If You Want to Win, Put Vince Young In: A Cure for the Tennessee Titans

Sitting at 0-3 the Titans are in a very precarious spot.  They are three games behind the division leading Colts and their playoff hopes are fading fast.  Only six teams in history have made the playoffs since starting 0-3, the last team being the 1998 Bills. 

They have lost all three of their games by seven points or less so they’re clearly not in the same league as some of the other 0-3 teams, like the Browns or the Chiefs, but good teams find ways to win close games and they need to start now if they want to be a contender.

Dating back to last season they have lost five games in a row and have a 3-7 record since starting last season at 10-0.  This Titans team needs a spark, and that spark is Vince Young.

Now, Titans Head Coach Jeff Fisher has had Collins back as has said he will not replace him as the starter now or anytime soon.  Fisher said “Kerry is not the reason. He is certainly not the reason for the situation we’re in.”

While I agree with Fisher that Collins isn’t the main reason the Titans are where they are now, the Titans are a different team from last year.  They lost Albert Haynesworth and while their run defense is around the same where they miss him is in the pressuring the quarterback. 

Haynesworth would push the offensive lineman back into the backfield and not allow the quarterback to step up in the pocket and make throws.  Without a consistent pass rush it has put more pressure on their secondary, which hasn’t stepped up.

Despite sporting two Pro Bowlers in Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin, the secondary is playing terrible.  They have been torched, averaging 275 yards allowed through the air and have given up 11 plays of over 20 yards, both ranking in the bottom three in the league. 

To make matters worst they just lost Vincent Fuller for four-to-six weeks and it will force rookie Ryan Mouton into the lineup and by judging by his special teams performance on Sunday (two lost fumbles) it isn’t looking pretty.

Back to Collins, he was a good fit for last year’s Titans, a team that played great defense and controlled the clock only needing Collins to manage the game.  With their defensive woes this season they need some more fire power in the offense and that’s what Vince Young can bring. 

We seem to forget that Vince Young was offensive rookie of the year and actually went to the Pro Bowl that year.  Putting him and Chris Johnson in the same backfield gives them the fastest and most potentially dangerous backfield in the league.

Granted, Vince has had more than his fair share of rough times this past year, but he seems to have his head on his shoulders now.  If you didn’t hear about what he did for the late Steve McNair’s sons recently you have to check it out.  That really showed some maturity on Vince’s part.

The Titans have a big decision to make on Vince in the offseason as his salary jumps to more than $14 million.  They need to find out if he can be their quarterback of the future or if they need to find someone else. 

Give him the opportunity to prove his worth and if it works out great and if it doesn’t well at least they know.

But with the way Kerry Collins is playing right now (13 straight incompletions at the end of the Jets game) the Titans aren’t going anywhere.  Also the last year the Titans started 0-3 was 2006, Vince Young’s rookie season.