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Mike Keith: Vince Young's Progress

November 26, 2009

It was late June, the Titans were wrapping up their final mini-camp and I was gathering some interviews in the locker room. As I waited, Vince Young came around the corner. At that point, as the Titans' backup quarterback, Young didn't have any interviews to do.

So as Young dressed and I waited, we chatted.

Understand that when the final mini-camp ends in late June, the players are off from formal duty for a month. They still work out on their own, but are free from required attendance at Baptist Sports Park. If the players are going to take a good trip, this is the time to take it. And with the six-month grind that is to come, they need to enjoy the down time.

So I asked Young if he was going anywhere during the break. Excitedly, he outlined a journey to a warm, beautiful  place with crystal clear waters lapping up against the shore. He laid out some of things that he might do while there, talking about the possibilities as he flashed the big VY smile. He was fired up about the trip.

So I'm guessing that if he's this excited, he's probably going for a couple of weeks, right? He's off work and he's certainly got the cash to do it. But my thought was corrected quickly.

Vince Young's trip to paradise was to last only four days. He needed to get back to work, he claimed.

At that moment, I got it that Vince Young got it.

Vince Young understood what happened to his career in 2008.

Vince Young understood what he had lost.

Vince Young understood that he would probably have one more chance to get it back and had to be ready when that chance came.

And as the calendar turned to November and Young's chance arrived, he has made the most of it. In four games---all Tennessee wins---he has played well. For all of the good throws and excellent runs, Young's most impressive November trait has been his fine decision-making. Young has truly "quarterbacked" the Titans, managing the offense and working to keep them away from mistakes.

Turnovers are down. Sacks are down. But to me, one play Monday night in Houston showed where Young has progressed.

Just over a minute to play. Game tied at 17. Titans ball, first and ten at the Houston 40. Tennessee sets up a screen to the left, but after faking that way, it is really a screen to the right to Chris Johnson. The Texans don't take the bait and have people on that side. Rather than take a chance on a bad play, Young chucked the ball into the turf. Second and ten at the Houston 40.

You live to play another play, to fight another day. Good quarterbacks weigh the risk-reward, understand the situation as it relates to time and score and make the safe call.

That's what Vince Young did in that moment.

So far in November, Vince Young has proven that he has improved physically, mentally and emotionally. In short, he has grown up as a quarterback.

Yet, even big VY fans must admit that one month of good play does not a franchise quarterback make. We'll learn more about his progress in the next two weeks.

Young is going head to head with two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning. The Cardinals and Colts can score, so the Titans offense had better be prepared to score, as well.

Plus, teams now have a month of tape to prepare for Young. They will make adjustments to him, just as they did in 2007. Will Young be able to adjust when opponents adjust this time around?

And inevitably, there is going to be a game where Young doesn't play well. Can he lead the Titans to victory on a day where he doesn't have his best stuff?

We will all learn the answers to these questions about Vince Young in the next few weeks. The chances of positive answers, however, seem much better than in 2008. It all starts with the fact that Vince Young totally gets that being an NFL quarterback is not a day at the beach.

1. Arizona is 5-0 on the road in 2009. Last year, they were 3-5 on the road, with their wins coming at NFC West foes San Francisco, St Louis and Seattle. In their five road losses in 2008, the Cardinals were outscored by 100 total points and lost by scores of 56-35, 48-20 and 47-7. Arizona’s road woes appear to be behind them.

2. In the first six games of the season, the Titans were 28-78 on 3rd downs (36%). One of the big reasons that they weren’t better? Poor first down performance. TN was 29th in the NFL, averaging 4.4 yards per first down play. In the last four games, the Titans are 29-57 on 3rd down (51%). In those four games, the Titans average first down gain jumped to 6 yards per try.

3. The scariest two stats from the Cardinals’ weekly release…

a. Kurt Warner is 66-89 (74%) for 804 yards with 9 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in the last three games.

b. The Cardinals are averaging 162 yards rushing in their last three games, after rushing for just 65 yards per contest in their first seven games.

4. Monday night’s key for the Tennessee defense was pressure. Sunday’s key for Tennessee’s defense is again pressure. Again from the Cardinals’ weekly release: Kurt Warner is 49-23 in games where he is sacked two or fewer times. Warner is 15-24 when sacked three or more times.

5. Chris Johnson tracker…

a. To break Earl Campbell’s team record of 1934 rushing yards, Johnson must average just over 115 yards per game.

b. To surpass 2000 rushing yards for the season, Johnson must average just over 126 yards per game.

c. To break Eric Dickerson’s NFL record of 2105 rushing yards, Johnson must average 144 yards per game.