For all the talk of VY's poor play, let's take a look at the numbers:

Kerry Collins (Season Stats) -

58.3% completion percentage

6.4 Y/A 

QB rating of 80.2

12 TDs 7 INTs; or .8 TDs .46 INTs per game

Vince Young (Colts Game Stats) -

69.2% completion percentage

4.2 Y/A

QB rating of 77.4

0 TDs 0 INTs

Kerry has played basically 15 full games this year.  I'm not including the 1st Jags game and final Colt's game.  In those 15 games, he's had a QB rating higher than Vince's 7 times, lower 7 times, and basically equal 1 time (First Indy game; 77.9).

For all the praise of Kerry being a game manager, we should notice that Vince played the exact same role yesterday.  He wasn't the risk taker we're used to seeing.  It was dinky passes all day with the exception of the one down the field to Scaife on the first drive.  It is clear, at least in my eyes, that Vince executed the gameplan that the coaches wanted.  It doesn't excuse the misthrows to Scaife.   But, the coaching staff wanted to see a game manager, and that's what they got.

From The Tennessean (emphasis mine):

"Vince appreciated the opportunity,'' Fisher said. "He appreciated the chance to prepare this week and play. We'll have to look at the tape, but I thought he made some real good throws.

"He was under a little bit of pressure but he moved the ball at times. We probably could have put him in a better position to make some plays, but he had fun and that is what we planned on happening.''

I'm not here to be a cheerleader for Vince, at least not in this case.  He didn't look good yesterday, and I think an imporant stat from above is the difference in Y/A between the two quarterbacks.  But, again, a lot of that is coming down from the coaching staff.

From The City Paper (emphasis mine):

“I just wanted to be loose. I told the guys earlier that my body feels real good,” Young said. “I told the guys earlier that I didn’t want to force anything and throw any interceptions, so I was checking the ball down and using my legs. Overall, I thought I did a pretty good job of getting the ball out and moving around. We didn’t really have too much in the offense today, but I think I did all right just to get back in my rhythm.”

I suspect that he's regurgitating what came down from the coaching staff.  We saw it on the field.  Check down.  Don't go for the big play.  Let's just get through this game in one piece.

Based on the results of the rest of the game, it's apparent that Vince was told not to throw across the middle anymore after the throw to Scaife that could have allowed a defender to lay the wood.  The logic makes sense.  Don't injure your starting TE on a pass over the middle for a meaningless game.

What's interesting is that despite all this, his stats aren't much worse than Kerry's.  No one could know for sure where this team would be with VY at the helm, but yesterday didn't show that Kerry was vastly superior.  Far from it.  On paper, they looked remarkably similar, (read average, not prone to turnovers).  Untie Vince's hands and put CJ next to him, and we might be having a different discussion altogether (for better or worse).

So, with all this in mind Titans fans, take a deep breath.  Vince didn't look good, but let's have a little perspective here.  It was the hand he was dealt, and with the exception of the bad throws to Scaife, the comments following the game indicate that he did exactly what the coaching staff wanted him to.  At the end of the day, this game tells us nothing.  Regardless of the results of the postseason, I think we still have a QB controversy on our hands going into next season...

The last week or so has been painful.

It started with Texas getting snubbed for the Big XII Championship.  The idea that a team we beat head to head ranked above us isn't right, but I at least understand the OU argument.  It's quasi-rational.  The problem is that people got so caught up in this travesty that they missed the bigger problem; Florida.

Everyone, media included, gave a lot of thought and insight into Texas/OU.  It seemed that every person you asked had an opinion.  There are articles coming out today that still contend that Texas was wronged by OU.  While that may be the case, the much larger problem that everyone seems to have missed here is Florida.  Compare the schedules.  Compare the losses.  How is it possible that voters have  Florida ranked above Texas?

Even Mack bought into the hype.

It feels like voters decided, "Let's see who's SEC #1 and Big 12 #1 and then vote them in."  The ballots clearly reflected this sentiment.  Voters didn't give a second thought that Texas should be considered the second best team in the nation.

And, save me the "you lost too late," "we don't want to see a rematch", "two teams shouldn't come from the same conference."  It's trash.  And, frankly, it's offensive.  It suggests that the voters are not capable of being objective.

I want to hear an case for Florida that carries some weight.  Can someone, anyone, please make a case for Florida?  Please.

First of all, Jimmy if you think this is inappropriate, please feel free to remove.  However, note that there is no legal issue as I am not selling for a profit...

