Vince Young Runs Out Of Time In Tennessee

Chalk up one small victory for Jeff Fisher. The Titans head coach has won his battle with his former starting QB Vince Young over who gets to stay.  Titans owner Bud Adams has long supported Young and after Vince’s latest temper tantrum it appeared that Adams was being put into a position of choosing between the two.

On Wednesday, Adams made his decision.  Young is out of time in Tennessee.  The Titans will trade or release the trouble QB even though VY has two expensive years left on his contract.

Adams also pointed out that he has yet to make a decision on Fisher’s coaching future in Nashville.  Given that the coach has one year left on his contract it might be easy to go ahead and just ride that one out.   And if there is labor lockout next year between the players and owners look for any kind of deal to be postponed which could alter the entire deal.  The team cannot trade Young until an agreement is made and that will change the availability of players available for a trade or even a draft if it’s setback a year.

Looking back on the history of between the coach and QB, Vince Young had a few comments to give regarding the news of his future with the team:

“I thank Bud Adams and Jeff Fisher for giving me a chance to win the Super Bowl. I tried my best, I really did.’’

“I have nothing against Jeff Fisher. I just wish he would have trusted me a little more. That was the only issue. “

“I didn’t feel like (Jeff) trusted me. In the five years I was there, I was always looking over my shoulder.”

“I didn’t feel like I was his guy all the way. I put in a lot of work and my stats and my winning, it showed I had grown. “

Young no doubt had talent but he lacked serious leadership for a position that demands it.  And his lack of maturity reminds me more of Ryan Leaf than it does Steve McNair.   The Titans picked #3 overall in 2006 to grab Young.  The Saints took Reggie Bush at #2 and Mario Williams went #1 to the Texans, both excellent picks, and the relationship has been rocky between fans and Young ever since.

However, the QB class of 06′ never lived up to the hype.  The Titans had their choice of Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart, local sensation Jay Cutler from Vanderbilt or Vince Young.  The verdict is still a bit out for Cutler who has started to show some maturity with his second team.

Where will Vince Young end up?  It’s easy to pick the Oakland Raiders as his future home since that team is the destination for troubled players but let’s take a look at some teams that might be interested in Young’s services.

1. Carolina Panthers - A new coach (Fox is out) and a lack of a QB puts this team in desperate need to fill the position.  It’s been rumored that the Panthers really wanted to land Michael Vick after his jail term but didn’t want the controversy.

Young gives them an instant QB fix swapping first rounds with Tennessee (Carolina will pick #1, Titans pick #8) that might come down to whether the Panthers are willing to draft another QB (Andrew Luck? ) after last year’s failed Jimmy Clausen pick.

2. San Francisco 49ers - Another team with a new coach although we just don’t know who it is yet.  The biggest issue with the 49ers, besides a stable coaching system, is QB.  The 49ers could easily wipe the NFC West up if they didn’t have to rely on David Carr, Alex or Troy Smith.

The only one with a future seems to be Troy Smith but he’s rough around the edges and needs work.

VY’s lack of maturity is not what you want around a developing QB which might easily nix the deal.  Unless the 49ers land a vet like McNabb or Kevin Kolb, look for them to dive into the draft again.

3. Detroit Lions - A lot of time and money is invested into Matthew Stafford, the #1 pick from 2 years ago.  Turns out that Stafford can’t stay healthy for more than 3 games in a row.

Despite the money, if Stafford can’t produce next year he will have no place in Detroit, a team up and coming and in desperate need to fill the QB slot.

4. Miami Dolphins - We’re still waiting to see if the Dolphins bring back coach Tony Sparano with rumors of the team looking at Jim Harbaugh and Bill Cowher.  Whether or not there is a coach change, there definitely needs to be a QB change.

The Chad’s (Henne and Pennington) are washed up and clearly not the future and the same could be said for Tyler Thigpen.

VY and the Wildcat? That might just work.

5. Buffalo Bills - The Bills need a QB like Ryan Fitzpatrick needs a razor. (Update: the beard is now history!) Buffalo will pick #3 in the draft and like the Panthers can debate about using the pick on a rookie or a trade for Young.

Luck, Jake Locker, Cam Newton or Ryan Mallett may be available to pick but the Bills have been rebuilding for a decade and it’s time to produce.  Grabbing Young might be good for both sides as the Bills grab a QB who can win (given the right situation and some discipline) and Young gets a second chance.