NFL Better Watch Out for VY Upon His Return

Last Sunday wasn't VY's first disappointing day on the field (Photo courtesy of UT)

When I found out that Vince Young had finally broken his silence by telling the media and anyone who would listen, that everything was cool and that he didn't realize he still had to check in with his mother every time he went out, it made me smile. Vince is back, at least he will be once his MCL heals in two to four weeks, but once it does the rest of the league had better watch out. He may not have the most accurate arm in the NFL but anyone who watched him play at the University of Texas knows that Vince Young is a tremendous athlete with excellent leadership skills who just finds ways to win games. Don't believe me? The last time Young was booed off the field was in college and he responded to that by coming back and winning every single game for the rest of his college career.

Sometimes things go wrong, gather momentum, and then come pouring down on you like a Texas thunderstorm. Just imagine for a second that you're Vince Young. It's the first game of the season, you throw two interceptions and get booed off the field, only to return to the game and sprain your MCL four plays later. It's the first major injury that you’ve ever suffered in your career, so you're pretty bummed out and you just want to get away from it all for a while. So you go over to a friend's house to watch the game, but then there's a knock on the door. Hey, it's the cops, good thing Ricky wasn't over practicing his "herbal healing" techniques.

“Is there a problem” you ask.

"No problem," the cops say. Your mom just freaked out because you weren’t picking up your phone, so she called your coach who in turn called the cops because they were concerned about your mental state. Great! What else can go wrong? I’m glad you asked.

Like most Texas thunderstorms, once they’re over you can always count on another one to follow about 10 minutes later, and that's when you turn on SportsCenter and hear that your mom has been telling newspaper reporters that her baby is "hurting inside and out" and that he was "tired of being ridiculed and persecuted.” Now, you really are hurting on the inside and out from the pain in your knee and the embarrassment of having your mother tell 50 million people to be "prayerful and help her baby boy out."

You can probably understand why Vince looked a little testy when he finally did speak to reporters after practice on Thursday. Last year Young threw nine touchdowns and 17 interceptions, but still managed to lead the Titans to their first playoff game in three years. In a league where rookie – even rookie quarterbacks – are expected to perform upon impact it’s easy to forget that Vince Young is only entering his third year as a pro. Most quarterbacks entering their third year are either still carrying a clipboard or are just getting their first shot as a full-time starter, so fans and coaches must be patient. That’s not to say that Young should get a free pass, he absolutely must get better at reading coverages and throwing the football. Just ask Chris Simms and he'll tell you that there aren't too many teams in the NFL looking for someone who can come off the bench and throw interceptions. No Vince definitely has his work cut out for him, but Jeff Fisher has already said that when Young comes back the starting job is still his. So don’t give up on Vince Young yet, he may be grounded for up to 4 weeks, but if history has taught us anything, he’ll be back with a vengeance!