Young's development key to Titans' hopes in '08

Is Vince Young on his way to becoming another Michael Vick?

No, Titans fans don’t have to worry about any off-field issues with him, unless they object to him drinking Patron with his shirt off.

But for the sake of Tennessee’s hopes of making a real dent in the highly competitive AFC South, they need to hope that there are as few on-field issues as possible.

Last season, in his first full year as a starter, Young did complete 62.3% of his passes, but he had nearly twice as many interceptions (17) as touchdown passes (9).

The Titans did make the playoffs, but they had to sneak in on the last day of the regular season, and it was vacation time after the first weekend, as they managed a meager six points in a wild-card loss to the Chargers.

It is only his third year in the league, so he’s definitely still very much learning the ropes when it comes to being a successful pro quarterback, but there’s no doubt that this is a key year for his development and for the Titans’ aspirations to be a legit team in the division and conference.

So, can Young make the necessary improvements as a passer so that the Titans can seriously challenge in the AFC South, or are they gong to be stuck like the Atlanta Falcons were in the Vick era–and possibly still would be if he was in Atlanta?

Under Vick, Atlanta always had high expectations, but two playoff appearances and one NFC title game is all they had to show for it. Not bad, but it’s not exactly the kind of return Falcons fans might have expected.

One can point to Vick’s deficiencies as a passer as a part of the problem. He had some great games through the air, but he wasn’t as consistently two-dimensional as he needed to be for the Falcons to be what they could’ve been. 71 touchdown passes and 52 interceptions is respectable, at best, but those numbers and his 53.8 career completion percentage and 75.7 passer rating are really nothing to write home about.

I’m not saying that I expect 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns from VY, but balance in his game is key. Balance because ensures that the Titans aren’t a one-trick pony.

Of course part of the responsibility falls on the receiving corps. As was the case throughout Vick’s run (Alge Crumpler is a very good tight end, but elite #1 receiver he isn’t), Tennessee’s receiving corps has been pretty pedestrian in Young’s first two years, unless the likes of Drew Bennett (his leading receiver in 2006) and Justin Gage (his leading receiver last year) are elite in your world. Young already has his Eddie George in LenDale White, but is there a Derrick Mason in that crowded bunch of receivers?

The Titans did add some weapons through the draft in East Carolina RB Chris Johnson and Cal WR Lavelle Hawkins, but are they enough? I think Johnson has a great deal of potential to be a difference-maker right off the bat as a rusher, receiver, and kick returner, and and Hawkins, a fourth-round pick (the pick they got from Dallas for Pacman Jones), will have a chance to make an early impact as well.

Funnily enough, they also added Vick’s former go-to man, Crumpler, in free agency, and they also brought back Justin McCareins, so there are two experienced targets in Young’s arsenal to go with the young guys like Hawkins and Johnson.

Young certainly has the talent to be a dangerous passer, but what he needs to be is efficient, lower his interceptions, and raise his touchdowns.

If he can do that, the Titans could take the step towards being a real contender, and even if they can’t catch Peyton Manning and the juggernaut that is the Indianapolis Colts, they could at least make a push for 11 or 12 wins and have a shot at knocking Jacksonville out of second spot in the AFC South.

If not, they could get swallowed up in the competitive AFC, and just be another ‘almost, but not quite’ team in a conference where almost just doesn’t cut it.

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