I have Cleveland vs. Tennessee tickets I'd sell to a fellow Titan fan for face value.  The only catch is you'd need to pay for the shipping from Austin to Nashville or wherever.  To make a long story short, I'd already sold them but my buyer refused them because they have "obstructed view" on them.  The obstructed view is the railing since these tickets are in the front row!

Sec 333 Lodge level Row A Seats 23-24.

Anyways, let me know if you guys are interested.  I'd hate to see these great seats go to waste.

Great article from ESPN.com.  The more I read about this guy, the more I obsess.

Some excerpts (emphasis mine):

Once the Horns jogged off the field, Muschamp lit them up even more.

"At that point, you would think as a coach he'd be very lenient," said first-team defensive end Brian Orakpo, who watched the scene unfold. "But he was still coaching. He was getting on them for not tackling."

Muschamp's simple explanation of his urgency: "Every opportunity on the field is an opportunity to stop people."

...

"Stats are for losers," he said. "I like winning games."

...

"I like what I do," Muschamp said. "It's my job to get these guys to play well and play physical. I play through them. When they make plays, I make plays. When they make a mistake, I make a mistake."

...

"It's a week-to-week profession," he said. "You can be a real good coach one week and an idiot the next."

Hugs one week, heat the next. That mirrors the way Will Muschamp mingles with his defense on a play-by-play basis.

"He's just like one of us, but he's got the headset on," said linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy. "If you give him a helmet, I believe he'd run out there."

I was traveling all day yesterday, so I didn't get to see the game with my own eyes; all I'm going on is the stat page.  But, from the comments section, I got a pretty good idea that Kerry played stinky for 3.5 quarters yesterday.  I even read white02 -gasp- asking for Fisher to put in VY.  My question for ya'll is, do you still have the same faith in Kerry Collins leading this team? 

His passing performance yesterday is easily one that Vince could have achieved.  To date, his passing rating is about the same as VY's last year.  That's also not accounting for Young's rushing production, and the increased production he gives the running backs just by being on the field.  If Kerry is to remain the starter, his passing numbers need to be noticeably (not necessarily dramatically) better than Vince's, otherwise the decision to sit VY doesn't make sense.

Disclaimer:  While I continue to promote Vince, it should be noted that it is just because I think it's in the best interest of the team.  Yesterday's win was an important one and I don't want to take anything away from what this team is doing.

This first article by Vic Carucci I think gets to the heart of all of this:

The points you made about the deficiencies of Young's game are valid, but I'm actually less concerned about them than I am about his psyche. Through coaching and by applying himself in practice and the meeting room, Young can improve those technical shortcomings. The question is, does he want to? Does he have the desire to make the commitment to improve his game? Does he truly enjoy being an NFL quarterback enough to do the things that are necessary to get the most out of his skills?

The second article has some interesting insight from players and coaches, good stuff about Collins and the adversity he's faced, too (emphasis mine):

But one of his teammates, requesting anonymity, said: "Vince is frustrated, and we understand that. Who wouldn't be? He is used to being on the big stage. He is used to being the man. It's pride. I think he believes he is that guy from Texas and that he is beyond some things. He expects to perform at a high level all of the time. But now he is dealing with injury and failure in the fans' eyes. He's still a winner. He can still be our guy. It won't help if he mopes around now. And we've got to keep reaching out to him and let him know that we are still behind him."

...

"It is a major change, what we are asking him to do," Heimerdinger said. "He has always been the best athlete on the field. He has always had the special ability to run like few can run when things are not there. When hurt, he can't run and move at will. There is a reluctance to go. It's a gamble. Then that ability that helps him make plays running and passing (that) others can't isn't there. I felt every week before he got hurt, he was growing. If everybody is patient enough, he will be fine. But I must say, he is a player where there doesn't seem to be a lot of patience with him on the outside. For some reason, it's just that way. And that is hard to figure."

I keep hearing that Vince first needs to win the locker room back.  Aside from Bullock's comment (which wasn't direct), I haven't read anything that indicates he ever lost it.  I've yet to watch/read/hear anything that leads me to believe that VY won't start for the Titans again in the future.

At 4-0, there is a lot of clamoring that Kerry Collins makes us a better team.  That he's a better passer, throws a better ball.  To the naked eye, I can understand these sentiments.  He has a more orthodox throwing style, and a big arm.  But the stats tell a different story:

VYs first three starts last year (w/o Chris Johnson):

42 completions 67 attempts 62.7% Completion percentage 3 PATD 2 INT 1 RUTD  426 PAYD  96 RUYD  10.14 yards per completion

KC first three starts this year:
45 completions 83 attempts 54.2% Completion percentage 2 PATD 1 INT 0 RUTD 512 PAYD  32 RUYD  11.37 Yards per completion

This isn't meant to diminish what Kerry has done.  He's done what's asked of him: performed well as a backup.  But, these numbers are very similar.  What you don't see here is that the defense has to account for Vince's legs which can make our running game even better.  I'd also argue that Kerry has done less (or the same) with more around him.  Chris Johnson's speed was something missing from the 2007 offense.

