I can’t remember a season where there were so many surprise starters at quarterback and permanent quarterback changes during the season. There have really only been a few, but it is still unusual to see such significant changes by multiple teams during the season. Here I talk about three of the more intriguing ones.
Tennessee Titans: Kerry Collins Replaces Vince Young
The first game of the season for the Titans saw a very bizarre outing by Vince Young. Based on press accounts, Young was booed by Titans fans and sat on the sideline despondent and sulking. He was so despondent that when the Titans were back on offense Jeff Fisher had to force Young to go back into the game! Later he injured his knee running the ball, but it doesn’t sound like the injury was something that would keep him out the following week, but not much information was provided about the injury.
In an even more bizarre twist, the following evening Young disappeared from his home and the Titans sent police to look for him because he was supposedly emotionally downtrodden about Sunday’s events. It turns out he was at a friend’s house watching the Monday Night Football game.
The Titans said the whole situation was blown out of proportion by the press, but you don’t send police to look for someone just because they aren’t at home unless something unusual prompted it. Something is clearly awry in the psyche of Vince Young. Just imagine if he played in New York or Philadelphia where the fans are even less forgiving.
Jeff Fisher made a very gutsy call at this point naming Kerry Collins as the starter and he has remained the starter since. Thus, the highly touted first round draft pick who is supposed to be the future of the franchise was replaced by a 15-year veteran. It was clearly the right call by Fisher as Kerry Collins has played extremely well and the Titans are sitting at 11-1 with the best record in the NFL.
Kerry Collins, now in his 15th season, is clearly not the future of the Titans franchise. But he certainly is the savior of this season, which could have unraveled quickly after such an unusual set of circumstances surrounding the starting quarterback. Collins has had his own demons during his up and down career but he is the steady hand at the wheel for the Titans in 2008.
Will Vince Young get another chance to redeem himself as a starter for the Titans? Undoubtedly he will. Jeff Fisher has already proclaimed that Young is the future of the franchise and he wants him to sit and learn this year. You can’t give up on a promising first round draft pick at quarterback so quickly who you have invested a lot of time and money in.
Will Vince Young ever be an elite quarterback in the NFL? He has all the physical attributes to be one. He is big, has a strong arm, and can run the ball well. What he doesn’t seem to have is the decision making ability and emotional make up it takes to be an elite quarterback.
I’ve seen a lot of Vince Young the past few years and I have never been impressed with his play on the field and his decision making. My prediction is that Young, at best, will be an average quarterback in the NFL. I would not be surprised if he washes out in the next few years, and he definitely will if he doesn’t get his head in the right place.
4 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
James Williamson 7 months ago
Kurt Warner is a hall of famer, and I disagree about Vince Young. He needs to have the offense be about him. They draft a running back instead of some receivers for him, so what do you expect? He won the first game anyway.
If he is given a true shot, he will be a brillant quarterback.
As for Jackson, he kinda got the short end of the stick. They ran the ball more than they passed by a significant margin.
You forgot Garcia and Griese, Kitna and Culpepper, Orton over Grossman, Brady and Cassel. Those are all surprise starts my friend.
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C Douglas Baker 7 months ago
Garcia and Griese didn't interest me enough to write about. Orton is not a surprise at all. They thought they'd get rid of Rex Grossman after last year and most though Orton would end up the starter. Kitna got hurt and so did Brady so they don't really count as "surprises".
You could be right about Young, but I don't believe you are...
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Mike Craig 7 months ago
Well first off, they are still saying Vince Young is going to be the face of that franchise...but I doubt it. Vince Young had the talent but he is too much of a baby to deal with the mental factor that comes into play with football.
As for Cassel and Brady? Are you serious? Like Douglas mentioned, it was not a surprise that Matt Cassel came into play. Who did you expect to fill in for Brady when he got injured? Tom Brady getting injured was the surprise, but everybody thought Cassel would fill in for him, and now there is even talk that Brady might not be a Patriot next season.
Same goes for Jon Kitna, who needs to be on a better team anyway with the talent he has. Nobody expected Daunte Culpepper to go to Detroit. Jon Kitna getting injured was not much of a surprise considering the fact that in 2006 and 2007 he led the league with being the most sacked quarterback. An injury was bound to happen. Dan Orvlosky stepping out of bounds in his own endzone was a surprise. But nobody replaced Kitna regardless because he was injured. They are only filling in.
Garcia and Griese? Well to be honest with you, I would have expected to see that on here IF Garcia did not get his starting job back. Jeff Garcia is still the starter, no surprise there. It was only a surprise that he was replaced as starter for a couple of games.
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James Williamson 7 months ago
They are still surprise starts because people did not expect for those situations to arise.
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