Vincent Paul Young, Jr. (born May 18, 1983), nicknamed "VY",[1] is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He played college football at The University of Texas. Young was drafted by the Tennessee Titans with the third overall draft pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Titans. In his rookie season, Young was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a roster spot on the AFC Pro Bowl team. In 2009, Young earned his second Pro Bowl Selection and was named Sporting News NFL Comeback Player of the Year. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011.
As a junior in college, Young finished second behind Reggie Bush in the voting for the Heisman Trophy (though Bush later vacated the award). He won the Davey O'Brien Award which is given annually to the best collegiate quarterback in the nation. Following the Heisman voting, Young led his team to a BCS National Championship against the defending BCS national champion, University of Southern California, in the 2006 Rose Bowl. The game was called one of the most-anticipated games in the history of college football.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Texas retired Young's jersey on August 30, 2008.[1]
Young grew up in the Hiram Clarke neighborhood in Houston, Texas, where he was primarily raised by his mother and his grandmother. His father, Vincent Young Sr., missed much of Vince's college career due to a 2003 burglary conviction and prison sentence.[8] Young credits his mother and grandmother for keeping him away from the street gangs. At the age of 7, Young was struck by a vehicle while riding his bicycle at the corner of Tidewater and Buxley, streets in his Houston neighborhood. The accident nearly killed him, leaving him hospitalized for months after the bicycle's handle bar went into his stomach. Today, he credits this event for making him into a "tougher" individual. Vince Young wore the number 10 to show love and respect for his mother, Felicia Young, whose birthday is June 10.[9] Young attended Dick Dowling Middle School in Hiram Clarke.[10] Some of Young's friends were a part of the "Hiram Clarke Boys," a local street gang; many of those friends died as a result of their activities. Young's mother confronted him after he had been involved in a fight between gangs, and told him that he needed to change his behavior.[11]
Young was coached by Ray Seals at Madison High School in Houston where he started at quarterback (QB) for three years and compiled 12,987 yards of total offense during his career.[13] During his senior season he led his Madison Marlins to a 61–58 victory in the 5A Regionals over the previously undefeated Galena Park North Shore Mustangs, accounting for more than 400 yards of total offense while passing for three touchdowns and rushing for two more before a crowd of 45,000 in the Houston Astrodome.[12] After beating Missouri City Hightower 56–22 in the state quarterfinals, Houston Madison faced Austin Westlake in the state semi-finals. Although Young completed 18-of-30 passes for 400 yards and five TDs and rushed for 92 yards (on 18 carries) and a TD, Houston Madison lost 42–48.
Among the honors Young received in high school were:
He was also a varsity athlete in numerous other sports. In basketball he played as a guard/forward and averaged more than 25 points per game over his career. This allowed him to be a four-year letterman and two-time all-district performer. In track and field he was a three-year letterman and member of two district champion 400-meter relay squads. In baseball he played for two seasons, spending time as both an outfielder and pitcher. He also made the all-state team in football and in track.[14]
Vince Young about to score the go-ahead touchdown in the
2006 Rose Bowl
Young chose to sign with Texas in 2002 for its winning tradition and football prominence there.[15] He was part of a Texas recruiting class, which contained future NFL players Rodrique Wright, Justin Blalock, Brian Robison, Kasey Studdard, Lyle Sendlein, David Thomas, Selvin Young, and Aaron Ross.[16] This class has been cited as one of the strongest college recruiting classes ever.[17] Young redshirted his freshman year.
As a redshirt freshman during the 2003 season, Young was initially 2nd on the depth chart behind Chance Mock. However, Mock was benched halfway through the season (in the game against Oklahoma) in favor of Young. After that game, Young and Mock alternated playing time, with Young's running ability complementing Mock's drop-back passing.
As a redshirt sophomore in the 2004 season, Young started every game and led the Longhorns to an 11–1 season record (losing only to rival Oklahoma), a top 5 final ranking, and the school's first-ever appearance and victory in the Rose Bowl, in which they defeated the University of Michigan. He began to earn his reputation as a dual-threat quarterback by passing for 1,849 and rushing for 1,189 yards. The Texas coaches helped facilitate this performance by changing the team offensive scheme from the more traditional I-formation to a Shotgun formation with three wide receivers. This change gave the offense more options in terms of play selection, and consequently made it more difficult to defend against.
Before his junior season, Young appeared on the cover of Dave Campbell's Texas Football alongside Texas A&M quarterback Reggie McNeal.
