Tag: Vince Young (Page 4 of 14)

It was time for the Titans to go in another direction

January 28, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Bud Adams’ organization is a complete mess right now. For the past couple of years, his head coach has been feuding with his once-prized quarterback and despite owning a league-best 13-3 record in 2008, the team hasn’t won a playoff game in six years.

Call it a firing or a mutual separation – whatever it was, it was time for Jeff Fisher to go. And if Adams is smart, Vince Young will soon be heading out the door, too. Everyone expected Adams to choose between the two but the right decision in the end is to start fresh by ridding himself of both of them.

The Fisher v. Young feud was a major distraction last year. Even running back Chris Johnson (the true face of the franchise) admitted so after the season. Who was most at fault for allowing things to get that bad? Everyone, from Adams to Fisher to Young, everyone played a role in creating the mess that this team is currently in.

Young hasn’t shown the ability to lead and his work ethic stinks. Despite what his supporters believe, he won’t fetch much in a trade because the league is well aware of his maturity issues. Fisher is a throw back coach who usually got the most out of his players, but he’s won five playoff games in 16 years with three of those wins coming in 1999 when he took the Titans to the Super Bowl. In 16 seasons with Tennessee, he never once developed a true No. 1 receiver or had a quarterback who threw for 3,400 yards or 25 touchdowns, which are pretty standard numbers these days for good starters. Granted, he’s supposed to be a defensive-minded coach, but his defenses have finished 27th, 19th, 32nd, 5th, 7th, 28th and 26th since 2004.

It was time for the Titans to go in another direction. Everyone saw what happened last year in Carolina when John Fox rode out the final year of his deal: he had little to no interest in helping a team develop its young players when he wasn’t going to be around to watch them grow up. Maybe things would have been different with Fisher in Tennessee but if the Titans’ front office knew they wanted to eventually make a change, why wait? Part mutually so that both sides could have a clean break.

And that’s exactly what they did. The Titans have a long way to go to right the ship but at least they’ve started the process by parting ways with Fisher. Next up is Young and then this team can really make some headway.

External Sports, NFL

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Vince Young: I’m an “elite quarterback in the NFL”

January 20, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and…Vince Young?

From ESPN.com:

Young says in an interview with ESPN’s Marcellus Wiley on Wednesday night that he will work to let his next team know he’s an elite quarterback who just wants to win games and be the best. Asked if he could work as a backup, Young laughed.
“I’m going to go into the organization, the team, and compete. That’s all I can do, and let them make their own decision after that,” Young said. “Definitely I am a starting quarterback, an elite quarterback in the NFL. I want to go ahead and start. But like it always is, the coaches have the last word.”

I get that Young was just trying to exude confidence in his abilities. After all, what is he going to say? That he sucks? That he has maturity issues and might be incapable of leading a NFL franchise?

That said, if he truly believes that he’s an elite NFL quarterback, then the guy is in serious need of a reality check. I could be way off in my assessment, but something tells me that he feels that he’s been wronged by Jeff Fisher and that is head coach has held him back. Maybe to some degree, he’s right. But the main reason Young is an on-again, off-again starter is because he’s a highly unstable leader. He may own a winning record but that doesn’t make him a winner.

You would never see quarterbacks like Brady, Manning, Brees, Donovan McNabb or Aaron Rodgers throw their shoulder pads into the stands while walking off the field in a hissy. None of those players would need a teammate to track them down as they headed out of the stadium in an attempt to console them after a poor performance either.

That’s because guys like Brady, Manning, Brees, McNabb and Rodgers are leaders. They set the example because they know that’s what is demanded of them. Young hasn’t grasped that yet, which is why he says that he’s an elite quarterback instead of knowing it.

Young can be a terrific player at times and I hope some day he puts it all together. But as of right now, he’s got a long way to go in order to consider himself elite.

External Sports, NFL

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Potential Landing Spots for Vince Young

January 6, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

Vince Young will not be a member of the Tennessee Titans next season, as owner Bud Adams has “chosen” Jeff Fisher over his once-beloved quarterback.

The Titans can’t cut Young until February 7 when waivers start for next season and they can’t trade him until early March (when the new season officially begins). But that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate about his future.

So let’s speculate the crap out of this thing. Below are some potential landing spots for VY.

