NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The hope for those who want Vince Young to flourish in the NFL is that this season doesn't destroy him. Trust me, it could.
Vince, you see, wasn't ready to make his first start. Not even close.
And it's not just because he looked overmatched in the Cowboys' 45-14 win over his Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon at LP Field.
Vince threw two interceptions, and two other passes were nearly picked off. Maybe three.
He fumbled twice, losing one. He generated one touchdown drive in 11 possessions while guiding an offense that generated only 229 yards.
Those who want Vince to succeed at football's highest level must pray the trauma of this season doesn't turn him into Ryan Leaf, Tim Couch, Heath Shuler or any other young quarterback thrust into the starting lineup as a diversionary tactic for an angry fan base or a ploy to generate ticket sales.
Clearly, that's what has happened in Nashville.
Since last season ended, the Titans – second only to Arizona as the NFL's most dysfunctional franchise – have believed at various times that Steve McNair, Billy Volek or Kerry Collins would be their quarterback this season.
Only when all of those options failed did they cast their lot with Vince. They would've been better off letting Collins play while Vince improved his footwork and learned to read defenses.
After all, it's not like Vince was tutored in a sophisticated passing offense at Texas. Greg Davis, the play-caller at UT, essentially put him in the shotgun and told him to use his athleticism to make plays. Mack Brown cosigned on that approach.
Hard to fault them because Vince ran and passed the Longhorns to their first national championship in more than 30 years.
At 6-5 and 228 pounds, Vince was an athletic freak in college. The NFL is loaded with athletic freaks, curtailing his ability to dominate games.
He'll have to be more cerebral to succeed.
Since the Titans have thrust Vince into the lineup, at least they're incorporating the best facets of his game into their playbook. On Sunday, we saw the zone read, the option and designed runs for Vince.
The result: five carries and three yards.
The most successful NFL quarterbacks win by passing. Vince completed only 14 of 29 passes (48.3 percent) for 155 yards. The best NFL quarterbacks complete at least 60 percent of their passes.
Accuracy will be Vince's biggest challenge in a league where receivers are considered open when they have a step on a defender. If Vince can't complete passes in tight spots, he won't be any different than Michael Vick, an exciting player who'll never win a championship.
Tennessee must also surround him with playmakers. Chris Brown at running back and Drew Bennett and David Givens at receiver frighten no one.
"The big thing for a young quarterback when you're drafted that high is to be resilient, fight through the tough times and come out the other side," said the Cowboys' Drew Bledsoe, the first player selected in the 1993 draft. "Sometimes it takes one year. Sometimes it takes three or four, but what will define him is how he bounces back."
Jeff Fisher has tied his coaching future to Vince. He's confident Vince will rapidly improve as a starter. He must, considering the quality defenses the Titans will see the rest of the season.
Does it really make sense to let Vince learn to play with two games apiece against Indianapolis and Jacksonville and games against Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, the New York Giants and New England?
That said, Vince showed why the Titans made him the third pick in the draft.
He completed a 24-yard pass to Bobby Wade in the first half with a defender wrapped around his waist. In the third quarter, he avoided a safety when he bounced off defensive lineman Jay Ratliff, who hit him flush, and threw the ball away.
And on a play negated by a penalty, Vince spun around in a circle, breaking an arm tackle and avoiding a sack, before cutting upfield and getting a first down.
"I'm glad he's not in our division. I'm glad he's not in our conference," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "He was very impressive."
That depends on how you look at it, because he should be standing on the sideline wearing a baseball cap and holding a clipboard.
E-mail jjtaylor@dallasnews.com
| ROOKIE QBs AGAINST THE COWBOYS UNDER PARCELLS |
| The Cowboys went 0-2 against rookie starters in 2004. Ben Roethlisberger was on a roll by the time Week 6 rolled around, and Eli Manning got his first win as a starter in the Giants' regular-season finale. But Bill Parcells and the Cowboys solved a surprise rookie starter Sunday. |
| Rookie | Team | Att.-Comp. | Yards | TDs | INTs | Result |
| Ben Roethlisberger | Pittsburgh | 21-of-25 | 193 | 2 | 0 | W, 24-20 |
| Eli Manning | NY Giants | 18-of-27 | 144 | 3 | 1 | W, 28-24 |
| Vince Young | Tennessee | 14-of-29 | 155 | 1 | 2 | L, 45-14 |