In his All-America 2005 season, Young led the Longhorns to an 11–0 regular season record. The Longhorns held a #2 ranking in the preseason, and held that ranking through the season except for one week when they were ranked #1 in the Bowl Championship Series.[18] Texas then won the Big 12 championship game and still held their #2 BCS ranking, which earned them a berth in the National Championship Rose Bowl game against the USC Trojans. Before the game, the USC Trojans were being discussed on ESPN and other media outlets as possibly the greatest college football team of all time. Riding a 34-game winning streak, including the previous National Championship, USC featured two Heisman Trophy winners in the backfield – quarterback Matt Leinart (2004 Heisman winner) and running back Reggie Bush (2005 Heisman winner—since vacated).
In the 2006 Rose Bowl, Vince Young put on one of the most dominating individual performances in college football history, accounting for 467 yards of total offense (200 rushing, 267 passing) and three rushing touchdowns (including a 9 yard TD scramble on 4th down with 19 seconds left) to lead the Longhorns to a thrilling 41–38 victory. This performance led to him winning Rose Bowl MVP honors for the second consecutive season—becoming only the fourth player, in the history of the Rose Bowl, to be twice named MVP (and the only player from the Big 12 Conference). After the game, former USC and NFL safety Ronnie Lott said "Vince Young is the greatest quarterback to ever play college football."[9] Trojans coach Pete Carroll said "that was the best [performance] I've seen by one guy."[19] Young finished the season with 3,036 yards passing and 1,050 yards rushing earning him the Davey O'Brien Award.[20]
Early in his collegiate career, Vince Young had been criticized as "great rusher...average passer", and his unconventional throwing motion had been criticized as being "side-arm"[21] as opposed to the conventional "over the top" throwing motion typically used by college quarterbacks. However, by the 2005 season most of the criticism had faded, and he developed into a consistent and precise passer. Young concluded the 2005 regular season as the #1 rated passer in the nation. Including the Big 12 Championship game and the Rose Bowl, he finished as the #3 rated passer in the nation, with a quarterback rating of 163.9.[22]
Young reached a win/loss record as a starter of 30–2, ranking him #1 of all UT quarterbacks by number of wins, although his successor, Colt McCoy, would far surpass him with 45. His .938 winning percentage as a starting quarterback ranks sixth best in Division I history. Young’s career passing completion percentage is the best in UT history, 60.8%. During his career at Texas (2003–05), Young passed for 6,040 yards (No. 5 in UT history) and 44 TDs (No. 4 in UT history) while rushing for 3,127 yards (No. 1 on UT's all-time QB rushing list/No. 7 on UT's all-time list) and 37 TDs (No. 5 on UT's all-time rushing TDs list/Tied for No. 1 among QBs).[23] He was also #10 on ESPN/IBM's list of the greatest college football players ever. In 2007, ESPN compiled a list of the top 100 plays in college football history; Vince Young's game-winning touchdown in the 2006 Rose Bowl ranked number 5.[24]
The University of Texas retired Young's jersey number 10 during the 2008 season-opening football game on August 30, 2008.[1][25]
| Year |
Passing |
|
Rushing |
| Comp |
Att |
Yards |
TDs |
Int |
|
Att |
Yds |
Avg |
TD |
| 2003 |
84 |
143 |
1,155 |
6 |
7 |
|
135 |
998 |
7.4 |
11 |
| 2004 |
148 |
250 |
1,849 |
12 |
11 |
|
167 |
1,079 |
6.5 |
14 |
| 2005 |
212 |
325 |
3,036 |
26 |
10 |
|
155 |
1,050 |
6.8 |
12 |
| Totals |
444 |
718 |
6,040 |
44 |
28 |
|
457 |
3,127 |
6.8 |
37 |
- Vince Young was the first player in NCAA I-A history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season. The only other player was Dan LeFevour of Central Michigan University. *He had a win/loss record as a starter of 30–2, ranking him #1 of all UT quarterbacks by number of wins. His .938 winning percentage as a starting quarterback ranks sixth best in NCAA Division I football history.
- Vince's career passing completion percentage is the second best in UT history at 61.8%, behind his successor, Colt McCoy.
- He passed for 44 touchdowns (No. 4 in UT history) while rushing for 3,127 yards (No. 1 on UT's all-time quarterback rushing list/No. 5 on UT's all-time list) and 37 touchdowns (No. 4 on UT's all-time rushing touchdowns list/T-No. 1 among quarterbacks).
- Young's 9,167 yards of total offense is the second best total in school history, also behind McCoy.
