Thread: Now a backup, Titans QB Young working to show his maturity

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans keep insisting that Vince Young will be their starting quarterback again some day. And Young said Wednesday that he's maturing, working hard and learning the business of the NFL.

Well, he better, because time is running out for Young to convince the Titans that he's worth keeping.

The Titans hit the field Wednesday for their first open session of the offseason, and every move Young makes is being closely watched. Kerry Collins is back as the starter with a two-year contract, the Titans signed veteran Patrick Ramsey for 2009, and Young is scheduled to count approximately $14 million against the salary cap in 2010 -- a lot of money for a backup quarterback.

Young, who is under contract for three more seasons, said he is focusing on football and leaving his contract to his agent, Major Adams, and the Titans.

"My job is to be here knowing what's going on, being attentive, being visible in the locker room, working out and taking care of my responsibilities as quarterback," said Young, who turns 26 on May 18. "That's pretty much what I have to do. All the business part, I leave that to the guys upstairs and Major. ... Right now, I'm just focused on football."

Young, the 2006 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, was the Titans' starting quarterback until he sprained a knee during the 2008 season opener, just after apparently refusing to return to a game because fans had booed following his second interception of the game. Young was relegated to backing up Collins, a spot cemented when the Titans signed Collins to a new deal in February.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher repeatedly has called Young the franchise's future at quarterback. But the coach also wanted Collins back as his starter following an NFL-best 13-3 record in 2008, and that's what produced a deal featuring $8.5 million in guaranteed money for the veteran.

Young met with Fisher early in the offseason, a meeting the coach described as the quarterback asking what he had to do to start again. Young said he wanted to meet with Fisher to share his thoughts and prove he's maturing.

"I feel like for them to understand that you are growing up, you must speak your mind and let them know what's going on," Young said. "That's basically what I told him. I don't want him to give me anything. I just want to come and take care of my responsibilities and earn everything, that what's given me is that what I earn. That's basically what I told him."

Young's teammates said he hasn't missed a day of offseason workouts, a change from last year, when he returned to the University of Texas to work on finishing his degree. That coincided with the Titans' hiring of offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, and Young commuted back and forth from Texas to Tennessee to work on learning the new offense.

Fisher called Young's 2009 offseason work great and a non-issue. The key to Young's further development? More playing time, which Young will receive in the preseason with Tennessee having five games.

"And just a better understanding," Fisher said. "The more reps he gets, the better he's going to be."

Young looked better throwing the ball Wednesday. When one ball was intercepted by Ryan Fowler, Young tapped his chest, taking the blame.

Fullback Ahmard Hall and tight end Bo Scaife played with Young in college at Texas, where he led the Longhorns to a BCS national title. Hall said he found lots of fan support for Young during the team's annual caravan, and he shared that with the quarterback.

"They support Kerry as the starter, but they still support Vince also," Hall said. "I think he'll be ready when the time comes. He gets that opportunity again, he'll definitely be ready to play."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...s&confirm=true

Maybe they should hire a "maturity coach".

Seriously, if they want to pay me mega-millions to stand on the sidelines and yell "Way to go, Kerry!", I wouldn't complain. Of course, I probably couldn't complete a pass further than the line of scrimmage...

Young can definitely start for some teams with weaker QB options; he's an instant upgrade from Tarvaris, and currently, JaMarcus. At worst case, he can be a situational player for plays like the wildcat formation. If he were smart, he'd learn all he could from Collins, who's a way better passer and defense reader.

The thing with Young is that you can't build an offense with him without allowing him to run because it is what he does best. It's as dumb as having Kerry Collins as your QB and then running the wishbone. Young is below average as a passing QB but he is devastating if you let him start running every time a play breaks down. He's too fast for most d-lineman to catch up to and too large for most d-backs to bring him down without help.

He was special as a rookie because it was Vince being Vince but when he got hurt his second year, they told him not to run and that made him below average. With Young, you have to call the play and then just enjoy the ride. He's never going to be Kerry Collins and he may not have a long NFL career as a running QB but he can certainly dazzle for a few years and give DCs the night sweats trying to defend him.

Originally Posted by OrangeHoof

The thing with Young is that you can't build an offense with him without allowing him to run because it is what he does best. It's as dumb as having Kerry Collins as your QB and then running the wishbone. Young is below average as a passing QB but he is devastating if you let him start running every time a play breaks down. He's too fast for most d-lineman to catch up to and too large for most d-backs to bring him down without help.

He was special as a rookie because it was Vince being Vince but when he got hurt his second year, they told him not to run and that made him below average. With Young, you have to call the play and then just enjoy the ride. He's never going to be Kerry Collins and he may not have a long NFL career as a running QB but he can certainly dazzle for a few years and give DCs the night sweats trying to defend him.

I agree.

