How Good (or Bad) is Vince Young? Jury Still Out

Did the 'Ole EA Curse Get Vince, Too?

It's amazing how a single game can turn a nation of football fans onto a particular topic. Yet, I was among the obviously thousands of sports fans who read and heard (but, of course, did not see) that Mario Williams basically owned the Broncos on Thursday night and upped his sack total to 13 for the season. Something about his game and a 7-7 Texans team, perhaps juxtaposed in relative proximity to Bush on the sidelines for the again pedestrian Saints, got everyone thinking the same thing: maybe Houston wasn't so crazy for snagging Williams as the top pick.

Lost a bit in this discussion, though, is the #3 pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. Vince Young has followed up a season where he garnered NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and a roster spot on the AFC Pro Bowl team in 2006 with a fairly forgettable 2007 campaign (so far). While this may not put the Titans as much under the microscope in terms of their selection (Tenn. needed a quarterback and it would be difficult to argue that, at this point in their careers, either Jay Cutler or Matt Leinart has distinguished themselves anymore than Young), it does beg the question: just how good is Vince Young?

It's a difficult question to answer and ten educated fans could likely make ten equally compelling arguments on the topic...which is what makes for any interesting discussion. There are so many aspects to attempting to address the issue. First, what makes a "good" quarterback? Do we look at stats? Leadership ability? Wins and losses? Potential? All of the above?

From a sheer numbers perspective, one could poke a lot of holes in Young's 2006 campaign. A passer rating of 66.7. More interceptions (13) than touchdown throws (12) and a paltry 51.5% pass completion percentage. But, at the end of the day, Young led an otherwise mediocre Titans team to an 8-5 record, including four fourth quarter comebacks and a rookie rushing record for a signal caller.

The numbers don't paint a much prettier picture this season. While his completion percentage has improved markedly (up to 62.0%), his decision-making is still suspect as evidenced by more than double the number of interceptions (16) as touchdown tosses (7). To be expected, NFL defenses have also started to adjust to Young's running style and, consequently, his yards/carry are down by nearly two yards per rush.

Yet, again, despite lingering towards the bottom half of the League in most offensive categories, the Titans are 7-6 and very much in contention for a wild card berth. The combination of Lendale White and Chris Brown (whudda thunk) can take a lot of the credit for that, but if the QB is the heartbeat of a team you can't universally trash Young's season. Or can you? One must also consider Young's receiving corps which is not exactly star-studded. The Titans top receiver is Bears castaway Justin Gage who sits tied for 44th in the NFL in receptions with 42. But, again, is that on Gage and a no-name group of receivers or Young? Or both?

Frankly, we don't know. If you want to judge quarterbacks on their passing rating, than Tarvaris Jackson (#27) and Eli Manning (#23) are having awful seasons. However, the Vikings and Giants both sit in line for the playoffs.At the end of the day, we're under the impression that winning is "all that matters." In which case, Eli, Tarvaris and Vince are doing their respective jobs. Of course, lumping Jackson (a 2nd round pick who went #32 overall out of Alabama St.) in with a first-round #1 and #3 respectively hardly seems like a fair comparison.

So, what's the verdict? Let's call it a hung jury. Right now, if we had to judge Vince Young's first two seasons as an NFL quarterback based on his team, environment and expectations, we'd probably fall somewhere in the realm of a B-. But assuming Young leads the Titans to their first playoff appearance since 2004, following an 8-5finish to the '06 season, how can you not give him solid marks?