On Vince Young's Career Record

30-17.  If you are in a debate with someone defending Vince Young, it is inevitable that he or she is going to throw that number at you.  That is Vince Young's career record as a starter.  That person will tell you that 30-17 proves that VY is a good NFL quarterback and you are crazy for thinking otherwise.  They will also point out the saving of Fisher's job last year with an 8-2 finish from VY.  The problem is those numbers doesn't really mean anything out of context, and this post is dedicated to putting that record in context.

First a few comments on 8-2 to end last season.  Everyone was pumped heading into this year because of that, but if you go back and look at the teams the Titans faced, it really isn't that impressive.  There were three games against teams that ended up making the playoffs.  The Titans were 1-2 in those games, and it took a miracle drive for the one win, the game against the Cardinals, and the Cards ran out Matt Leinart instead of Kurt Warner in that game.  This paragraph is really an indictment against the whole team- not just Vince Young.  The defense was better later in the season, but that was helped tremendously by facing some pretty bad offenses.

Now to the argument that is VY specific.  In his career he is 5-10 against teams that ended up making the playoffs, and that includes his one playoff start that was a loss.  So let's just calm it down with the "all he does is win stuff," or just change it to "all he does is win against bad teams."

Click through the jump for the individual game breakdowns.

 

2006

Opponent	Comp	Att	Yds	TD	INT	Rating	Carries	Yds	TD	Fumbles
Cowboys	14	29	155	1	2	47.3	5	3	0	2
Colts	10	21	63	0	1	34.4	4	43	1	0
Ravens	13	25	211	0	1	63.9	8	39	1	0
Eagles	8	22	101	1	0	66.7	8	49	0	1
Giants	24	35	249	2	0	107.9	10	69	1	1
Colts	15	25	163	2	2	72.6	7	78	0	0
Patriots	15	36	227	0	2	39.9	2	29	1	2
Totals	99	193	1,169	6	8	63.2	46	310	4	6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick note: Fumbles are listed whether lost or not because that is random.

So in his rookie year the record is probably in line with what you would expect from most QBs against the better teams (meaning that most QBs are going to have a worst record against playoff teams than overall record) , but the numbers are terrible. Don't come with the rookie excuse for those numbers because if you throw the numbers out because he is a rookie you also have to throw the record out, and you that would mean you lose 3 of the 5 wins- which is an indictment in and of itself because the only 2 wins he has against playoff teams after his rookie season are the game the Colts gave the Titans in 2007 and the Cards win against Third-String Leinart.

2007

Opponent	Comp	Att	Yds	TD	INT	Rating	Carries	Yds	TD	Fumbles
Colts	17	27	184	1	0	95.3	5	53	0	0
Bucs	11	14	120	0	1	72.6	3	6	0	1
Chargers	13	21	121	0	2	38.1	2	2	0	0
Colts	14	18	157	0	0	103	4	19	0	0
Chargers	16	29	138	0	1	53.5	2	12	0	0
Totals	71	109	720	1	4	71.7	19	92	0	1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vince didn't face any playoff teams in 2008 because he just started the opener against the Jaguars.

2009

Opponent	Comp	Att	Yds	TD	INT	Rating	Carries	Yds	TD	Fumbles
Cardinals	27	43	387	1	0	99.7	4	8	0	0
Colts	24	43	241	2	1	77.8	4	16	0	2
Chargers	8	21	89	0	2	11.9	6	40	1	1
Totals	59	107	717	3	2	77.5	14	64	1	3

 

 

 

 

 

So here is his career line against playoff teams:

	Comp	Att	Yds	TD	INT	Rating	Carries	Yds	TD	Fumbles
Career	229	409	2,060	10	14	63.6	74	466	5	10

 

 

 

Again, 5-10 against the upper echelon of teams in the NFL, which keep in mind are the teams that he would have to beat to win a Super Bowl. I still believe that VY has all of the physical tools to be a good NFL quarterback, and there is no doubt he has made huge strides on the field in his first 5 years, but he hasn't done anything yet to prove that is is going to be a guy that can lead a franchise to the Super Bowl.