But it was Young who decided he wanted to be a better pocket passer, and he adjusted his game to try to do that. The general problem with running QBs is that the first instance of trouble, their instinct is to run. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as Young was very successful with that, and some colleges, like Florida, use the spread to run, and Tebow's doing pretty good in that kind of system.

Young has to learn how to make the few key plays needed, or teams won't respect the passing offense. I actually commend Young for trying to stick with trying to get better with his passing. He should be a little more thick skinned for the NFL though.

I think the Titans definitely can tailor their offense to suit Young's strengths; it's actually pretty much set up for him already, with them being a run-first team and having a pretty good OL. Young has to be a good enough passer, though, to make it work.

I think the main reason for bringing in Petrino for the Falcons was for him to build an offense that would fully utilize Vick's strengths too.

maybe someone who has proved that he cant play a kids game whilst getting paid millions upon millions to do it, shouldnt be playing it...

Originally Posted by omac

Young can definitely start for some teams with weaker QB options; he's an instant upgrade from Tarvaris, and currently, JaMarcus. At worst case, he can be a situational player for plays like the wildcat formation. If he were smart, he'd learn all he could from Collins, who's a way better passer and defense reader.

i know people think i'm nuts, but i still believe he can be a good, productive NFL quarterback if he can get past the emotional problems he had last year. . . .

I really liked him when he plays for Texas Longhorns. He is a good guy.

Originally Posted by dogfish

i know people think i'm nuts, but i still believe he can be a good, productive NFL quarterback if he can get past the emotional problems he had last year. . . .

Maybe he can go to a good sports psychologist. In college, Tom Brady used to see a shrink, because of his frustrations at not being able to start, and now, no one questions his mental toughness. Andre Agassi used to choke whenever he reached the finals of a major, then he went to a psychologist-guru (the guy from Shallow Hal), then he won all 4 majors.

Young should get the attitude where he isn't afraid to make mistakes, or care how fans react. He should be able to throw INTs in a game, then later on throw the winning TD. Any QB who's at his best when he plays it safe is a game manager. QBs have to be thick skinned, and have ridiculous confidence in themselves. Heck, Dan Fouts used to walk around with a hat with the letters MFIC, and was even a dick to his teammates.

Originally Posted by omac

Maybe he can go to a good sports psychologist. In college, Tom Brady used to see a shrink, because of his frustrations at not being able to start, and now, no one questions his mental toughness. Andre Agassi used to choke whenever he reached the finals of a major, then he went to a psychologist-guru (the guy from Shallow Hal), then he won all 4 majors.

Young should get the attitude where he isn't afraid to make mistakes, or care how fans react. He should be able to throw INTs in a game, then later on throw the winning TD. Any QB who's at his best when he plays it safe is a game manager. QBs have to be thick skinned, and have ridiculous confidence in themselves. Heck, Dan Fouts used to walk around with a hat with the letters MFIC, and was even a dick to his teammates.

What is MFIC?

Originally Posted by Magnificent Seven

What is MFIC?

i think it must be "mutha ****er in command". . . . .

Originally Posted by dogfish

i think it must be "mutha ****er in command". . . . .

Yep, the mofo in charge!

I've never been a Charger fan, but now I wanna see more of his games!

(added) In the short video I saw about him, he said he used to walk around during the week before the game with that hat. LOL

Originally Posted by omac

Yep, the mofo in charge!

I've never been a Charger fan, but now I wanna see more of his games!

(added) In the short video I saw about him, he said he used to walk around during the week before the game with that hat. LOL

i'm not a big fan of giving props to chargers players, but fouts was just a badass-- he may not have quite as big a rep, but when it comes to pocket passers he was just as good as marino or manning. . . . dude could shred. . . . it's ironic, and maybe appropriate, that despite all their accomplishments they only have one ring between them, but t doesn't take away from the fact that he was one of the very best. . . .

Vince Young.... yet another college God, NFL bust. Can't argue he is a greatathlete. Can argue he chose the wrong position to transition to the big leagues.

Originally Posted by OrangeHoof

The thing with Young is that you can't build an offense with him without allowing him to run because it is what he does best. It's as dumb as having Kerry Collins as your QB and then running the wishbone. Young is below average as a passing QB but he is devastating if you let him start running every time a play breaks down. He's too fast for most d-lineman to catch up to and too large for most d-backs to bring him down without help.

He was special as a rookie because it was Vince being Vince but when he got hurt his second year, they told him not to run and that made him below average. With Young, you have to call the play and then just enjoy the ride. He's never going to be Kerry Collins and he may not have a long NFL career as a running QB but he can certainly dazzle for a few years and give DCs the night sweats trying to defend him.

Remember their OC is Mike Heimerdinger. . .the guy that tried to force Jake Plummer to be a pocket passer. Young has virtually no hope of being a free-wheeling scrambler in Heimerdidnger's offense.