Miami: For some reason, I see Young as being a Miami guy. That doesn’t make a bit of sense seeing as how he’s from Texas. But I keep getting the image of him on South Beach, sipping one of those colorful drinks with the umbrella hanging out. (Wow, I think the long football season is starting to get to me.) Chad Henne is a dead man walking in Miami, as former (Ricky Williams) and current (Brandon Marshall) teammates continue to throw him under the bus for the Dolphins’ failures this season. With Tony Sparano likely heading out the door with him, Miami’s next head coach will look to add a quarterback in the offseason. Seeing as how we don’t know who the next coach for the Dolphins will be, we don’t know if Young would be a fit. But this marriage makes sense based on need.

Arizona: I’m sure Ken Whisenhunt will want to see more out of John Skelton next summer in order to better evaluate his potential. But if he hasn’t seen enough of Derek Anderson to know the guy can’t play, then Whisenhunt isn’t long for the NFL. I don’t see Young being a fit for Whisenhunt’s offense, but the Cards are desperate and still scrambling to fill Kurt Warner’s shoes.

Buffalo: Ryan Fitzpatrick is more than serviceable but the Bills could bring in Young to provide competition. Any kind of talent that Buffalo can add to the roster would be a good thing.

Oakland: When there’s a high-profile free agent about to become available, I think it’s almost automatic that you have to list the Raiders as a potential suitor. You know Al Davis just put Texas’ Rose Bowl win over USC into his VCR (what, you think the Crypt Keeper has a Blu-ray player?) and is drooling over Young right now. Jason Campbell who? I need Vince, baby!

San Francisco: Same as Miami: We don’t know who the head coach will be so we don’t know if Young would be a fit. But there’s no doubt the Niners have a need at quarterback.

Houston: Young is from Houston and the Texans could use a backup for Matt Schaub, but I’m sure VY wants a crack at being a starter. Still, it makes sense.

Dallas: Same thing as above with Houston, although Young definitely isn’t a fit for Jason Garrett’s offense.

External Sports, NFL

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Maybe Titans’ owner Adams should part with both Fisher and Young

January 4, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The overwhelming consensus among fans and the media is that Titans owner Bud Adams will choose between head coach Jeff Fisher or quarterback Vince Young.

One will stay, one will go.

My question is: Why not let them both walk?

Young may have a winning record as a starter but that doesn’t mean he’s a winning quarterback. This latest incident in which he threw his shoulder pads into the stands after one of Tennessee’s games this year once again proves that he lacks maturity. While there’s no doubt the guy has talent, he refuses to put in the work necessary to become a great player. Michael Vick had the same issue in Atlanta before he was hauled off to prison for two years and realized he actually had to work for what he wanted. Meanwhile, JaMarcus Russell never honed his craft and now he’s out of the league.

If Adams sides with Young, it would be a foolish decision. Word has it that even his trusted executives have told him to move on from the former third overall pick. Maybe Young would change his ways if Fisher was let go, but does Adams really want a player that will only work hard if he likes his authority figures? What kind of message is that sending to the rest of the team?

External Sports, NFL

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Titans’ OC Heimerdinger diagnosed with cancer

November 24, 2010 / Anthony Stalter

Sep 12, 2010; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger during the game against the Oakland Raiders at LP Field. Photo via Newscom

Sad news out of Tennessee on Wednesday as coach Jeff Fisher announced that offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger has been diagnosed with cancer and will undergo chemotherapy.

From ESPN.com:

“Mike is very sick. And Mike is going to be, potentially as early as today, undergoing chemotherapy for cancer treatment. I don’t know whether or not he’ll be back (Thursday) or whether he’ll be here inside the facility or whether or not he’ll be able to participate in coaching this game.”
“We are going to continue with the game plan. I will make sure this game will get called and the offense will be prepared. I just want everybody to keep Mike and his family in their prayers.”
“He’s been sick — very sick — for three weeks. We just got the news this morning.
“I don’t want to go into detail anymore than that. I think we owe it to Mike to allow him to enjoy some privacy with his family.”

Fisher went on to say that the “Vince Young stuff is behind us.” When serious news like this come up about, all other issues seem inconsequential. My heart goes out to Heimerdinger and his family.

External Sports, NFL

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Tag: Vince Young (Page 4 of 14)

It was time for the Titans to go in another direction

Vince Young: I’m an “elite quarterback in the NFL”

Potential Landing Spots for Vince Young

Maybe Titans’ owner Adams should part with both Fisher and Young

Titans’ OC Heimerdinger diagnosed with cancer

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