From Cold Hard Facts, nice look at Vince's career
Vince Young: The Man, the Myth, the Moron
Building Hype in College
Young had a fantastic career at Texas, going 30-2 as a starter and winning the Davey OBrien Award (nations best quarterback) for his junior year in 2005. In a career with some great comebacks and rushing performances, Young may have saved his best for his final game.
Before the SEC made title games boring, there was an instant classic played in the 2006 Rose Bowl between USC and Texas for the national championship. On a field loaded with future NFL players, Young was named MVP after completing 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Down 38-26 with 6:42 left, Young led Texas on consecutive touchdown drives, including the 8-yard game-winning touchdown run on 4th-and-5 with 0:19 left. The comeback ended Pete Carrolls 34-game winning streak at USC.
Even though he completed 65.2 percent of his passes in 2005, Young was very much a running quarterback with 718 passes and 457 rushes at Texas (sacks count as rushes in college). It was not clear how he would translate to the NFL where you need to pass at a much higher ratio to sustain success.
But Youngs popularity and success at Texas did make him one of the most-hyped players leading into the 2006 NFL draft.
5 Up and Down years in Tennessee
The draft process was not without incident as Youngs infamous Wonderlic score was initially reported to be a six out of a possible 50. His official score is a 16, though one has to wonder if he was simply given a do-over.
In the end, it did not hurt his draft stock.
2006: Rookie of the Year
After being passed over by his hometown Houston Texans, Young went No. 3 overall to the Tennessee Titans. He was part of the quarterback class with Matt Leinart (No. 10 to Arizona) and Jay Cutler (No. 11 to Denver). All of these guys have been on multiple teams already.
But Jeff Fisher also brought in veteran Kerry Collins in 2006, and for the next five years the two would alternate the starting quarterback job with injury (to Young) often dictating the choice.
At the end of the five seasons, these were the results:
Young was 30-17 as a starter (0-1 in playoffs) with a 75.7 passer rating.
Collins was 15-17 as a starter (0-1 in playoffs) with a 74.6 passer rating.
Same number of losses, twice as many wins for Young despite not a big difference in passing efficiency. Of course Young had the rushing advantage and was much better in the clutch as you will see.
But the Vince just wins mantra swung the pendulum from preposterous crap to legitimately carrying the team. After Collins struggled miserably to start the 2006 season, Young took over and led the Titans to an 8-5 record. Seven of the wins were by 1-7 points.
Some of those wins were great performances from Young.
There was a rookie record with a 21-point comeback in the fourth quarter against the Giants. Young passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns, while famously scrambling for a first down after Mathias Kiwanuka gave up on a fourth-down sack. There was a 39-yard rushing touchdown in overtime to beat the Texans in Houston.
Some of the wins were absurd from the quarterbacks perspective and more about the team playing at a ridiculous level.
Against Jacksonville, the Titans scored 24 points, and 21 came from interception returns by Pacman Jones and Chris Hope, and a fumble return by Cortland Finnegan. Even on the lone field goal drive by the offense, the drive started at the JAX 14 because of a 70-yard kick return (plus penalty) by Pacman. Young contributed essentially nothing to the win.
In a big win over the 10-1 Colts, Young had two interceptions. But to end the game, Rob Bironas kicked a 60-yard game-winning field goal. Youngs 66.7 passer rating ranked 30th in the league in 2006. He did rush for 552 yards and seven touchdowns, which would both be career highs. Young rushed for five touchdowns the rest of his career.
But for his overall effort, Young won Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Before the recent rookie explosion in the NFL, these were very rare feats for any rookie quarterback.
Despite the early accolades, Young was quoted as saying he thought about retiring from football after his rookie season. Young would recant those remarks, but the fact it was even a story in the first place is very unusual for a player coming off a successful rookie season.
2007: Lone playoff season
With an improved defense, Young had a bit more success in 2007 with the Titans making the playoffs, but individually he did not have as many flashy plays nor did he lead a single game-winning drive. In fact it was Collins coming off the bench twice in Houston and Indianapolis (Week 17) for an injured Young to deliver wins that pushed the Titans to 10-6 and the postseason. Collins also won his only start of the season.
In the 2007 AFC Wild Card game in San Diego, Young struggled to move the offense, completing 16 of 29 passes for 138 yards and an interception in a 17-6 loss. It would be the only playoff game of Youngs career.
2008: Injury and depression
The good times did not last long for Young.
