Vince Young: Reports Of His Career Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Most fans regard Vince Young as toast. A classic bust of a draft pick who may be cut in training camp and certainly will be released by next season. This is not surprising as most fans rely on the media for their information, and the media drumbeat about Young being an NFL failure has been going on since before he was even drafted.

Simply put: the media has had it out for Young since day one. That is why they magnify his failures, ignore his successes (posting a record of 18-11 with an absolutely dreadful team, and in the process saving his coach from getting fired) and practically ignore the shortcomings of players they prefer like Reggie Bush (3.7 yards per carry and 12 career rushing TDs despite playing for one of the best offenses in the NFL) and Matt Leinart (whose statistics are actually worse than Young's). 

Also, note the clear disconnect between comments regarding Young's status and future between the media columnists and the Titans coaches and players.

Young's teammates, including those who have since left the team in free agency and no longer have a reason to carry water for the guy, uniformly state that he is a very good player with the potential to be great, who needed better players around him, and an offense better suited to his skills.

The Titans' coaches and organizations deny failing to surround Young with quality talent and an effective scheme (for obvious reasons) but even they attribute Young's problems to their having to play him before he was ready (to save their jobs) and that he is only now getting the opportunity to learn the NFL game as a backup that they planned to give him in the first two years of the league.

Yet the media drumbeat continued. When the Titans signed Chris Simms to be their third QB during last season, the media refused to portray it as a team that only had two QBs signing a third. After all, the Titans have usually carried three QBs in the past, and most NFL teams carry three.

Instead, the media stated: "The Titans are through with Young! Chris Simms is the QB of the future!" and kept the nonsense up for months. It ended when Simms left the Titans to sign with the Denver Broncos.

Why? Because Chris Simms—according to his own public comments—was the No. 3 QB in Tennessee, knew that he had no shot at beating out Young for No. 2, and was going to a situation where he could be the No. 2 QB.

The Titans were interested in Simms in case they couldn't retain Kerry Collins as a free agent. Never at any time was Simms reviewed as Vince Young's competition or replacement.

How did Simms know this? Because that was what the Titans told him. So, immediately after the Titans re-signed Collins, Simms went to Denver.

What was the media's response? "The Titans not keeping Simms was a FINANCIAL decision and no indication of their true feelings towards Young or his commitment to him."

Yeah, right.

Next, the media—primarily the local Nashville media—started talking up the possibility of the Titans' taking a QB in the draft. The draft came and went, and it didn't happen.

Once again, the Titans front office, coaches, and players reaffirmed their commitment to Young as the QB of the future. But the media stated: "Well, they didn't draft a QB because they were using the draft to get players to help them contend for the Super Bowl this year, but NEXT YEAR the QB of the future is coming in the draft!"

That is, until the Titans signed Patrick Ramsey.

The Titans publicly stated that it was to be the third QB. Patrick Ramsey acknowledged that, when the Titans signed him, it was to be the third QB.

But again the media blared: "Vince Young's roster spot is not secure! The Titans still have questions about Young! They signed a QB who knows the offensive coordinator's system! (Mike Heimerdinger coached Ramsey with the Broncos.) A huge training camp battle for backup QB is afoot, and if Young loses he will be cut!"

And the media kept that line...until training camp started.

Then they were forced to abandon it after Young—in a development that was a surprise only to them—began outplaying Patrick Ramsey immediately and has continued to do so thereafter.

At first, the columnists stated "Patrick Ramsey may catch up."

Excuse me, but how?

As they stated all summer, Ramsey already knew the offense and Young didn't? But now, the new line is "don't count Ramsey out yet! The REAL battle will be in the preseason games."

Excuse me, but the truth is training camp drills, which are passing drills only, represent Ramsey's only chance at outperforming Young.

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