Vince Young done in Tennessee

So Bud Adams has made his decision and it is that Vince Young is out in Tennessee. Everyone knew that either Young or Coach Jeff Fisher were not going to be back next year after their fiasco this season. Not the most stunning news but it is mildly surprising. Young was hand picked by the Titans owner to take over the franchise after the Steve McNair era. Adams had been hot on Young’s trail every since he rose to stardom as a high school star at Houston’s Madison high school. Adams being a Houston native was able to see the potential in Young as he demolished several Texas high school records. Every since Adams and Young met they seemed to have a bond between each other. After Young sensational college career, where he set multiple University of Texas records and led them to a national championship in his final year, Young was selected with the 3rd pick by Tennessee in the 2006 draft.

Young would have his ups and downs from the beginning of his tenure with Tennessee. He would have a breakout rookie season that saw him go 8-5 after being inserted as the starter by the request of owner Bud Adams. Young showed a flair for the dramatics and won over Titan fans with his three fourth quarter comebacks including one against arch rival Indianapolis. He would set an NFL record by rushing for 552 yards and was named Offensive rookie of the year.

Everyone expected a big jump from Young in 2007 after his great rookie campaign. Young would put up decent numbers finishing the season with 2,459 yards with 9 touchdowns but he also seemed to regress as he threw 17 interceptions. He would still go on to lead Tennessee to the playoffs for his first time and was named to pro bowl again after a Phillip Rivers injury.



2008 was the season where things begin shaky for Young. In the first game of the season, Young was under performing against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The fans let him know about it as they showered him and the Titans with boos, something Young was not use to. Young’s rough day included only throwing for 110 yards and being intercepted twice. Young was slow to head back into the game. Once Young did reluctantly get back into the game he sprained his knee two plays later and was on crutches after the game. This would be the first incident between Young and Jeff Fisher. Fisher was noticeably angry that Young did not wasn’t to go back into the game. Fisher would name Kerry Collins as the starter for the rest of year due to Young’s unenthusiastic response. Young would also be subject to a suicidal incident that led to an all out search for his whereabouts in Nashville. He was reported as dismayed when he left his home according to his mother and he was also noted as having a gun. Fisher and Young’s mother notified the police who found Young. Young stated that he was fine and the situation was way overblown. Collins would lead the team to a 13-3 record and a first round bye in the playoffs. The season would end in the divisional round with a lost to Baltimore however.

The 2009 campaign saw Young relegated to the sidelines at the beginning of the season. The Titans however begin the season a dismal 0-6 and thus prompting owner Bud Adams to once again request Young’s services. Even as Adams urged Fisher to make the change and Fisher obliged he stated that “I'm still in Kerry Collins' corner because I don't believe that our record is a reflection of the quarterback play," Fisher said. "It's a reflection of the team play. I'm still in his corner, but we've decided to go ahead and make this change." Young would prove Fisher wrong as he would go on to lead the Titans to eight victories in ten tries. He led a stunning comeback against the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals that saw him at his best. He capped a 99-yard drive at the end of the game with a game winning pass to Kenny Britt. It was the first game I remember thinking this guy is on to something as he was poised and threw the deep ball better than I could ever remember seeing from him. Young again would make the Pro Bowl as a replacement for Phillip Rivers yet again.

Coming into this season, it was supposed to be the coming of age for Young as he finally had taken the starting QB job back from Kerry Collins and had a full off season to solidify his standing with the team. He had put to bed the rumors of his childish acts and selfish mentality. Young showed in the preseason a new more dedicated work ethic and it proved to be working at the beginning of the season. Young looked comfortable in the pocket and his throwing as well as he ever has as a pro.

The Titans reflected from Young’s new found confidence and would start hot going 5-2. Young was enjoying his best statistical year as he had a QB rating of 103.1 at that junction of the season trailing only Michael Vick for the highest rating.

