Pro Bowl but showed he was in danger of believing his own hype when he insisted on being flown to the game on a private jet. He was acting like a 10-year veteran with three Super Bowl wins under his belt. Actually, that would be unfair on 10-year veterans with three Super Bowl wins under their belts because Troy Aikman never acted like that.
. He was clearly not coping very well with the expectations and pressure placed on a quarterback in today's NFL.
In 2007, he led the Titans to the playoffs but his personal form was poor as he threw nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He was not making the kind of progress expected of a multi-million dollar passer taken third overall in the NFL Draft.
By the start of 2008, fans and media alike were wondering if the Titans might be better served going with the veteran hand in Kerry Collins. The decision was made easier for Jeff Fisher after Young struggled in the season opener against Jacksonville and would be sidelined for two or three weeks with a knee injury.
Young was booed by his own fans during that game and responded badly. He had thrown two interceptions and midway through the fourth quarter he clearly did not want to re-enter the game. He was virtually shoved back onto the pitch by Fisher and, four plays later, he hurt his knee.
What happened after that game can only be described as rather bizarre. Young went missing and was last seen by his mother leaving his house with a gun and without his mobile phone. Worried Young would harm himself, Fisher called the police and a man-hunt for one of the most famous men in Tennessee began.
Young was found and admitted he did not handle the booing very well. He stopped short of saying he was depressed but the damage had been done. How could Fisher trust such a flaky character to lead his team?
The keys to the Titans' offense were handed over to Collins and he was outstanding in leading Tennessee to the AFC South title. While some back-up quarterbacks would play an active role in helping the starter, Young raised question marks about his team spirit as he sulked on the bench.
Somehow, he remained as confident as ever, stating on the eve of the 2009 season: "I don't know when I will start again but I will be the next black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. And I will be in the Hall of Fame."
Those words may have looked empty at the time but here we are with five weeks of the 2009 season remaining and Young is at the controls of one of the hottest teams in the league.
He has not been sensational but has stopped the bleeding. He has been efficient, completing 62.9% of his passes for 1,010 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He has added 159 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
Those are solid numbers and Young has avoided the kind of mistakes that plagued him early in his career. But they are not sensational statistics. The Titans have leaned heavily on running back Chris Johnson in recent weeks and have not needed to put the game on Young's shoulders.
That changed on Sunday against Arizona. It was down to Young to deliver with the season on the line and he did just that in dramatic fashion. I think that shows this young passer is growing up before our very eyes this season.
If the Titans were to win out and reach the playoffs it would be one of the more remarkable stories in recent NFL history. But it might not be the greatest comeback in Tennessee this year - that honour belongs to Vince Young.
Hello, I'm Neil Reynolds. I commentate and write about the NFL. I've followed the NFL since 1983 and covered the league as a journalist and broadcaster since 1991. I also played for 10 years in the British American Football League.
Comment number 1.
At 1st Dec 2009, eddie-george wrote:Another thing about Vince Young - he inspires players around him. I'll be the first to admit that I did not expect Collins to get benched, because I didn't see how Fisher would expect the Titans to get better results with Young in charge.
But two things I underestimated, one was the fact Vince Young has learned something from watching Collins for the best part of the last year. His passing is so much improved, both in terms of accuracy and in his discpline in looking for available receivers. The young Vince used to look for his main target, and if covered, he'd scramble for yards. The matured Vince will work through his options and hit the open receiver. The other thing is his ability to inspire, and get every team-mate playing at a superior level.
Stats-wise, it's the Titans defense - especially the pass rush - which is unrecognisable from the start of the season, and given the Titans a shot at the post-season. Chris Johnson's tilt at MVP is what the offense is riding on, and Vince Young has added an extra spark.
This week however, the Colts. Then we'll see if the Titans have turned this season around completely.
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Comment number 2.
At 1st Dec 2009, Nick Johnson wrote:Rose Bowl (I think) revisited. Young's college coming out party was a thing of beauty and wonder and one I missed on the night since I was so sick of the camera panning to Matt Leinart's (now there is another tale of potential not really achieved) Dad - who was sooooo ready to celebrate - that I went to bed, just before the 4th and 2 stop and "The Drive". Fortunately I recorded it and watched i the next AM after my stunned look at the paper! I think Young has some way to come back though. The fans have longer memories than players give them credit for and Young burned a few bridges the last year or so.
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Comment number 3.
