Jason Whitlock writes that the book is still out on Vince Young, even though the Titans have won four straight since his return to the starting lineup.
Young needed to be benched. He needed to be humiliated and humbled. It was the only way to get his attention.
Vince Young did one thing Monday night that I did not like. In his immediate postgame interview on the field with Suzy Kolber, Young did not credit his teammates for his and the Titans’ success. This was a small error. But it’s an indication of where his mind is.
Vince Young believes he was done wrong by his critics and perhaps Jeff Fisher. He’s wallowing in victimhood and looking for an I-told-you-so moment.
I hope I’m wrong. I hope Young understands the mistakes he made and what he has to do to build on the success he’s enjoying now. He’s never going to be a guy who puts up huge passing numbers. That’s fine. If he avoids turnovers and moves the chains two or three times a game with a scramble, he’s a winning quarterback. He threw for 116 yards and rushed for 73.
What I liked best about Young on Monday was his comfort in the pocket. He has accepted the challenge of being a pocket quarterback. His body language was good, too. A teammate dropped a beautiful downfield throw and Young did not react negatively. He stayed positive and moved to the next play. That’s leadership.The intangibles — leadership, courage against the pass rush, timely scrambles and avoidance of turnovers — are what can make Young a long-term winner in Tennessee. If he can get and keep his mind in the right state, he’ll prove his critics wrong and make us all eat crow without having to say a word.
Oh, and he needs Chris Johnson to stay healthy and continue to carry the team.
Young is succeeding because the expectations were low when he re-entered the lineup. Heading into his second season after his rookie year, the expectations were extremely high and he crumbled. It’ll be interesting to see whether or not he’ll continue to perform well if the Titans win and the stakes get higher.
Some players perform better when they have a chip on their shoulder, although that kind of motivation is usually short lived. Eventually, Young will need to become a leader and a consistent performer if he’s going to succeed in the NFL. Time will tell if he has finally turned the corner.
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