The future of Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans

I have to admit before I get started that I was wrong about two things.  First, I never imagined that the Tennessee Titans would be 0'fer this late in the season.  This team had all the makings of a playoff team again this season.  Then things all went wrong.  Now they are staring at 0-6 and their bye week.  There are whispers that after the bye, Vince Young will take the reigns at quarterback.  Here's my perspective on what this could mean for Young's future and the future of the Titans.

Oh, you are probably wondering what the other thing was, that I was wrong about.  I was wrong about Young, but I don't consider it all my fault.  I really thought that Young would come in, and revolutionize the quarterback position.  Having watched him in college you could see that his poise and athletic ability were a great match for an NFL team who was looking to be progressive in evolving an NFL offense.  But due to a long series of events that I won't get into(they've been publish to death)  He went from his 2006 and 2007 when he was finding ways to get victories when there was little talent around him, to a complete spiral into what seemed to be oblivion.  I had no idea that Young would have a mental meltdown of such proportions when he came into the league but I suppose I should have.  Young had been incredibly successful throughout his career be it high school or college, and on some level he couldn't deal with failure and the criticism that went along with it.  I've looked at hybrid quarterbacks like Young with a very critical eye ever since.

So now we fast forward a little.  Kerry Collins steps into the starting job week 2 of the 2008 season and proceeded to lead the Titans to a 12-2(Young started in the regular season finale, a loss) regular season record as a starter, and a spot in the playoffs.  They lost that first round playoff game by the way along with the final game of the season and I think those games are very significant as a warning of what was to come this year. 

So, here we are in 2009, and there have been some problems.  Albert Haynesworth is gone and that's been a huge loss.  There have been some injuries on defense particularly in the defensive secondary that seems to have hit them hard.  The offensive line is intact but doesn't have the fire and explosion we all saw last year.  And on top of that it appears that teams have gotten enough film on Chris Johnson that his long runs are getting fewer and his short runs when he's caught dancing around, are being more common.  As a former running back, I know that linemen like to block for some style of back and less for others.  It seems to me, that the Titans oline is struggling to block for Johnson and his dip and dodge style.  Perhaps more carries for a downhill guy like Lendale White might help. But I digress.  All other factors aside, Kerry Collins has struggled.  Last he was the fuel that fired the Vince Young hate, because this aging veteran quarterback came in, and with the same offensive talent was able to do much better than Young had.  Must mean Young is a bust right?  Not so fast.  This year, he's completing less than 55% of his passes and has 5 touchdowns to 8 ints.  Looks like father time might be finally catching up to the 37 year old Collins.

So now with a bye week, Jeff Fisher and his staff have to decide if they want to cave to the pressure of Bud Adams and get Young on the field.  Seems like a perfect time to do it.  The season is in the tank, and you have 2 weeks to prepare.  I suspect it'll happen, but if the Titans want to do this right, there are some thinks I think they need to consider.

First, they need to make sure Vince Young is ready to handle losing again, because it's going to happen.  Young has come out and said he's going to the Hall of Fame and win Super Bowls and so a part of me thinks he's super confident but also a little delusional about himself.  This team could end up worse before it's better and if Vince Young ready to be that leader and lift his team up?

Second, they have to consider what they are working with.  The Titans have 5 players with at least 10 catches this season, but none with 20.  The top tier talent just isn't there at the wide receiver or tight end position.  So, taking that into consideration what do they have to work with?  They have a great offensive line who've underachieved this year.  I watched this group just blow teams off the ball game after game last year.  No reason they can't do it again.  And they have 3 really good running backs in Chris Johnson, LenDale White and Vince Young. Yeah, I said it.  But even removing Young from the picture, the Titans have a great rushing tandem.  I think they are using them wrong.  Last season, the Titans were able to get teams winded chasing Johnson, and then lean on them with White.  This year, they may want to consider the opposite.  Let White go in early, give the line an easier job blocking, and move the chains a little.  Then when opposing defensing are tired of getting beat on, you bring Johnson in to run past them.  This team just does not have the talent at quarterbacks and receivers/tight ends to not have an effective running game to set them up.  It can't go the other way around. 

Ok, so now on more specifically to Young.  If you are the Titans coaching staff, you have to make this decision quickly.  Mainly because you cannot wait too long, and only give Young a few days to work number one reps. I suspect Fisher knows who he's starting and will announce it when he feels like it, probably while wearing a Peyton Manning jersey, and it will be Young.  So long as he's working with the one's early, it doesn't matter when the press knows.

Alright Young is the guy.  Does the Titans coaches simply go with the flow and drop Young into their current offensive package?  I suppose they could, but I'm not sure if that will work.  Now, I'm not asking them to implement the split back veer or the triple option, but there should be some adjustments made to account for what Young does well, and what he does poorly. 

I realize that the zone read plays that Young made his money with back in college won't work.  Ends in the NFL are too smart and too athletic to make it happen.  Even teams like Miami who run the wildcat to near perfection, have only limited success when they try and read the end and make the play.  Now, do I believe that Young could have some success in a Wildcat package?  Of course I do.  Will it mean Young takes some hits?  Obviously.  I have been told that's part of the trepidation for using him like that now.  Ya know what Titans, you aren't winning, and you are paying Young a buttload of cash to listen to his ipod on the sidelines.  A little risk to get some return on your investment makes sense at this point. So, I think that even if they don't start Young after the bye, they need to incorporate him into the offense, in some wildcat packages.

But assuming he's a starter, what do they do for the other 75% of plays?  They have to give Young a very limited window for error.  That means a lot of max protect, a lot of run/pass options, draws, designed rollouts, things like that.  Oh, and assuming the Titans can get that running game on track, a little play action with Young's ability to throw deep could be effective as well. Let me break those down a little.

Max protect keeps the heat off Young.  If Young has time, he'll have confidence, and Football 101 is, if you give the quarterback enough time, the wide receiver will win, and get open, even against heavy coverage.  They start sending more rushers, and you get one on ones, you get man coverages, and you get lanes for Young to run, with defenders with their backs turned to him.

When I say run/pass option, this goes along with designed roll outs.  Offensive linemen don't mind blocking for a designed roll out, but a quarterback who breaks the pocket play after play, is a set up for holding penalties.  You play action Young, roll him right, and draft Scaife short and Britt medium, you will give Young a clear line to two reads or you tuck it and go. Keep it simple, keep the reads very basic, and keep the tempo fast.  Don't give Young too much time especially under duress, to think about the play.  Bad things can happen.  But this is true of the majority of NFL quarterbacks this year. 

I do not believe that Young can be successful in a traditional offense. I never did.  When he was drafted, I expected the Titans coaches to go all Dr. Frankenstien on the playbook, and create some sort of hybrid NFL/College spread offense that would harness Young's potential.  But it never happened.  Maybe this time, on a desperate team, they will pull out all the stops and try and make it happen. I have no doubt Young is a great athlete, but it's now time to see if he can be a great quarterback.  This is probably his last shot with the Titans and if he fails, maybe his last shot in the league.  As many teams as their are in dire need of a signal caller, I'm not sure how many are going to take on a contract like Young's without some assurances that he's grown as a football player. 

Last Edited: 10/27/2009