Eagles vs. Steelers: How Will Vince Young Perform Against Pittsburgh Defense?

When the Philadelphia Eagles take the field on Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers in their second preseason game, many story lines come to mind. Most of those involve starting quarterback Michael Vick and how he, and the rest of his starting offense, will fare against the dominant Steelers defense.

Another important question is how well Eagles backup quarterback Vince Young will handle the Steelers defenders. While Michael Vick makes big plays for the Eagles, his mobility works as both a benefit and a liability; one of the concerns is the possibility of him getting injured.

If Vick does get hurt this season, Young will be called upon to lead the Eagles. Thursday will prove to be a major test of Young's ability to take over for Vick and take on a serious defensive squad.

However, the odds are against him to succeed.

In their first preseason game versus the Washington Redskins, the Pittsburgh Steelers' first-, second- and third-team defenses did not show the same kind of explosive play that they did throughout their 2010 season.

However, this second game will be different for the Steelers. Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin does not prioritize specific preparation for the first preseason game as a rule; for this second game, however, the Steelers will have a specific game plan in mind.

And it's a game plan that Vick, but especially Young, should be wary of.

While Vick and the Eagles starters will be playing the entire first half of Thursday's contest, therefore not guaranteeing that Young will face the Steelers starting defense once he takes the field, the Steelers' second-team is not going to ease up the pressure on the Eagles offense.

The Steelers gave up a total of 452 yards to the Redskins in preseason Week 1, with the defensive starters taking few snaps, stars Troy Polamalu and James Harrison not on the field and safety Ryan Clark and cornerback Ike Taylor both suffering injuries.

On Thursday, do not expect the Steelers defense to give up such a significant amount of yardage, even with the impressive and effective Eagles offense.

The Steelers' second-team defense, which will likely include rookie defensive end Cameron Heyward, safety Ryan Mundy, corner Crezdon Butler and inside linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, know how to bring pressure in the same manner as the starters; after all, they are still under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

Expect a lot of this pressure on Young, who relies on his mobility to evade the pass rush. Young often exhibits athletic scrambling ability, though, without the focus exhibited by Vick—resulting in sacks and broken, rather than extended, plays.

The Steelers are experts at rushing the passer and creating pressure, and will look to capitalize on the weaknesses in Young's ability to move the pocket in order to get hits and force turnovers.

While Young may not be facing the Steelers starters on Thursday night, look for the second-team defense to come on the field with their guns blazing, ready to make their mark as members of one of the most hard-hitting and hard-to-beat defenses in the league.