Young injured his knee in the 2008 season opener. Two days later Young disappeared without his cell phone. He was reportedly depressed after the home crowd booed him for an interception. A fear of suicide was linked to the story, though Youngs agent said the story was blown out of proportion. This seems to be the common theme with Youngs off-field problems. Someone always denies it for him, but how much needs to be out there before a pattern of bad choices is clearly established?
After the team was winning with Collins, Fisher decided to keep Young as the backup for the rest of the season. Tennessee started 10-0 and finished 13-3; the best regular-season record in the league in 2008.
2009: Return to the Pro Bowl
Collins remained the starter in 2009, though with his struggles and the defense regressing it does not get much worse than a 59-0 loss in New England the Titans started 0-6. Following the bye week, Young regained his job as starting quarterback and led a second-half rebound: Tennessee finished 8-2 only losing to Indianapolis and San Diego, who were both on long winning streaks.
Young was actually playing at a Pro Bowl-level this time, and again was pulling out improbable close wins. He had six game-winning drives in 10 starts after not having any since his rookie season.
Despite not being one of the first five options, Young made the Pro Bowl as an alternate for the second time in his career. He actually had more Pro Bowl selections until the 2011 season ended than Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers did. Young is one of eight quarterbacks to start their careers after 1960, make multiple Pro Bowls, and have more Pro Bowl appearances than postseason starts.
2010: End of Fisher, end of Young in Tennessee
Based on ESPNs QBR, Young did maintain his Pro Bowl-level of play in 2010, with a 70.6 QBR after a 70.3 QBR in 2009. However, Young only threw for more than 175 yards in one game.
After a 4-2 start, Young lost the last three games he played in, including a Week 11 game against Washington he failed to finish because of a thumb injury. Young thought he was going to reenter the game, but never did. Afterwards he had a post-game meltdown on Fisher, cursing and storming out of the room. Young threw his jersey and shoulder pads into the stands.
When Fisher announced Rusty Smith would be the starter, that was the end of Young in Tennessee. Fisher was gone first after the season, but the Titans released Young on July 28, 2011.
And like that, he was gone.
Vince Young: The Man, the Myth, the Moron
Building Hype in College
Young had a fantastic career at Texas, going 30-2 as a starter and winning the Davey OBrien Award (nations best quarterback) for his junior year in 2005. In a career with some great comebacks and rushing performances, Young may have saved his best for his final game.
Before the SEC made title games boring, there was an instant classic played in the 2006 Rose Bowl between USC and Texas for the national championship. On a field loaded with future NFL players, Young was named MVP after completing 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Down 38-26 with 6:42 left, Young led Texas on consecutive touchdown drives, including the 8-yard game-winning touchdown run on 4th-and-5 with 0:19 left. The comeback ended Pete Carrolls 34-game winning streak at USC.
Even though he completed 65.2 percent of his passes in 2005, Young was very much a running quarterback with 718 passes and 457 rushes at Texas (sacks count as rushes in college). It was not clear how he would translate to the NFL where you need to pass at a much higher ratio to sustain success.
But Youngs popularity and success at Texas did make him one of the most-hyped players leading into the 2006 NFL draft.
5 Up and Down years in Tennessee
The draft process was not without incident as Youngs infamous Wonderlic score was initially reported to be a six out of a possible 50. His official score is a 16, though one has to wonder if he was simply given a do-over.
In the end, it did not hurt his draft stock.
2006: Rookie of the Year
After being passed over by his hometown Houston Texans, Young went No. 3 overall to the Tennessee Titans. He was part of the quarterback class with Matt Leinart (No. 10 to Arizona) and Jay Cutler (No. 11 to Denver). All of these guys have been on multiple teams already.
But Jeff Fisher also brought in veteran Kerry Collins in 2006, and for the next five years the two would alternate the starting quarterback job with injury (to Young) often dictating the choice.
At the end of the five seasons, these were the results:
Young was 30-17 as a starter (0-1 in playoffs) with a 75.7 passer rating.
Collins was 15-17 as a starter (0-1 in playoffs) with a 74.6 passer rating.
Same number of losses, twice as many wins for Young despite not a big difference in passing efficiency. Of course Young had the rushing advantage and was much better in the clutch as you will see.
But the Vince just wins mantra swung the pendulum from preposterous crap to legitimately carrying the team. After Collins struggled miserably to start the 2006 season, Young took over and led the Titans to an 8-5 record. Seven of the wins were by 1-7 points.