Everything changed for Young, Fisher and the Titans when the Washington Redskins came to town in week 9. The Titans were not playing the most inspired football and the fans again let them know about it. Young seemed to take exception. He began to wave his hands up and down to antagonize the crowd in Nashville, something you never do. Young was enjoying a decent game until he was injured making a throw. Young would try to tough it out and re-enter the game but trainers and Coach Jeff Fisher would not let him. Young self-destructed after the teams decision. His list of incidents after include: throwing his helmet and shoulder pads into the stands, walking past reporters and brushing off a teammate who tired to talk to him before he left the stadium and mumbling words at Jeff Fisher during his post-game speech. Young would also storm out of the locker room before Fisher was finished delivering his rant and Fisher reportedly stated that he was quitting on his team. Young responded back by saying that he wasn’t quitting on them but he was quitting on Fisher.

This was later stated by Fisher “I am very disappointed. I think his teammates are disappointed,” Fisher said. “You know, there is going to be frustration in losses. There is going to be times when you have to dig deep and fight and turn to one another. I don’t think you run, and so I am disappointed

In my opinion that was the straw that broke the camel’s back in Nashville. Not only was Young immature and childish in response to good decision by fisher and the training staff not to put him back in the game but he also sullied his reputation with the fans. There were already rumors about his mental fortitude after his previous meltdowns. Some said that in the locker room teammates preferred Kerry Collins to start as well. Coach Jeff Fisher seemed to never be in Young’s corner from the very beginning. He tried to suffice with Young on many occasion to soothe owner Bud Adams’s prized possession. But in the end neither man could stand each other’s presence. Young seemed to always think Fisher was against him and was never able to gain his coaches confidence. Both are to blame for the relationship not working. Fisher went out of his way to say that even if Young was not injured, he would not be his starting quarterback anymore, which I can understand due to his antics. What I will never understand between Fisher and Young is their lack of communication. Young didn’t even speak to Fisher about the incident until a few days later and resorted to sending him a text message to apologize. Fisher stated that a man would have spoken to him face to face to offer an apology which I agree to but again did he have to make that statement publicly?

In the end this was a relationship doomed to fail. Young was sort of a diva and thought he would have his own rules as he did everywhere else he played. Fisher is an old school guy who treats everyone the same until they earn the respect of him and the team. Bud Adams fostered Young and also splintered the relationship of Young and Fisher. It’s a shame that it couldn’t work out. It is surprising that Adams choose Young over Fisher as Young was suppose to be Adams protégé.As for Young, I’m sure he will land on his feet. There is always a team looking for a QB. The Young and Fisher saga has sadly played its last note in Music City.

So what do you guys think Vince Young's legacy will be remembered as in Tennessee?

2010 Tennessee Titans Year In Review

The Titans ended their disappointing roller-coaster season with a loss to their bitter rival the Indianapolis Colts, on a last second field goal. The win vaulted the Colts into the playoffs as the division winner of the AFC South and sent the lowly Titans home for the season. The Titans had a reversal of fortunes this year as they started hot out of the gates at 5-2 and leading the division. That is a stark contrast from last season’s 0-6 debacle. They also landed hall of fame talented but mercurial wide receiver Randy Moss off waivers from Minnesota. Even after losing to San Diego before their bye week, all signs pointed upward as the Titans. Vince Young was playing his best football ever in a Titans uniform as his stellar 103.1 QB rating trailed only Michael Vick in that department. Kenny Britt’s breakout performance against the Eagles (7 catches 225 yards and 3 touchdowns) had everyone gushing and projecting him on a path of stardom. Chris Johnson wasn’t on pace for his self projected 2,500 prediction but still was 5th in the league with 721 yards. The defense was boasting a league leading 25 sacks and was overachieving as a unit.

