When the 2009 NFL Season opens in Pittsburgh on September 10th, the man behind center will not be the future of the franchise Vince Young, it will be journey man Kerry Collins.
Collins lead the Titans to a NFL best 13-3 record last year, more importantly managed the games and limited turnovers. Collins only had 7 interceptions and 1 fumble lost last year. Compare that to Vince Young who in 2007-2008 season had a total of 20 turnovers. Young didn't have the benefit of having a superstar running back like Chris Johnson to work with though, or a good receiving core either. Young had 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles (both recovered by Tennessee) in the season opener against the Jags last year.
WR Justin Gage had a great year despite only 34 receptions. He looked great down the stretch, and should look good along side free agent speedster Nate Washington and first round selection Kenny Britt. This was the first time the Titans drafted a WR in the 1st round since their draft blunder in 1998 where they drafted Kevin Dyson over future hall of famer Randy Moss.
New Offensive Coordinator Mike Heimerdinger who was the Titans OC during the Steve McNair days also was added to the mix last year. Could Young have had that same success that Collins had last year? We will never know, but Heimerdinger did wonders with McNair who was a "project" coming out of 1-AA Alcorn State.
In a recent ESPN interview below, Young said,
"I'm ready to play football, And I don't know what NFL player around the league don't want to play or be a starter. So what I'm saying is that I'm ready to play ball. And if it's not here, in my next two years that I'm not going to be able to play here, then I'm telling guys around the league, I'm ready to play ball. That's basically what I'm saying. ... I'm just saying I'm ready to play football, and if I don't get a shot to play again here, then obviously I'm not going to be here."
I do believe there will be an open competition for this spot, but clearly Fisher will not tolerate Young's mistakes and pouting. Young actually has a better career completion percentage then Collins does, and he can make plays with his legs that Collins cannot. On the flip side Collins throws one of the nicest deep balls in the league, and that is something Vince has struggled with so far.
When your team is built around a solid running attack, ball control & good defense, you need to have your quarterback limit his mistakes. Tennessee made mistake after mistake in the playoffs last year against the Ravens, and still almost won the game. Throw in a pick or two from Young in that game and it would have been a 10 point game.
This fan is hoping that Vince can turn it around and start playing like the QB we all thought and hoped he would be coming out of college. We need a new hero in Nashville, and I believe Vince can be that guy.
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