Some of those wins were great performances from Young.
There was a rookie record with a 21-point comeback in the fourth quarter against the Giants. Young passed for 249 yards and two touchdowns, while famously scrambling for a first down after Mathias Kiwanuka gave up on a fourth-down sack. There was a 39-yard rushing touchdown in overtime to beat the Texans in Houston.
Some of the wins were absurd from the quarterbacks perspective and more about the team playing at a ridiculous level.
Against Jacksonville, the Titans scored 24 points, and 21 came from interception returns by Pacman Jones and Chris Hope, and a fumble return by Cortland Finnegan. Even on the lone field goal drive by the offense, the drive started at the JAX 14 because of a 70-yard kick return (plus penalty) by Pacman. Young contributed essentially nothing to the win.
In a big win over the 10-1 Colts, Young had two interceptions. But to end the game, Rob Bironas kicked a 60-yard game-winning field goal. Youngs 66.7 passer rating ranked 30th in the league in 2006. He did rush for 552 yards and seven touchdowns, which would both be career highs. Young rushed for five touchdowns the rest of his career.
But for his overall effort, Young won Offensive Rookie of the Year and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Before the recent rookie explosion in the NFL, these were very rare feats for any rookie quarterback.
Despite the early accolades, Young was quoted as saying he thought about retiring from football after his rookie season. Young would recant those remarks, but the fact it was even a story in the first place is very unusual for a player coming off a successful rookie season.
2007: Lone playoff season
With an improved defense, Young had a bit more success in 2007 with the Titans making the playoffs, but individually he did not have as many flashy plays nor did he lead a single game-winning drive. In fact it was Collins coming off the bench twice in Houston and Indianapolis (Week 17) for an injured Young to deliver wins that pushed the Titans to 10-6 and the postseason. Collins also won his only start of the season.
In the 2007 AFC Wild Card game in San Diego, Young struggled to move the offense, completing 16 of 29 passes for 138 yards and an interception in a 17-6 loss. It would be the only playoff game of Youngs career.
2008: Injury and depression
The good times did not last long for Young.
Young injured his knee in the 2008 season opener. Two days later Young disappeared without his cell phone. He was reportedly depressed after the home crowd booed him for an interception. A fear of suicide was linked to the story, though Youngs agent said the story was blown out of proportion. This seems to be the common theme with Youngs off-field problems. Someone always denies it for him, but how much needs to be out there before a pattern of bad choices is clearly established?
After the team was winning with Collins, Fisher decided to keep Young as the backup for the rest of the season. Tennessee started 10-0 and finished 13-3; the best regular-season record in the league in 2008.
2009: Return to the Pro Bowl
Collins remained the starter in 2009, though with his struggles and the defense regressing it does not get much worse than a 59-0 loss in New England the Titans started 0-6. Following the bye week, Young regained his job as starting quarterback and led a second-half rebound: Tennessee finished 8-2 only losing to Indianapolis and San Diego, who were both on long winning streaks.
Young was actually playing at a Pro Bowl-level this time, and again was pulling out improbable close wins. He had six game-winning drives in 10 starts after not having any since his rookie season.
Despite not being one of the first five options, Young made the Pro Bowl as an alternate for the second time in his career. He actually had more Pro Bowl selections until the 2011 season ended than Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers did. Young is one of eight quarterbacks to start their careers after 1960, make multiple Pro Bowls, and have more Pro Bowl appearances than postseason starts.
2010: End of Fisher, end of Young in Tennessee
Based on ESPNs QBR, Young did maintain his Pro Bowl-level of play in 2010, with a 70.6 QBR after a 70.3 QBR in 2009. However, Young only threw for more than 175 yards in one game.
After a 4-2 start, Young lost the last three games he played in, including a Week 11 game against Washington he failed to finish because of a thumb injury. Young thought he was going to reenter the game, but never did. Afterwards he had a post-game meltdown on Fisher, cursing and storming out of the room. Young threw his jersey and shoulder pads into the stands.
When Fisher announced Rusty Smith would be the starter, that was the end of Young in Tennessee. Fisher was gone first after the season, but the Titans released Young on July 28, 2011.
And like that, he was gone.
I don't see how VY couldn't be as worse or bad than Jake Locker and Hasselbeck right now. 
Your catching feelings because someone wrote something about a nikka who doesn't even know you exist