Phantom Stang
08-13-2006, 12:23 PM
Young's low-key debut delights fans despite loss
Rookie quarterback receives solid review from his teammates
By PAUL KUHARSKY
Staff Writer
As he warmed up an hour before kickoff, a crowd of photographers and cameramen packed the LP Field sideline to focus on Vince Young, the new main attraction of the Tennessee Titans.
Once the preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints kicked off, everybody had to hit pause.
Young may have been featured on the game program and parking passes, but he didn't run out of the tunnel for introductions. He didn't go to midfield for the coin toss. He wasn't in his team's first offensive huddle.
The crowd, abuzz with anticipation, waited right along with him.
"He's pretty much the only reason I came out tonight," said Dallas Jackson, who works for the sports Web site Rivals.com but was in the crowd, not the press box.
Young watched as veteran Billy Volek led the Titans early in their 19-16 loss. Then, with 8:57 left in the second quarter, Young briefly consulted with quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson, ran on the field to a roar and assumed his spot at the head of the huddle.
He handed off to Chris Brown, ran for a 3-yard gain and threw an incomplete pass. On the bench after the three-and-out series, he grabbed the phone for a conversation with offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who was in the coaching booth upstairs.
On Young's second series, he hit rookie tight end Jamie Petrowski for a 14-yard gain, absorbed his first sack and was fortunate when a pass he forced toward Drew Bennett fell incomplete when two defenders had a chance to intercept it.
Young's final numbers: four completions on 11 pass attempts for 56 yards, four runs for 28 yards. He threw a perfect pass to Roydell Williams for what would have been at least a 50-yard gain, likely a longer touchdown, but Williams dropped it.
The quarterback left the game in the fourth quarter after defensive end Javon Nanton twisted Young's ankle awkwardly.
"It happens," said Young, who didn't rate the injury as serious. "You have a fat guy rolling on your ankle, it's going to be a little painful. While I was down I just said a little prayer and then got up."
Young's teammates gave him a solid review considering the circumstances.
"Obviously there are a lot of things he can improve on, but I thought he threw the ball on the money, I thought he was being patient and not taking off (running) every single time when he knows he probably could," wide receiver Bobby Wade said. "What you saw will probably be the worst he'll play all year."
Fans seemed to agree.
"It's about what I expected," said Ken McEwen, a Nashville CPA who wore a light blue Titans jersey bearing Young's number (10) and name. "I wasn't expecting him to be sharp. The first two series were nothing special. I think expectations are too high. But in the future I think he'll be a great one."
Volek's opening night effort, meanwhile, was encouraging for the player expected to bridge the gap between Steve McNair, traded to the Baltimore Ravens, and Young.
Young said he expected to have a message from McNair, his mentor, waiting for him on his cell phone.
"The first two series guys were flying around real fast," Young said. "In the back of my mind I thought, 'I'm fast, too, so put your speed with these guys and you should be all right.' That's what I did and went back to just playing football."
Copyright © 2006, tennessean.com. All rights reserved.
Rookie quarterback receives solid review from his teammates
By PAUL KUHARSKY
Staff Writer
As he warmed up an hour before kickoff, a crowd of photographers and cameramen packed the LP Field sideline to focus on Vince Young, the new main attraction of the Tennessee Titans.
Once the preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints kicked off, everybody had to hit pause.
Young may have been featured on the game program and parking passes, but he didn't run out of the tunnel for introductions. He didn't go to midfield for the coin toss. He wasn't in his team's first offensive huddle.
The crowd, abuzz with anticipation, waited right along with him.
"He's pretty much the only reason I came out tonight," said Dallas Jackson, who works for the sports Web site Rivals.com but was in the crowd, not the press box.
Young watched as veteran Billy Volek led the Titans early in their 19-16 loss. Then, with 8:57 left in the second quarter, Young briefly consulted with quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson, ran on the field to a roar and assumed his spot at the head of the huddle.
He handed off to Chris Brown, ran for a 3-yard gain and threw an incomplete pass. On the bench after the three-and-out series, he grabbed the phone for a conversation with offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who was in the coaching booth upstairs.
On Young's second series, he hit rookie tight end Jamie Petrowski for a 14-yard gain, absorbed his first sack and was fortunate when a pass he forced toward Drew Bennett fell incomplete when two defenders had a chance to intercept it.
Young's final numbers: four completions on 11 pass attempts for 56 yards, four runs for 28 yards. He threw a perfect pass to Roydell Williams for what would have been at least a 50-yard gain, likely a longer touchdown, but Williams dropped it.
The quarterback left the game in the fourth quarter after defensive end Javon Nanton twisted Young's ankle awkwardly.
"It happens," said Young, who didn't rate the injury as serious. "You have a fat guy rolling on your ankle, it's going to be a little painful. While I was down I just said a little prayer and then got up."
Young's teammates gave him a solid review considering the circumstances.
"Obviously there are a lot of things he can improve on, but I thought he threw the ball on the money, I thought he was being patient and not taking off (running) every single time when he knows he probably could," wide receiver Bobby Wade said. "What you saw will probably be the worst he'll play all year."
Fans seemed to agree.
"It's about what I expected," said Ken McEwen, a Nashville CPA who wore a light blue Titans jersey bearing Young's number (10) and name. "I wasn't expecting him to be sharp. The first two series were nothing special. I think expectations are too high. But in the future I think he'll be a great one."
Volek's opening night effort, meanwhile, was encouraging for the player expected to bridge the gap between Steve McNair, traded to the Baltimore Ravens, and Young.
Young said he expected to have a message from McNair, his mentor, waiting for him on his cell phone.
"The first two series guys were flying around real fast," Young said. "In the back of my mind I thought, 'I'm fast, too, so put your speed with these guys and you should be all right.' That's what I did and went back to just playing football."
Copyright © 2006, tennessean.com. All rights reserved.