Vince Young vs. Tim Tebow: Which Enigmatic QB Has Brightest Future?

When you think of quarterbacks who can run the ball, chances are three names come to mind: Michael Vick, Tim Tebow and Vince Young.

It just so happens that both Young and Tebow are coming off victories where they showed off their clutch abilities.

Tebow led a 95-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 20-yard scamper for the game-winning touchdown with a little less than a minute remaining. He led the Broncos to a 17-13 victory over the Jets and their fourth victory in five games.

Young on the other hand, saved the Eagles' season by defeating their divisional rival New York Giants, largely due to an 80-yard drive that consumed over nine minutes of the fourth quarter. It culminated in an eight-yard TD pass to Riley Cooper to put the Eagles up for good 17-10, with 2:45 to play.

Both quarterbacks are not great passers, yet both have intangibles that are off the charts.

Tebow has shown off his clutch ability through his short career, leading four fourth quarter comebacks in his eight career starts, including three this year alone.

Even before Sunday's victory for the Eagles, Young had a penchant for fourth quarter comebacks in Tennessee. Hell, in one of his first career highlights, Young led the Titans back from a three-possession deficit against the Giants in his rookie season of 2006.

So the question is, between Tebow and Young, who has the brighter future?

First of all, let's look at their ages and their respective situations.

Tebow is 24 years old, in his second year in the league and will be the Broncos' starter for the remainder of the season. 

Beyond 2011 is anybody's guess as far as who will be starting for the Broncos and where Tebow will be playing.

As for Young, Vince is 28 years old, in his sixth year in the NFL and is now starting due to Michael Vick's injury. One can assume that even if Young is to lead the Eagles to victory over the Patriots, Andy Reid would go back to Vick once healthy again.

The reason this is such an interesting topic to ponder, is because both quarterbacks have proven that they can win in this league.

Young is 31-17 as a starting QB. He has never had a losing season as a starting quarterback and once led the Titans to an 8-2 record after Tennessee had started 0-6 in 2009. In 2007 he led them to the playoffs and in 2006, led them to an 8-5 record after starting out 0-3 with Kerry Collins at quarterback.

Tebow has a shorter resume, seeing as he's only made eight starts. He's 5-3, including 4-1 in 2011, and has led the Broncos into playoff contention after having been the worst team in the NFL since starting out 6-0 in 2009.

So who should have the brighter future of these two quarterbacks?

I'm gonna go out on a limb and predict Tebow will be the starting quarterback for the Broncos entering next season. That doesn't mean that Denver won't draft a quarterback if the opportunity presents itself.

As far as Young—regardless of how he performs as starting QB in his short stint with the Eagles—I cannot see him playing with Philadelphia past this season, considering Vick's massive contract, and the fact that Young signed for only one year in Philly to rebuild his image after his fallout in Tennessee with his former coach Jeff Fisher.

So basically, Young's best option in 2012 is starting for a team that needs a stopgap replacement. Basically the shoes that Donovan McNabb filled this year for the Minnesota Vikings and Christian Ponder.

I am going to predict that Young has seen his best years as a quarterback. Will he start for a team in the future? Most likely. Will it be in a situation that maximizes their resources in order to cater to Young's talents, so that they can build around Young with the intention that he's their present and future?

I can't see that happening.

As far as Tebow is concerned, if Tebow is able to lead the Broncos to a .500 record and within inches of winning the AFC West division, the John Elway regime will have no choice but to bring back Tebow as the starting QB entering next season.

If this is the case, expect the Broncos to at least put somewhat of an effort into building around Tebow, with the goal being to build around Tebow at least as long as the train keeps rolling.

There is too much to risk losing if you're running the Broncos. If you give up on Tebow so quickly despite all of the wins and fan support, you risk a huge backlash from the Broncos fanbase.

So what is the final answer?

The final answer is Tebow. Not necessarily because Tebow is a better quarterback than Young, but because you can expect a team to invest heavily in Tebow, whereas with Young, it's hard to envision the same happening.

Young has had his fair share of problems off of the field, whereas with Tebow, organizations will feel more comfortable building around him, although Young is a better passer than Tebow at this point in their careers.

Put your money on Tebow for a brighter future.