- Young rushed and threw for over 100 yards in the same game five times in his career, a UT school record.
- Young is the only UT player to accumulate 400 or more yards of total offense in a single game more than one time. Chris Simms, Major Applewhite and Colt McCoy accomplished it once each, while Young accomplished the feat four times.
- Vince set a UT record for total offensive yards in a game, with 506 yards against Oklahoma State on October 29, 2005.
- He is the only quarterback in UT history to rush for 100 yards in three or more games during a season and he did so in each of his 3 seasons at UT.
- Young set the UT single-game pass completion percentage record against Oklahoma State in 2004 by completing 18 of 21 passes (85.7%). He broke his own record by completing 25 of 29 passes (86.2%) against Colorado in 2005. His record was later broken my McCoy.
- Young set the UT single-game record for rushing yards by a quarterback with 192 versus Michigan in the Rose Bowl. He broke his own record in 2005 by rushing for 267 yards against Oklahoma State.
- Young owns five of the top seven single-game quarterback rushing performances in UT history: 267 yards vs Oklahoma State as a Junior; 200 yards vs USC as a Junior; 192 yards vs. Michigan as a Sophomore; 163 yards vs. Nebraska as a Freshman; 158 yards at Texas Tech as a Sophomore.
- Young has six of the top 8 longest runs by a quarterback in UT history.
- Young became the first player in UT history to pass and rush for 1,000 or more yards in the same season.
- Young became the first quarterback in UT history to have three 100-yard rushing games (vs. Oklahoma, at Baylor, vs. Nebraska) in the same season and is tied with Ricky Williams (1995) for the third-most 100-yard games by a freshman in school history.
- Young's 17 wins and 43 touchdowns accounted for in 2003–2004 were the most ever by a UT quarterback in their first two years. However, Colt McCoy surpassed both of these, accounting for 57 touchdowns and 20 wins in 2006–2007.
- Young is a two-time winner of the Rose Bowl MVP award, joining Ron Dayne, Bob Schloredt, and Charles White as the only two-time winners. He is the only two-time winner of the Rose Bowl MVP award who did not play for a school in either the Pac-10 Conference or the Big Ten Conference, which are the two conferences that traditionally send teams to the Rose Bowl game.
- In the Rose Bowl on January 4, 2006, the BCS National Championship, he completed 30 of 40 passes for 267 yards and carried the ball 19 times for 200 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Those 200 rushing yards set a Bowl game rushing record by a QB. He was named Rose Bowl MVP for the second time in his career. UT beat USC by the score of 41 to 38 and Vince Young ran in the winning touchdown. In this game, UT ended USC's 34-game win streak. Young's 467 total yards set a new Rose Bowl record.
Throughout the 2005 season Young had indicated that he planned to return to the University of Texas for his senior year in 2006.[29][30] The day after Texas won the BCS National Championship, Young accepted an invitation to appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. When Leno asked Young whether he would stay for his senior year of college or declare for the 2006 NFL Draft, Young replied that he would discuss the matter with his pastor, his family, and coach Mack Brown. On January 8, 2006, Young announced he would enter the NFL draft, where he was expected to be drafted early in the first round.[31] Even after his Rose Bowl performance, some observers said he may have difficulty in the NFL because of his unorthodox sidearm throwing motion and the different style of play in the NFL.[32] After Drew Brees signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints, Young was predicted by most experts to be the third overall pick in the draft belonging to the Tennessee Titans (which used to play in Houston as the Oilers), where he would reunite with his close friend and mentor Steve McNair, but McNair was soon traded to the Baltimore Ravens. With the second overall pick, the Saints (now with Brees) were now likely to pass on drafting a high-rated quarterback, and Young was no longer thought to be a consensus top five pick. Some had speculated that he would not even be picked in the top ten.[33]
A controversy regarding the Wonderlic, a standardized test given to all recruits, was thought also to have been problematic for Young. On February 25, 2006, during the NFL Combine, it was erroneously reported that Vince scored a six, out of a possible fifty points, on his Wonderlic Test. The test is designed to measure a player's ability to learn a complex NFL playbook. Some observers believed this score would lower Young's draft selection and faulted his agent, Major Adams, for not preparing Young ahead of time with practice tests.[34]