Be that as it may, No one could have predicted the way the wheels would fall off in the second half of the season. The Titans started what would turn into a six-game losing streak by losing to San Diego. The game that changed the team dynamic though would have to be the loss to Washington. Vince Young’s meltdown overshadowed the game as he would loss his cool with Head Coach Jeff Fisher and the fans at LP field. Fisher would not give in to Young’s request to go back into the game after seeing him make throws on the sidelines. Young responded was seen waving his arms at the crowd, throwing his helmet and shoulder pads in the crowd after the game and mumbling words at Fisher post game speech just to name a few things. Young would later apologize for his actions but the damage was already done. He was also put on injured reserve due a tore ligament in his thumb. In my game review I recognized that this incident could only lead the team in one or two directions. It could have galvanize the team and bring them together like never before or Young’s insubordination could cause a rift with teammates taking sides. It’s not hard to see which of the two that happened.

The team never seemed to recover from the Young-Fisher fiasco and things went from bad to worse. The newly acquired Randy Moss could never seem to find a rhythm with his new team. There is no way a player of his caliber should have only 6 catches for 80 yards no touchdowns and not even TARGARTED in some of those games. I’m just not sipping that Kool-Aid Jeff Fisher was making as he stated that Kenny Britt and Moss played the same position. It has to be a way to get both of those guys on the field. After rushing for over a hundred yards in the first two games after the bye week, Chris Johnson’s numbers declined and he had his worst game ever as a pro rushing for just 5 yards against a relatively soft Houston Texans squad. That game also featured the Finnegan-Johnson fight that ended up with both players being ejected. The incident was yet another sign of the team unraveling right before your eyes.

Despite racking up losses, the Titans still had an outside chance at winning the division. The Thursday night showdown with Peyton “The Sheriff” Manning and the Colts would be Tennessee last realistic chance to make a stand for the season. The Titans came out and showed some of life but were not able to come out with the win. The lost put them at 5-8 and with no real chance of making the playoffs. The Titans would finish out the season going 1-2 over their next three games, including the nail-biting loss to the Colts. If there was ever a season for the Titans to win the division, this was it. The Colts struggled and the Jags did their inevitable last season swoon but the Titans were no where to be found in the race.

To put this season in perspective is a complicated thing to do. It will be a season defined by turmoil and unrealized expectations. This was suppose to be the year it all came together for Vince Young but it quickly turned into a nightmare for him. Jeff Fisher future is up in the air and owner Bud Adams has to make some tough decisions moving forward. Talent wise, this should have been at least a playoff contending team at worst. The Titans never seemed to be able to move forward after the Young-Fisher confrontation. In a year of defining moments, that will definitely characterize Tennessee’s 2010 year. The Titans walk away from this season with more questions than answers, which is never a good thing. For the longest tenured coach in the league this had to be Jeff Fisher toughest year. He bore the look of a man defeated at the end of the season and maybe he will make the decision for Adams and just walk away. Vince Young’s tomfoolery has to be accounted for in some way as well. Bud Adams never chose sides in the incident and many believe that those actions created a wound to Fisher’s locker room authority that can never be healed.

Change is in the air for Tennessee and it’s quite obvious that some is needed. How much change will happen is another question. The Titans franchise has been one of the most stable in the league. Will Bud Adams roll the dice and shake up the redundancy and mediocrity that surrounded his team this year? How will the team respond if Vince Young or Jeff Fisher are let go? If Fisher is not retained, who takes his place? Do they go after a future QB in the upcoming draft? Speaking of quarterbacks, how much longer does Kerry Collins have left in the arm? Would Randy Moss even consider staying with the team, after being made a decoy for most of tenure? How healthy will offensive coordinator Mike Heimendinger be after his cancer diagnosis?

This much is for certain, the Titans in some form or fashion will enter next year with some changes in place. Those changes will take place right in front our eyes over the next few months. Hopefully those changes will make for better results next year. This should be considered a lost year for the Titans.

