No one has been harder on Vince Young over the past year and a half than I have. I have hammered him time and time again, but it is now time for me to give him his due. He played a very good game yesterday. The Titans will take 15-18 for 125 with 1 touchdown and no interceptions from VY every week because it means a couple of things:
- The running game is working well
- Vince didn't put them in any tough spots with turnovers
He looked yesterday like a guy who had taken his time off to study the offense and learn everything he could. By my count, he only made two bad throws and only one of those was a bad decision. Again, the Titans will take that every week.
All of those things are good, but the biggest difference VY makes was seen on two plays in particular yesterday. The first came in the second quarter with the Titans facing a 3rd and 3 from the Jacksonville 10 yard line. Vince dropped back to pass, saw nothing was open and scrambled for 4 yards to keep the drive alive. Two plays later the threw a perfect fade to Nate Washington for a touchdown.
The other play came in the 3rd quarter with the Titans facing a 3rd and 6. Vince was able to move around in the pocket to keep the play alive and find Kenny Britt for a 7 yard gain and the first down. Chris Johnson went 52 yards for a touchdown on the next play. Both of those drives are probably dead with Kerry Collins under center.
Now the key for Vince is stringing performances like this one together over the final 10 games of the season. Here's to hoping he can.