Young shows experience beyond his years

TDJets72027 · Aug 1, 2007

On a steamy morning here, Albert Haynesworth was strafing members of the Tennessee Titans offense with F-bombs.

The combustible defensive tackle felt hed been done wrong on more than one occasion during this training camp practice. Hed reached his boiling point. Manhood was questioned. Retribution was promised. Parents covered their childrens ears.

Finally, someone spoke up.

"Hey, were a team here," Vince Young shouted to Haynesworth. "Lets stay together, now."

In a perfect world, Haynesworth would have nodded sheepishly and shaken hands.

It didnt happen that way. Haynesworth then directed his vitriol at Young before resuming his diatribe at everyone in general. Eventually, Haynesworth ran out of steam and seethed quietly.

What does Young do for an encore to his brilliant rookie season when he put a bad Titans team on his back and took it to 8-8? Things like that.

The best leaders arent made. Theyre born to it. And its in Vince Youngs DNA. Doing things nobody else wants to do -- like piping up when Mad Albert is raging -- is part of the job description.

"There are so many nice things about him and one of the things is that he has a great ability to have fun, laugh and joke, then when (the work starts) he says, 'Alright, lets go,' and its all business for him and everyone else," offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "Its a rare quality. Leaders have that quality. Hes young but yet people gravitate to him. Hes really something."

By conventional measures, Young had a pedestrian rookie season. He completed 51.4 percent of his 357 passes, threw 12 touchdowns and 13 picks and was sacked 26 times. Add in the running -- 83 attempts for 552 yards and seven touchdowns -- and the season is more impressive.

But if you look at the story of the Titans season, Youngs brilliance is unveiled.

Tennessee started 0-5. They then won eight of their next 10, including wins in Philly and over the Colts. Young breathed life into a season and helped a team with limited talent get to the threshold of the playoffs.

Entering the NFL, opinions were split on how Young would do. His release, the offense he played in at the University of Texas, his penchant for freelancing, even his IQ were going to slow him down. By the end of the season, the split opinions were unanimous. Vince Young could play.

But this year, there will be no sneaking up. Theres abundant evidence of how not to defend Young from the second half of last season when he ran wild. This year, Chow expects opponents to make him throw.

"Other people spent all off-season figuring out how to defend him," Chow said. "If youre a good defensive coordinator and you play the Titans you say, 'Hey, beat me with your arm, Vince. Dont beat me with your feet.' Weve tried to tell him that. Now how (opposing teams defend him) who knows? But were expecting they arent going to let him run so hes got to be able to throw."

Mention it to Young and he bristles. More doubts.

"Everybody's gonna make their own opinions, man. I dont care about all that," he said. "I know what I can do. I know I can get the ball from A to B to C and I know anytime it breaks down, I can use my legs and my God-given talent. (But) when Im back there, Im looking to deliver the ball to my teammates."

Titans coach Jeff Fisher sees the progress.

"Two or three times (on Sunday) the defense gave him some fronts and looks and he changed the play and audibled into the solution," Fisher said. "That just comes with work and commitment and hes committed to doing things perfectly, which is impossible at the position, but he sets his goals very high."

Young needs to add nuance to his throwing game. To, as they say, take what the defense gives him and live to fight another play when the big play doesnt emerge. During a full-pad practice on Sunday afternoon, he hit checkdown after checkdown to running backs.

"Thats what we love," said Chow. "Every time he throws a checkdown, I dont care if a guy is wide open down the field, Im saying, 'Yeah! All right!'"

"The learning curve is completely different," Fisher said. "Hes very comfortable with what hes doing right now."

Hes comfortable in his own skin as well. Everything that comes with being a franchise quarterback -- the celebrity, the demands, the expectations, the pressure -- he shoulders.

"My lifes changed since that Rose Bowl game," he laughed, referring to Texas' come-from-behind victory over USC in 2006. "Its been a whirlwind but its been a blessing. Im a role model for the young ones. A lot of people look up to me. Ive been to events and I see the kids, I didnt think theyd know of me as much as they do and thats a good thing so I want to keep being a role model getting out in the community and touching lives."

Said Fisher, "He knows hes being looked upon to do the right things every time he gets under center. He knows he has a responsibility to his teammates to be here early and stay late. The experience he got last year was so valuable. He handled all that very well and I was very, very proud of him. He now knows what to expect."

"This is my life," Vince Young said. "And Im happy to be in my shoes right now."
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Young shows experience beyond his years

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