At 1st Dec 2009, sportmadgav wrote:Vince Young at the Rosebowl was sensational, taking on Bush and Leinart almost single handedly in what is the ultimate team game.....but there is no way that you can do it by yourself in the big league. The big change for Vince Young has been Chris Johnsons incredible impact. This has taken the focus off him a little and maybe he sees that there is competition from within for the star player crown.
He is one of my favourite players and is good for the NFL. I hope the Titans comeback continues and we get to see Vince on the big stage. He is a winner and stats don't always reflect that as Brett Favre has proved (he has some pretty dodgy stats mixed in with the incredible)and has the potential to be the most exciting QB since John Elway. When the QB starts to run, everyone holds their breath, Young has more speed than Elway and is smarter than Michael Vick was in his Atlanta days.
I wasn't aware of his private life issues, I just hope that they don't get in the way.
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Comment number 4.
At 2nd Dec 2009, Grizzly wrote:I think you summed the new VY when you said he appeared more grown up in his post match interview.
I couldn't believe some of his antics last season and during the last off season but maybe he's sat down and taken a good look at himself and realised the spoilt childish VY of 2008 will get him nowhere in life.
He is now proving that he can be a leader of a successful NFL team, an amazing turnaround from 14 months ago.
If he steers Tennessee to the play offs then it'll be the most remarkable recovery I've seen in NFL history, even if they don't make post season VY has proved to everyone he has what it takes.
And to think if Fisher had his way Kerry Collins would still be starting QB
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Comment number 5.
At 2nd Dec 2009, IrishEagle89 wrote:Great post Neil, I agree with you on Young's drive, it was exactly the situation he would've crumbled in at the start of last season. To convert those 4th down situations showed a lot of character and how he scrambled for the game-winning play was brilliant I thought.
Looking at their schedule, they've got Indy this week and New Orleans in a few weeks. As hot as they are right now I still can't see them beating Indy, who numerous times this season have looked down and out in games but have been extraordinary in their fightbacks. The Saints will have things wrapped up by the time they go to Tennessee but I still think they'll take care of the titans. Will 11-8 be enough to get them to the playoffs, assuming they win their other games?
I've read your blog for a while Neil and only recently joined up to comment, keep it up and hey, maybe we'll get a blog on this young Eagles team that is fighting through a lotta injuries at the moment ;)
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Comment number 6.
At 2nd Dec 2009, Neil Reynolds wrote:IrishEagle... thanks for reading and for posting a comment... Your Eagles have certainly been through the mill injury-wise. I will say this about them - I think they are surrounding Donovan McNabb with some explosive weapons in LeSean McCoy, Brent Celek, Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson, although the latter would be a worry after suffering a concussion last week.
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Comment number 7.
At 2nd Dec 2009, eddie-george wrote:>> Will 11-8 be enough to get them to the playoffs, assuming they win their other games?
The best they can do is 10-6, and that's if they win all their remaining games.
I don't know all the permutations, but my sense is that 10-6 would probably see them through the AFC, 9-7 would surely come down to tie-breakers.
Expecting Neil to post soon about the emerging play-off picture, as usual the NFC East looks the most unpredictable.
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Comment number 8.
At 2nd Dec 2009, Neil Reynolds wrote:I'm not one to make bold or brash guarantees, but if the Titans win 11 regular season games this season, I will walk down Oxford Street in nothing but my underpants on Christmas Eve.
:-)
Tomorrow I am going to blog about the troubled New York Giants and their meeting with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. We have a commentary team in the US for this game on 5 Live Sports Extra but I get the week off... Darren Fletcher and Greg Brady will bring you the action.
But next week I think would be a good time to assess the race for the playoff berths. As usual, it will be crowded and I'm bound to give myself a headache with all the different permutations.
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Comment number 9.
At 2nd Dec 2009, eddie-george wrote:I think the picture is clearer than usual...
AFC - Pats, Colts, Bengals and Chargers are all but certain division winners, and then there's a bit of a bunfight for the wildcards, for me it's the Ravens + 1, Denver most likely.
NFC - Vikings, Saints and Cardinals to win their divisions, Packers definitely in as a wildcard, so it's take your pick from the East + 1 other wildcard. I think the Cowboys at 8-3 will make it into the play-offs, and I'll toss in Atlanta provided they get Ryan back in the next fortnight.
And overall, the Saints have to be the red-hot superbowl favourites. Seems they play at whatever level they think is needed, and put up 40 points whenever they feel like it.
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