VY has become a local hero. I figured it was about time for us here at MCM to take a look at his career from high school to here.
I asked Peter at Burnt Orange Nation about VY in high school, what Texas fans thought when VY was signed and when they knew he had "IT". Here is his reply:
Texas fans were well acquainted with his resume and highlight reels.
He was a man amongst boys, and at the end of his season, was named the
national Player of the Year in high school.
The knock on him coming into college was that he couldn't pass the
ball well enough (sound familiar?). The critics said he was a
glorified wide receiver that would struggle to develop a competent
passing game. Longhorn fans didn't care, and the desire to see him in
live action was tremendous.
Vince redshirted his freshman season, so we had to wait until 2003 to
get our first taste of Vince. And I think we knew he had "it" in the
first ever game against Oklahoma. Texas got thumped badly that season,
but Vince flashed some of that unrivaled athleticism that let us know
we had a truly special talent on our hands.
We had no idea just -how- special...
That is really exciting to hear as a Titans fan because people have been knocking him for the exact same things since the Titans drafted him. Think about how special he has been so far. Pretty special, right? We have hardly even scratched the surface. The thing that is easy to forget is that he is still a rookie and still learning. I hate using cliches but this one is true when it comes to VY, "the sky is the limit."
We all see the comebacks and the poise but what do the stats say? Vy's first start was in week 4 and the Titans were 0-3. They were averaging 220 passing yards per game, 11 points per game and 68 yards rushing. Since VY has started the Titans are 6-4. They are averaging less passing yards per game at 149 but points per game are up to 21 and rushing yards per game are up to 162.
VY is obviously not only helping this team with his leadership but he is helping the team statistically. He is special and everytime we think we have seen the best he surprises us. I look forward to watching him surprise us over and over for years to come.