However, on February 26, 2006, combine officials said the reported score of six was incorrect. According to NFL Spokesman Steve Alic, "I can tell you absolutely that the score that has been reported on the Internet is inaccurate. I spoke to the person who graded the test, and he assured me that that number was not correct."[35] The next day, the test was properly readministered and Young scored a 16, the same as Dan Marino.[36] Wonderlic scores are released to NFL teams for draft purposes, but are not supposed to be released publicly.[37] A few media outlets apologized for running the highly improbable first result.[38] But most media did not correct the story and continued to wonder whether the first (now inaccurate) score would lower Young's draft selection. Many in the NFL have disputed whether the Wonderlic scores are meaningful at predicting a recruit's playing ability. Sean Jones, a member of the Oakland Raiders' personnel department, said:
- "All I need to know about Vince Young is that he came up with one of the greatest performances ever in the Rose Bowl. In the fourth quarter, I saw (USC coach) Pete Carroll throw every kind of blitz at Vince. I saw Vince read the blitz and beat the blitz. I don't care what his Wonderlic score is. The only score I care about is 41–38."[39]
The NFL draft was held on April 29–30, 2006. The Tennessee Titans drafted Vince Young with their first round pick (3rd choice overall), confirming the predictions of many draft experts. He was the first quarterback taken in the draft, with the Titans choosing him instead of Matt Leinart. The Titans general manager, Floyd Reese, said Young's upside was the deciding factor in his being chosen. Reese said, "Last night at 11:35, I was on my knees praying ... he will rewrite the position. This guy physically is such a combination of arms and legs. People want to make him out to be a Michael Vick. He's not that. He's different."[40] He started his NFL career on August 12, 2006, in a preseason matchup against a Reggie Bush led New Orleans Saints.[41]
On July 27, 2006, Young agreed to terms on his initial contract with the Titans. Terms of the deal were reported to include five years with a sixth year team option and as much as US$58 million overall including $25.7 million in guaranteed money.[43] As a quarterback, Young was able to reach a deal similar to that signed by the draft's #1 overall pick, Texans defensive end Mario Williams.
On August 12, 2006, Vince Young made his preseason debut against the New Orleans Saints which featured Reggie Bush in his NFL debut, the two Heisman candidates picking up where they left off in the BCS national championship game seven months before. Young did not start, but entered the game in the second half. On September 17, Young threw for his first career touchdown against the San Diego Chargers. Young made his first career start versus the Dallas Cowboys on October 1, 2006, completing 14 of 29 passes for 155 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He achieved his first NFL victory (against the Washington Redskins, 25–22) on October 15, 2006.
Young during the 2007 Pro Bowl, wearing red/white #10
On Sunday November 26, 2006, Vince Young led his first NFL fourth-quarter comeback, against the New York Giants. With the Giants leading 21–0, the tide suddenly changed after New York quarterback Eli Manning threw an interception to Pacman Jones. Young subsequently led a scoring drive, throwing a touchdown pass to ex-Longhorn teammate Bo Scaife. After the Titans forced a three-and-out, Young ran an option play for a touchdown on the next drive. Another successful stop led to Young throwing his second touchdown of the quarter. After another Eli Manning interception to Pacman Jones, this time with only 30 seconds left in the game, Young calmly led his team down the field for Rob Bironas' game-winning field goal; the final score was 24–21 over the Giants. It is statistically the best performance of Vince Young's NFL career: he went 24/35 for 249 yards and two touchdowns, with a 107.9 passer rating. He also rushed 10 times for 69 yards and a touchdown.
A week later, Young led another come-from-behind victory over the Indianapolis Colts who, prior to the game, held a 10–1 record. Rob Bironas iced the game with a 60-yard field goal. The 14-point comeback marked the first time in NFL history that a rookie quarterback led two 14+ point comebacks in the same season.
On Sunday December 24, 2006, Vince Young led yet another come-from-behind victory over the Buffalo Bills who, along with the Titans, had a 7–7 record and were competing for an AFC wild card playoff spot. This time the comeback was from 9 points down after Rian Lindell kicked a 24-yard field goal at the end of the 3rd quarter to make the score 29–20 in favor of the Bills. Young then led the Titans on a 9-play, 62-yard drive that spanned 4:16 and ended with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Jones to make the score 27–29. After a three and out by the Buffalo Bills, Young again led his team on a 7:15, 14-play scoring drive that culminated in a 30-yard field goal by Rob Bironas, putting the Titans on top 30–29. Bironas' kick would prove to be the winning points. Young ended the day going 13-of-20 for 183 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, with a rating of 127.7. He also rushed 8 times for 61 yards and 1 touchdown.
