Kerry Collins Is Winning, Will Vince Young Be Left Out In The Cold?

If someone had told you in August that the Tennessee Titans would be 12-1, the first team to clinch a playoff  berth and division title you would have said that Vince Young had finally arrived.

That arrival was sidetracked in week one when Young first refused to return to the field, then after his return he suffered a hit that injured his knee and set off a week of off the field drama that would rival a Jackie Collins novel.

Enter Kerry Collins, the old grey whiskered veteran, who when last we saw him on the big stage he was leading the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.

Now Collins has the reigns of another Super Bowl contender, the Titans, who Collins has quarterbacked, or as some say managed to an  improbable 12-1 record.

Collins has been very efficient, not spectacular, but he has done just enough with the passing game and suspect receiver while leaning on the offensive line and the running of LenDale White and rookie Chris Johnson. All Kerry Collins has done to impress is win, if you think that is important then Collins will likely be back to starter for this team next season, or will he?

Enter Vince Young, the ultra athletic former starter turned drama queen. Don't get me wrong, I like Vince and feel he has the physical ability to be an NFL quarterback, he's done it before, posting a 17-11 record in less than two full seasons as a starting quarterback. He has three years remaining on a contract that paid him a reported 58 million overall including $25.7 million in guaranteed money.

So do the Titans roll with Collins, or with Young? Some people will say that Collins at age 36 is almost at the end, and Young with that contract should earn his money. But which one will give the Titans the best chance to win next season? Chris Simms anyone?

Simms,who was signed to back up Collins when Young went down, himself has been a stater, 19 games in his eight year career. But injuries have limited Simms and he has never started more than 11 games in a season, doing that in 2005.

The smart money is on Young, considering that Titans owner Bud Adams issued the order to draft Young who is from Houston, which is also Adams home town. There is no way that Adams will want Young to sit on the bench and get paid again next year, RIGHT?  

Questions remain about Young, will his season on the bench help him mature and become a real leader, or will he ever really get it and be able to do for the Titans what he did for the Longhorns?

The other smart money says Collins because he has done nothing but win.

While Simms is a good looking guy, and a decent quarterback it is highly unlikely unless he blows Jeff Fisher away that he is even in the hunt.

What about drafting a top QB? What about a trade? Is there any trade value in Vince Young? Or what about a free agent?

Will Kerry Collins return for another season? What if the Titans win the Super Bowl, will Collins want to return, or ride off into the sunset a winner? If he does return, will he still have the magic he has had this season?

It is highly unlikely that the Titans will draft a quarterback. It's still to early to know all the players who might become available in free agency.  A lot will depend on what decision Collins makes because it is very likely that he will be counted on to start next season, if he returns. It's also unlikely that they will be able to trade Young, so do they release him and take the cap hit or hold on and pray?

My guess is the latter, hoping that Young will finally "get it" and be what they hoped when they drafted him. And what team would have a quarterback the Titans would want to trade Young for? What team might want him?

It looks like the Titans might just be stuck in this marriage, let's just hope that Kerry Collins can finish the honeymoon this season.