Unless Kerry gets dramatically more efficient, I don't see the upside in starting him over a healthy (mentally and physically) Vince Young.

I think that WAAYY too many people are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill with this Vince Young thing.

Vince had a bad day.  In fact, it was one of his worst games I've watched.  His behavior is inexcusable, but the fact that people are calling for his head is ridiculous.  Others have mentioned this before, but with an athlete like Vince, he has always been the best player on the field.  Failure is unfamiliar territory.  So, in his third year as an NFL quarterback (which alone has it's own growing pains), there is a changing of the guard and he has to learn a completely new offense.  As evidenced in the preseason and this last game, it hasn't "clicked" yet. 

A string of events starts...Vince makes a terrible read and throws right to the safety in underneath coverage.  VY makes a couple of good throws that are either dropped, or not caught up to on go routes because the receivers slow down.  Last, he is picked off in a fluke interception by a defensive end.  That's the boiling point, and Vince loses it.  Danno hit the nail on the head when he said that we pay him enough money that he shouldn't pout.  That point is well taken, but let's also not forget that he is still human.  I'm sure many of you have had a bad day at the office, blown up at a coworker and regretted it.

I'd also point out that most are trying to draw conclusions without all the pertinent information.  The reality is that unless you know Keith Bullock personally, there is no way you can understand what his motivations were by saying the defense "[didn't] quit."  Similarly, we don't know what was said in the exchange between Haynesworth/Heimerdinger/Fisher and Vince.  Until we see how this all plays out, I'd encourage you all to hold off on judgements.

Now, at the end of the day/season, the reality of our quarterback situation is that we need more production.  Criticisms on that end area are clearly warranted and a serious concern.  In that vein, I think that a lot needs to be put on the shoulders of the coaching staff.  Chris Johnson is a start, but Vince Young needs weapons.  Did anyone else see Desean Jackson on Sunday?  I still think it was a mistake not to trade up for him in the second round.  Without some real weapons to stretch the field, an offense run by Vince Young will never really hum.  This leads me to my next point.

What I saw yesterday was more of the same, an offense not suited for Vince Young.  Many of the VY haters have the same criticisms abouy VYs accuracy and his inability to be a prototypical NFL QB.  In a lot of the cases they are right.  Fisher had to know what he was getting into when he drafted Vince Young.  He's not Cutler; he's not Leinart.  Vince is a once in a generation athlete that happens to play the quarterback position. 

Vince is a system quarterback.  There, I said it.  Unless you put him in a situation where the defense always has to account for his legs, he will be set to fail.  The bottom line is that a team has to be built around his strengths, not the other way around.  The problem here is that is a huge investment on the part of the Titans organization; a blind leap of faith.  The information they have thusfar shows a unpredictable, inconsistent quarterback.  But, that information isn't entirely accurate because the statistics are born from a system that isn't built around what makes Vince so dangerous.  So, they are in some sort of a gray area.  One one hand, it certainly isn't the same grind it out Fisher offense of yesteryear (though it looks that way on paper).  On the other hand, it isn't exactly a spread offense run out of the shotgun either.  Now, say what you want about spread offenses in the NFL, but I've seen no evidence that shows they can't work.  And, given that Vince was the greatest player to ever run that sort of offense in college, isn't he exactly the guy you'd want to run that litmus test?

Enough of the rambling, let me get to the point here.  The frustrations we saw on Sunday are not going away any time soon unless the Titans completely rework the offense.  Fisher would do good by have a long conversation with Mack Brown about this issue.  My fear is that Fisher/the Titans don't have it in them to put all their eggs in one basket with Vince.  And, I can't really blame them.  But, without that sort of commitment to build the future of the team around VY, I can't see him reaching his full potential.

For those that haven't heard, Lake Travis plays Austin Westlake tonight at Westlake.  The game will be televised on FSN at 7 pm.  If you're in Austin and want a good look at the future of the Longhorns, there should still be tickets available.  We got three yesterday on the 50 and there were plenty left.  Tickets run for $7.  Give Westlake a call and they'll point you in the right direction to get tickets.

I'll post my comments later tonight, but hopefully this thread will provide a place for others that are more football savvy than myself to provide their own analysis.  From everything I've heard, this kid is spectacular.

via www.collegeotr.com