Young holds the NFL record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback with 552, breaking the old record of 408 yards set by Bobby Douglass in 1969. He won the Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of The Year honors at the conclusion of the 2006 NFL campaign, becoming only the third quarterback to win the award, along with Dennis Shaw and Ben Roethlisberger.
On February 3, Vince Young was named to the 2007 Pro Bowl to replace Philip Rivers whose foot injury kept him out of what would have been his first Pro Bowl appearance. Young threw one interception in limited play time in the Pro Bowl.
Vince Young along with
Congressman Al Green at the Vince Young Parade in Houston on February 11, 2006
Of the rookie QB class of 2006, Vince Young has the best record as a starter, surpassing the only other three starting rookie QB's: Matt Leinart, Jay Cutler, and Bruce Gradkowski. During the 2006 season, Vince Young led the Tennessee Titans to eight wins including six straight wins. He had a record of 8–5 as a starter. Of the wins, four of them were fourth quarter comebacks, including three straight fourth quarter comebacks. His passer rating was 66.7, which ranked 30th of 31 qualified quarterbacks in the NFL that season. Only Tampa Bay quarterback Bruce Gradkowski had a lower rating of 65.9.[44]
Vince Young has also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated six times: once in the 2005 College Football season preview issue, on a December issue prior to the Big 12 Championship game versus Colorado, on the weekly edition after the 2006 Rose Bowl and also the Commemorative edition following the 2006 Rose Bowl, once for the 2006 NFL Draft preview issue, and most recently after the Titans won 4 straight games in the 2006 NFL season. Young's performance in his rookie season earned him the honor of being the cover athlete for the video game Madden NFL 08.[45]
In 2006, Merril Hoge gained notoriety for acting as a vocal critic of Vince Young. Hoge's criticism began before the 2006 NFL draft, in which Young was drafted third overall by the Tennessee Titans, and continued throughout the season even as Young took command of a losing team, bringing the Titans within a game of an unlikely playoff berth. For his efforts, Vince Young was named the 2006 Rookie of the Year, far and away the favorite of the voters. Despite these achievements, Hoge continues to maintain that Young does not have the talent or skills to play in the NFL.
In an article published by NFL.com Young was quoted as saying he thought about retiring from professional football after his first season stating "I really thought long and hard about it. There was so much going on with my family. It was crazy being an NFL quarterback. It wasn't fun anymore. All of the fun was out of it. All of the excitement was gone. All I was doing was worrying about things." However, Young would later recant this stating he never considered quitting football and his remarks were blown out of proportion.[46]
For the first exhibition game against the Washington Redskins on August 11, 2007, Titans Coach Jeff Fisher benched Young after he broke one of the team rules. Though Fisher declined to mention the rule Young broke, Young later hesitantly admitted that he left the team hotel the previous night in order to sleep at his home without informing Fisher. Young apologized for his behavior and was allowed to play for the next game.[47]
During the Titans first game, a 13–10 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Young threw for 78 yards with 1 interception and ran for 22 yards, including a TD. In Week 2, the Titans lost 22–20 to the Indianapolis Colts at home. Vince threw for 164 yards and a TD and ran for 53 yards on 5 carries. During Week 3, the Titans played the New Orleans Saints in the first of their 2 appearances on Monday Night Football in the 2007 season. The Titans beat the Saints 31–14 behind Young’s 185 total yards (21 rushing, 164 passing) and 2 TDs with 1 interception. On Sunday October 7, Vince Young and the Titans took to the field in Nashville as they took on the Atlanta Falcons. Despite a lackluster day, the Titans and Young would come away with the victory 20–13. Young was 20–33 with 153 yards and 3 INT's.
Young injured his quadriceps during the first half of a matchup against Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. Young went to the dressing room clutching his leg, but returned after half-time and was shown warming up on the sidelines. However, he would not return to the game as a precautionary measure. The Titans would go on to lose the game 13–10.
Despite an upcoming divisional matchup against the Houston Texans Young missed the following week's matchup after being listed as a gametime decision. This would be Young's first start missed due to injury. He returned the next week against the Oakland Raiders to complete 6 of 14 attempts for 42 yards in a 13–9 win. The following week against Carolina, Young would complete 14 of 23 attempts for 110 yards and 2 interceptions and add 25 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a 20–7 win.
In Week 10 Young completed 24 of 41 passes for 257 yards 1 TD and 2 INT's in 28–13 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Young's 257 yards passing in the game would become a new career high passing his previous best of 249 yards in a 24–21 comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 12 of the 2005–2006 season. His 41 attempts would also be a new career high.
