After a lost season, Vince Young delivers for Titans
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 12/01/2009
NASHVILLE, TN Last year while the Tennessee Titans were rolling to an NFL-best 13-3 regular season, quarterback Vince Young was watching instead of playing. He had been injured and benched after the first game.
Young is the gifted quarterback from the University of Texas who in 2006 rallied his team, with his legs running for nearly 300 yards, in a 41-38 national championship victory in the Rose Bowl over Matt Leinart and the USC Trojans.
Last season, Young slipped pretty low mentally and physically: He had his reputation and integrity challenged; he was depressed and was even accused of attempting suicide.
This season started pretty bad also: He was on the bench and watching quarterback Kerry Collins play while the Titans started the season 0-6.
After the Titans were dominated 59-0 by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots five weeks ago, owner Bud Adams yes, the same guy who two weeks ago was fined $250,000 by the NFL for flipping the bird at aggravating Buffalo fans told Head Coach Jeff Fisher to start Young at quarterback. Suddenly, the Titans have won five straight games with Young.
Sunday's win was different because Young is known for his elusive scrambling and running ability. Young not only won the game with a dramatic 10-yard TD pass to receiver Kenny Britt on the games final play, but also he threw for a career-high 387 yards while driving the Titans on a 18-play, 99-yard drive. He gave the Titans a thrilling 20-17 win, and just like that the Titans handed the NFC defending champion Arizona Cardinals a bitter first loss on the road. The first-place Cardinals were previously 5-0 on the road.
They would not let me run, said Young. They wanted me to throw the ball down the field. It was hard; it takes a lot of patience and confidence.
The Titans with Young having learned the NFL game the hard way by sitting and watching Collins stay in the pocket and by overcoming personal demons have become the first NFL team to start a season 0-6 and then win five straight.
In last Sunday's game, Young beat Leinart again, who started at quarterback for Arizona because injured starter Kurt Warner was held out due to a concussion he sustained last week. Leinart played adequately, completing 21-31 passes for 220 yards, no TD's and no interceptions. Leinart, however, failed to beat Young in this NFL game, just as he failed to do it at the Rose Bowl.
He also failed to get the ball down field to the Cardinals' great play-maker Larry Fitzgerald, who leads the NFC in receptions with 75 and the NFL in touchdown receptions with nine. Fitzgerald had four catches for just 34 yards. Fitzgerald still became the second-fastest receiver in NFL history to reach 500 career receptions.
Young's heroics overshadowed the record-setting day of teammate running back Chris Johnson, who leads the NFL in rushing with 1,396 yards and is averaging an incredible 6.4 yards per carry. With five games left, he's on track to run for 2,000 yards or more.
Johnson set an NFL record Sunday by rushing for 154 yards on 18 carries. It included a spectacular 85-yard touchdown run, his ninth of the season. He also tied an NFL record: It was Johnson's sixth straight game with at least 125 yards rushing. He shares the mark now with Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson.
Larry Fitzgerald can be heard weekday mornings on KMOJ Radio 89.9 FM at 8:20 am, and on WDGY-AM 740 Monday & Saturday mornings at 7:50 am and Fridays at 3:50 pm; he also commentates on sports 7-8 pm on Almanac (TPT channel 2). Larry welcomes reader responses to lfitzgerald@spokesman-re corder.com, or visit www.Larry-Fitzgerald.com .