Titans Turmoil

The Vince Young and Jeff Fisher saga is getting as messy as the ending of a bad Hollywood relationship. Coach Jeff Fisher reportedly told Young not to attend a team meeting being held yesterday. Initially the Tennessean reported, citing unidentified sources that Young was in the training room Monday when he was asked to leave the facility by the quarterbacks coach and told he wasn’t wanted in the building after what happened Sunday. The newspaper said Young left without incident. The story was later refuted by Fisher on his radio show but he did confirm that he sent an assistant coach to inform Young that he was not to attend the team meeting. Fisher also said that he hasn’t spoken with Young since he stormed out of the locker room after Sunday’s game. Bud Adams stated that the two will just have to work it out and the story will blow over after a few days. Adams also went on to say that he wants Young to be in the team’s plan in the future. “It is one of those things that happened” Adams said but I think he is underestimating just how bad the rift between Young and Fisher is.

So you have your quarterback who acted out like a high school freshman throwing a temper tantrum after not getting to play when trainers and the coach clearly didn’t think he was healthy enough to play. A coach who seems to never really been fond of his supposedly franchise QB, and doesn’t sound interested to talk to him either after their confrontation. And lastly an owner who thinks the two guys just need to sit down and sing Cum-bi-ya together and everything will go away. This is what makes this situation so defective. All three involved in this stand off have different views of the situation. Young believes he was slighted by Fisher and acted selfishly and immature in the aftermath, Fisher, who would rather have anyone else start at this point than Young and wants to wash his hands of him completely and the disillusioned owner in Adams who doesn’t want to play sides with the two but seems to really have an affection for Young no matter what he does.

This is a toxic mix of motives and ideas. I just don’t see a resolution in this other than one of the two being exited from the organization. The writing is on the wall for Young or Fisher. The two don’t seem to be able to co-exist in a productive manner. You know it’s bad when you have Randy Moss playing the peacemaker on the sidelines. Neither trusts the other and no other position on the field needs trust more than the QB to the coach. Look at the most successful franchises over the last decade in New England with Brady and Belicheck and Indianapolis with Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy in the beginning and now with Jim Caldwell. Could you imagine either one of those teams going through this kind of chaos? Me either. It goes without saying that the QB and the coach have to be on the same page in order for the entire team to be successful, and New England and Indianapolis prove that. When you look at the relationship Fisher had with the late Steve McNair, you can clearly the trust was there and that led to great things as the Titans had there greatest seasons in that era.

In summarizing, this is a story that is not going anywhere anytime soon. It has dominated national news and we’re not even going to speak about the way its being covered by the local media here in Nashville. This has become a fire storm of a topic. I can’t dodge it myself, as every time I talk sports to my friends and family it is all they want to talk about. It may die down in importance as the season wears on but one thing is for sure in my mind. Either Vince Young or Jeff Fisher will be gone after this season. Bud Adams will ultimately have to make that unsavory decision and it will be a tough one but its one that has to be made. Who would you rather see leave Nashville: Fisher or Young?

Titans vs. Redskins Game Review

Tennessee let another game slip from their grasp, losing this time in OT 19-16 to the Washington Redskins. In a game that was built up as "Haynesworth Homecoming", this one was hotly contested from the beginning and the pressure may have gotten the best of Vince Young and the Titan faithful. The fans at LP field didn't seem to happy about the questionable play-calling, in particular not getting Randy Moss involved. The raucous crowd begin to boo the Titans and Young seemed to take exception. Young reportedly waved his hands at the booing fans as too egg them on apparently in the late first half. Young (12/15 for 165 yards) was having a decent game before slamming his hand a helmet as he completed a 37-yard pass to Nate Washington. He would stay in the game for the next play and before going to the sidelines and having his thumb taped. Trainers tried to re-taped Young's hand as he tossed passes to Randy Moss but Young couldn't return. This is interesting in itself because earlier this week there were reported rumors circling the Titans locker involving Young's toughness and commitment. It was even reported that some teammates preferred Kerry Collins to start when he returned. This make for the 3rd time in last four games played Young has been knocked out the game.