The following week Young eclipsed his previous mark for passing yards in a game by throwing for 305 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT's as well as rushing for 74 yards and 1 TD in a 34–20 loss against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football. His 379 combined yards would set a new career mark passing his previous best of 318 total yards in a 24–21 comeback win over the New York Giants in Week 12 of the 2005–2006 season. He would also equal his career high in attempts with 41.
In Week 13 Young had his best overall passing game of the season against the Houston Texans. Young ended the day by going 21 of 31 for 248 yards with 2 TD and 1 INT for a 99.9 QB Rating in a 28–20 win. Young also added 5 carries for 44 yards which brought his streak of 250+ combined yardage games to 4 straight.
In Week 15 Young posted his best QB Rating of the season by going 16 of 26 for 191 yards with 2 TD and 0 INT for a QB Rating of 109.6. He would also add 7 carries for 32 yards as the Titans overcame a 14–10 halftime lead by the Kansas City Chiefs to win the game 26–17 and keep their playoff hopes alive moving to 8–6 for the season.
In Week 16, Young completed 12 of 22 passes for 166 yards and 1 interception and added 1 rushing yard in a 10–6 win against the New York Jets. The win against the Jets combined with a loss by the Cleveland Browns earlier in the day put the Titans in position for the last play off spot in the AFC.
In Week 17 Vince Young and the Titans' playoff wishes came to life as they defeated the Indianapolis Colts 16–10 to clinch the 6th seed in the AFC Playoffs. Young would leave the game in the 3rd quarter after suffering what seemed to be a re-injury of his right quad which kept him out for a game earlier in the season. Backup quarterback Kerry Collins would enter in the game and lead the Titans to 2 field goals to break a 10–10 tie and seal the victory. Before the injury, Young posted some of his best numbers of the year by completing 14 of 18 passes for 157 yards with 0 TD, 0 INT, and posting a 103.0 QB Rating.
At the end of the regular season, Young finished with 2,459 passing yards with 9 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Additionally, Young would finish with 395 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
In Young's first playoff game, Young completed 16 of 29 passes for 138 yards, 1 interception and 12 rushing yards for a 53.5 passer rating.
In the first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Young injured his knee and was expected to miss 2 to 3 weeks. On September 15, Jeff Fisher made the decision to go with Kerry Collins and for Collins to remain the starter for the rest of the season. The Titans went on to finish 13–3 in the regular season with Young assuming back-up duties.[48]
During the 2009 offseason, Coach Jeff Fisher announced that Kerry Collins would remain the Titans' starting quarterback for the 2009 season; Fisher said that if Young wanted to become the starting quarterback, he would have to "earn his job back".[49]
On October 29, 2009, following a disappointing 0–6 start to the season, Coach Fisher announced that Young would replace Collins as starter. Titans owner Bud Adams had reportedly urged Fisher to give Young more playing time following the team's 59–0 loss to the New England Patriots on October 18, and became even more insistent during the team's bye week that followed. Fisher nonetheless withheld announcing the change "for competitive reasons" until the Thursday afternoon before the Titan's next game, on Sunday, November 1, against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Upon announcing the change, Fisher further stated: "I'm still in Kerry Collins' corner because I don't believe that our record is a reflection of the quarterback play," Fisher said. "It's a reflection of the team play. I'm still in his corner, but we've decided to go ahead and make this change."[50]
Young won eight of his ten starts in the 2009 campaign. The 2009 Titans are the first team in NFL history to win five straight after losing their first six games. On November 29, 2009, Young led the Titans on a 2:37 long, 99-yard drive near the end of their game against the Arizona Cardinals. Young sealed the deal, with a 10-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Kenny Britt on 4th down as time expired. The Titans won 20–17. Young finished with a 99.7 QB rating, went 27 for 43, with a career-high 387 yards, 1 TD, and had 4 carries for 8 yards. Incidentally, due to an injury to Cardinals' starting QB Kurt Warner, this would mark a rematch of the 2006 Rose Bowl between Young and Cardinals' back-up QB Matt Leinart.[51]
Young finished 3rd in the bidding for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Carnell Williams and the winner, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.[52] Shortly thereafter, Young was announced as the Sporting News comeback player of the year.[53]
Young played in the 2010 Pro Bowl, taking the roster spot of the injured Phillip Rivers after Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer declined to replace the San Diego Chargers Quarterback due to their own respective injuries.[54] It was the 2nd Pro Bowl appearance of his career, his first being after his 2006 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winning season.
