Vinsanity

Vince Young has led the Titans to consecutive victories.

It is not often that a first round quarterback with a winning record is benched. However, this was the case for Vince Young. Dating back to 2007, Vince Young has won six consecutive games, yet some consider him a bust. If it weren’t for an extremely peculiar offseason in 2008, Vince Young may have never lost his job last year to Kerry Collins.

It started after a not so hot week one performance in 2008 in which Young injured his knee and was booed by fans. After the game, people close to Young including his mother said he was in a bad state of mind. Young’s therapist told the Titans that young had mentioned suicide a couple times. After Young left his house the following Monday without his cell phone and a gun, fisher contacted the police. Although he allegedly was at a friend’s house watching football, the situation scared many.

After Young lost his job, Kerry Collins led the Tennessee Titans to a 13-3 record and a home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Despite losing a heartbreaker in the final minute of the game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Titans had an optimistic future ahead of them.

Heading into the 2009 season, the Titans were early favorites to contend and make the playoffs. Kerry Collins was to remain the quarterback, in spite of Vince Young proclaiming he would be the next black quarterback inducted into the Hall of Fame. After seven weeks though, the Titans found themselves 0-6 although they had a talented defense with one of the best running backs in the game.

Finally, Jeff Fisher made the decision to bench Collins and reinstate Vince Young as the starter. It is unacceptable for a team with Chris Johnson at running back, and an above average defense to lose six straight games. Even though Kerry Collins was playing ok football, Fisher needed to pull the plug to, at the very least, wake up the rest of the team.

Now the Titans have won two straight with Young at the helm.  He is a combined 27 of 37 for 297 with a touchdown in his wins against Jacksonville and San Francisco. He also has 17 rushes for 44 yards and a score on the ground. Although not overwhelming statistics, Young is playing mistake free football and more importantly, continuing his winning streak.

The Titans needed to see what they had in Young before the end of the season, so they made a great decision in playing him. After watching him lead Texas to a national championship over USC, he is indeed a supreme athlete with the capability of turning into a great quarterback.

If Young continues the rest of the season like he is playing now, it will save the Titans another draft pick on a quarterback, and give them a chance to be right back competing for a super bowl as early as next year.

In the end, the Titans fans need to be thanking their owner Bud Adams for all but forcing the decision upon Fisher. Saying that, Jeff Fisher is still an excellent coach who deserves at least one more season as the coach in Tennessee. Who knows, maybe even Vince Young will save Fisher’s job, go on to an illustrious career, and ultimately be the next black quarterback elected into the Hall of Fame.