Miami Dolphins Trade Rumors: Vince Young to the 'Fins? No Thanks

On Saturday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald dropped a nugget about a potential pipeline between the Miami Dolphins and disgruntled Titans quarterback Vince Young.

Specifically, Jackson writes:

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"An associate emphasized how appealing the Dolphins would be to Vince Young if Tennessee cuts him as expected, and he's not out of the question for Miami. But one official who has spoken with the Dolphins said there's concern about whether Young would be happy as a backup if Chad Henne beat him out. Remember, Young wasn't happy when he lost his job in Tennessee. Speaking about no one specifically, Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said, 'You can't guess about' a quarterback's 'accountability and dependability.' Those have been issues with Young."

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Despite the caveat that Jackson offers, this column created a firestorm of chatter and buzz around the Internet and Miami media alike—and predictably so.

Anytime a new quarterback is connected with the 'Fins, the fanbase goes crazy. The same thing happened when Armando Salguero speculated about the team's interest in Carson Palmer a few weeks ago.

However, things are much, much different this time around.

First of all, the interest stems from Vince Young's camp—it is not reciprocal. Not yet, anyway. As of today, the Miami Dolphins have not shown any interest in Young.

But for the sake of speculation (and since there's basically nothing to write about during the lockout), let's imagine the Dolphins decided to pursue Young. Would it be a good move? Absolutely not. Not unless Young is willing to accept a drastically low-risk contract.

A legendary collegiate career coupled with two mildly successful seasons in the NFL has created a cloud of undeserved hype around Young. Although he enjoyed a successful rookie season in 2006 and helped resurrect the Titans 2009 season, Young has compiled an extremely unimpressive stat line and has continually struggled with off-the-field issues.

At separate junctures of his career, Young has reportedly contemplated suicide and retirement, was involved in an ugly strip club brawl and publicly blasted Jeff Fisher, forcing Tennessee's longtime head coach out of town.

One could argue that with a change of scenery or a strict chaperon system, Young could mature. But considering that he has run consistently run into trouble throughout his entire career, it's hard to buy that argument.

He seems to be one of those players who "just doesn't get it."

Set aside his character issues, Young has a measly career quarterback rating of 75.7, has never thrown for more than 12 touchdowns in a season, and has never started 16 games in one season.

Sure, he is a proven winner and his 30-17 record as a starter speaks for itself. But statistically, Chad Henne is better.

And you have to wonder if Tony Sparano would even accept Young onto the roster a few months after he ran Jeff Fisher out of Tennessee. Not to mention, Young might be an awkward fit in Miami's smash-mouth offense.

With all this being said, it couldn't hurt to sign Young, assuming he is willing to accept a very small, incentive-laden contract. He could provide very stringent competition for Chad Henne, and if he implodes or fails, Miami could cut him with minimal penalty.

Young's mobility would provide a welcome variation of skill, and he has never played with a wide receiver nearly as talented as Brandon Marshall.

Perhaps all he really needs is a change of scenery, but Young's career has been marred by instability, which is the exact trait that has plagued the Dolphins quarterback rotation for the past decade. His mobility and past flashes of success make Young a superficially enticing option, but in reality, Miami should steer clear.