Young led the Titans to a 5–5 record in its first ten games while throwing for ten touchdowns with a 98.6 passer rating.[55]
During a Week 11 loss to the Washington Redskins, Young suffered a torn flexor tendon in his right thumb, but was held out of the game after he was prepared to reenter.[56] Following the game, Young threw his shoulder pads into the crowd as he left the field, had an altercation with Coach Fisher in the locker room, and stormed out.[56][57] Fisher then declared that Rusty Smith would become the Titans' starting quarterback.[58]
On January 5, 2011, Titans owner Bud Adams issued a press release stating that Young would no longer be on the team's roster for the 2011/12 season. Whether Young would be traded or released has yet to be disclosed.[59] Vince Young would finish his Titans career with a 30-17 record (63.8%) over five years.[60] During that span, the Titans compiled a record of 15-18 (45.5%) without Young. As a Titan, Young finished with a 75.4 QB rating and with 54 touchdowns (42 passing, 12 rushing) to 42 interceptions.
On July 28, 2011, Young was released by the Titans.[61]
Young was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles to a one-year contract on July 29, 2011. Upon signing, Young declared the Eagles would become the "Dream Team," a label which would become highly publicized by media outlets.[62] Young's first start as an Eagle came on November 20, 2011 in a Sunday Night match up against the Giants. Young led the Eagles to a 17-10 win, finishing the game with 258 passing yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.[63] Young would then lose his second start of the season the following week against the New England Patriots, finishing the game with a career-best 400 yards to go along with a touchdown and an interception.[64] In his third and final start the following week, Young threw four interceptions to one touchdown and the Eagles lost to the Seattle Seahawks 14-31 to drop the Eagles record to 4-8 and Young's record as a starter to 1-2 on the season.[64]
Young signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills on May 11, 2012[65].
As a result of his strong on-field performance and his ties to the Houston, Texas area, January 10, 2006, was proclaimed "Vince Young Day" in his hometown of Houston.[9] Young has been in a number of television commercials for Madden 2008, Reebok with Allen Iverson, a Vizio television commercial, and Campbell's Chunky Soup with his mother. He also appears in rapper Mike Jones's video, "My 64". Young was also interviewed by 60 Minutes for an episode that was aired on September 30, 2007. The Texas Senate passed a resolution on February 20, 2007, to declare the day "Vince Young Day" throughout state.
Young re-enrolled at the University of Texas for the 2008 spring semester to finish his degree.
Young continues to live in Hiram Clarke. Young's grandmother, Betty, lives in the Sunnyside area of Houston.[66]
On September 9, 2008, a distraught Vince Young left his home without his cell phone. The reasons given were that Young was upset over being booed by fans after throwing a second interception against the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars the previous day and the sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee suffered four plays after head coach Jeff Fisher prodded him back into the game. Young postponed a doctor's examination until the following day. After speaking to members of Young's family, Fisher called Nashville police. After a four-hour search, they found Young, who agreed to meet with Fisher and police at the team's training facility.
Vince Young's agent, Major Adams, told ESPN reporter George Smith that he did not know why the story had taken on a life of its own, and stated that the incident was "blown out of proportion" and called any perceived depression or emotional problems suffered by his client "unfounded."[67] His mother, Felicia Young, however, stated that her son was "hurting inside and out."[68]
In December 2008, Young filed suit against former Major League baseball player Enos Cabell and two others for applying for a trademark to use his initials and "Invinceable" nickname to sell products without his permission in 2006. The suit claims that their use of Young's name has damaged endorsement deals for Young; he is asking the court to give him the exclusive rights to use the initials and nickname.[69]
On September 19, 2011 Young made the following tweets about a person impersonating him that had been collecting money intended for Young's charity, making appearances, and signing autographs for financial gain:
"To the my fans and the media, please be aware that there is man in the DC area that has been impersonating me. He is a career criminal." "The man that has been impersonating me is Stephan Pittman. He is dangerous. Thank you to NFL Security and Prince George Police for ur help."
Young also called the act "sick". On September 23, Stephan Pittman, a registered sex offender in Maryland[70] was arrested on felony fraud charges for the impersonation.[71]
- ^ a b c "They're retiring Superman's cape, but who's next?". Austin American Statesman (Cox Enterprises). August 30, 2008. http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/08/30/0830bohls.html. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
- ^ Smith, Erick (November 30, 2006). "Title clashes add holiday-related stress for many". USA Today (Gannett Company). http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/columnist/weekendforecast/2005-11-30-column_x.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
- ^ "Wayne's World". Sports Illustrated (Time Warner). 2006-12-15. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/arash_markazi/12/09/hot.read/1.html. Retrieved 2007-08-20.
