Tennessee Titans: Give Vince Young a Break

Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans have a current record of 6-2. The team has won 14 of its last 17 games dating back to last year. Vince has started all but one of those games. Not bad for a quarterback who is only in his second year in the league. However if you listen to NFL analyst and radio personalities across the country, they would have you believe that the Titans should bench Young and find someone else to quarterback the team. Why? Because he doesn't have amazing stats? I think people need to calm down and give Vince a chance.

Quarterbacks take time to learn their ropes in the NFL. This is the toughest league in the world. Quarterback is probably the toughest and most important position on the field. The game moves extremely fast and it takes time to understand the different offenses and defenses that can be run. Most quarterbacks don't even play their first year. They come in behind a more experienced quarterback while they learn the ropes. Give Vince some credit.

He took over this team last year after just a few games because the guy who was the veteran, wasn't getting the job done. Kerry Collins has much more experience than Vince yet the Titans were willing to let Vince start because they had little faith in Kerry. As only a rookie, Vince was able to come in, lead this team and get them some big wins. His team was one win away from making the playoffs. Their loss in the last game of the season to the New England Patriots, perhaps the best team in the league, is the only reason they were not able to play in the post season.

The knock on Vince has been that he is only a running quarterback. I'll be the first to admit that Young is not putting up impressive passing numbers. However he is getting the job done. He has proven that he can throw the ball when given the chance. He also hasn't always had tons of help. Vince has had a number of dropped passes, sometimes in the end zone. I think people need to give him credit for what he has accomplished. They also need to understand that quarterbacks take time to develop.

Tennessee' s last quarterback Steve McNair also was know for his ability to create plays with his legs. For years the Titans relied heavily on Eddie George and a solid defense to carry their team. Eventually however McNair grew into a good throwing quarterback who not only was the league MVP one year but led the team to its only Super Bowl in franchise history. Given Young's success at this stage in his career compared to McNair, Young should be an even better quarterback than McNair when it is all said and done.

Furthermore, Vince is a winner. He has been a winner his entire career. He won the National Championship in college against a USC team that no one thought he would beat. He is winning in the NFL. Heck, the guy has only lost a handful of games his entire career as a quarterback. Maybe he isn't putting up the huge numbers that some other veterans are, but he's winning. Isn't that really the bottom line?

I think fans need to chill out. Stop over analyzing Young. He is a young quarterback who is playing well and continuing to get better. If after 4 or 5 seasons he has not developed into a more mature quarterback than the criticism might be warranted. But at this stage of his career, he is playing better than expected.