Coach Jeff Fisher now says that Young may have a season ending torn flexor tendon in his right thumb. The injury will would require season ending surgery. Fisher would go on to say that no matter injury, rookie Rusty Smith would be the Titans QB going forward. This latest situation with Young seems eerily similar to the infamous Jaguars game meltdown that Young had. Both times Young was injured and both times he handled the situation in undermining ways. Its disappointing for Young and the Titans because he had been playing his best football in a Titans uniform this year.

As for the game, with Young going down yet again and Collins still sidelined with an injured calf from last weeks game, The Titans had no choice but to insert the rookie Smith. Smith would drive the Titans down the field and set up a field goal that gave the Titans the lead 16-13. It would be short lived lead because the Redskins would come right back down the field on their next drive and kick a field goal themselves to tie the game 16-16. On the very first play after the Titans next drive, Redskins CB Phillip Buccannon would pick off Smith. Washington was unable to take advantage of the turnover and would punt. The Titans Chris Johnson found a lane and took it 20-yards on 2nd down of the next drive and burst for another 29- yards on the very next play to take the ball to the Redskins 45. Johnson would finish with 21 carries for 130 yards. The play took the game into the two-minute warning and the Titans were building a drive. Randy Moss would be penalized for a false start that moved the ball back to midfield. That penalty seemed to doom the at first promising drive as Smith completed a 6-yard pass to TE Jared Cook and incompleted his next pass to Nate Washington and the Titans would be forced to punt.

Donovan McNabb would give Washington a chance as he directed the Redskins down the field on some clutch throws to Chris Cooley, Keiland Williams, and Brandon Banks. Tennessee was charged with too many men on the field and that moved the ball to the Titans 35, that would set up a potential game winning 47-yard field goal attempt for the Redskins. Graham Gano would however would miss the attempt sending the game into overtime.

The Titans would win the toss and receive the ball first. Chris Johnson got the ball moving for the Titans on the first play of the drive, gashing the Washington D for a 15-yard run. Johnson would get the ball again on the next play for no gain and Rusty Smith would incomplete his next two passes forcing the Titans to punt. McNabb completed a beauty to Chris Cooley for 29-yards on the next subsequent play to get the Redskins drive started. McMabb would be sacked on the next play and then was called for a delay of game. But this is the point where the Titans begin to self inflict themselves with penalties. Titans DE Jason Babin would be called for unnecessary roughness and LB Wil Witherspoon was called for roughing the passer that went for another 15 yards. After another McNabb completion and a Titans timeout, rookie Alterraun Verner was called for a 5-yard illegal contact penalty but Tennessee would get those yards back as Washington's Will Montgomery was charged with a false start. Even after the Redskins penalty, Washington was in range for a 48-yard field goal. The Redskins, probably weary from the miss Gano had at the end of regulation, went on to run a few more plays before sending Gano back out. However this time Gano kicked it right down the middle for the game winner.

A very disappointing game to say the least for Tennessee. A number of things need to be addressed after this loss. Vince Young questionable antics makes one raise his eyebrow. We all thought VY was pass the immaturity that had plagued his career to this point.

After the game, Young walked toward the tunnel and suddenly tossed his shoulder pads and jersey into the stands.A few minutes later he walked past reporters already dressed, ignoring both questions and his old college teammate who tried to talk to him.Young tweeted nearly three hours later that he was fine and "sorry to my teammates." He then tweeted "Just want to play"

The play-calling was also suspicious in not including Randy Moss as he was only targeted 2 times resulting in no catches for him. The Titans had wy to many penalties including the embarrassing too many men on the field call. This game could cause the team to spiral out of control with all of the negatives that will come out of it. Only time time will tell how the Titans respond to a loss that had so many missed opportunities for them.

After the jumping out to a 5-2 record, the Titans now stand at 5-5 and now lost their last three. They dropped to third in the divison with Jacksonville winning and the Colts losing to the Patriots. They travel next to Houston to face the Texans in a divisional game. Lets hope the Titans can right the ship and get back to winning games, because it makes things a lot calmer in week for all of us Tennessee fans.