- ^ "Rose Bowl on Its Way to Becoming Best-Selling Bowl Game in History; Out-of-State Fans Flock to Orange, Sugar Bowls According to TicketCity.com". FindArticles.com (Business Wire). December 19, 2005. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2005_Dec_19/ai_n15952000. Retrieved 2006-12-15.
- ^ "Game of the Century". Austin American-Statesman (Cox Enterprises). January 5, 2006. http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/longhorns/01/6gameon.html. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
- ^ "ESPY Nominations for Texas! Yay?". BurntOrangeNation.com (SportsBlogs, Inc). 26 January 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20070929221352/http://www.burntorangenation.com/story/2006/6/26/161335/803. Retrieved 2007-08-07.
- ^ Chait, Jonathan (30 December 2005). "Trojan Farce – Why USC is overrated.". Slate.com (Washington Post.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC). http://www.slate.com/id/2133477/?nav=mpp. Retrieved 2007-08-03.
- ^ Robbins, Kevin "Watching a Stranger with a Father's Eyes" Los Angeles Times, December 31, 2005.
- ^ a b c "Vince Young Day in Houston, Texas – Jan. 10, 2006". City of Houston Website. http://www.houstontx.gov/mayor/gallery/vinceyoung.html. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ Lomax, John Nova. "Houston 101: The Short Happy Life of Dick Dowling." Houston Press. Wednesday August 26, 2009. Retrieved on October 26, 2011. "[...]and a middle school with 99 percent minority enrollment (Vince Young's alma mater) out in the Hiram Clarke area."
- ^ Frias, Carlos. "YOUNG STILL TROUBLESOME." Palm Beach Post. Tuesday January 3, 2006. 2CC. "Or where several of his gang member friends in Houston, the "Hiram Clarke Boys," ended up. In the ground. "
- ^ a b "UT's Young a legend in Houston". Dallas Morning News. 2005-11-29. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/colleges/texas/stories/112905dnspoutlede.8241d27.html. Retrieved 2007-10-26.
- ^ a b c "Vince Young". MackBrowTexasFootball.com. http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/pages/05.bios/young_vince.htm. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ a b c d "Vince Young Draft Profile". FoxSports.com. http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/draft/prospect?contentId=5527518. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ Sanders, Deion (2006-11-03). "Deion Sanders has 15 questions for Vince Young". Austin American Statesman. http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/sanders/entries/2006/11/03/deion_sanders_has_15_questions.html. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
- ^ "Texas 2002 Football Commitments". Rivals.com. http://footballrecruiting.rivals.com/commitlist.asp?Year=2002&School=81&Sport=1. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Ruling class: master recruiter Mack Brown helps Texas consistently bring in top talent, but the Longhorns' 2002 group—led by highly lauded quarterback Vincent Young—might be one of the best recruiting classes ever". The Sporting News. Archived from the original on 2008-02-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20080210061946/http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-83040183.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Veyhl, Jake. Longhorns No. 1 for First Time in BCS The Daily Texan. October 25, 2005.
- ^ "Running his way into history". SportsIllustrated.com. January 5, 2006. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/stewart_mandel/01/05/rose.young/index.html. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ "2005 Overall Individual Statistics". MackBrownTexasFootball. http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/000_stats/05/teamcume.htm#TEAM.IND. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
- ^ Brown, Chip. In-Vince-ible Athlon Sports. August 8, 2005.
- ^ Division I-A National Player Report Passing Efficiency NCAA.
- ^ "Rose Bowl Game Notes". MackBrownTexasFootball. http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=&url_article_id=1877&change_well_id=2. Retrieved 2006-12-31.
- ^ "Iconic moments for college football's time capsule". ESPN.com (The Disney Company). June 25, 2007. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2915514#. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
- ^ "Men's Athletics retires nine jersey numbers" (Press release). Texas Athletics. 2008-07-18. http://www.texassports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=68&url_article_id=9267&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2. Retrieved 2008-07-19.
- ^ "Texas Longhorns at the 2006 ESPY Awards – Lance Armstrong & Vince Young Video". Meanhorn. 21 July 2006. http://meanhorn.blogspot.com/2006_07_01_meanhorn_archive.html. Retrieved 2006-07-24.
- ^ Fisher, Gerren LaQuintFisher, Gerren LaQuint (14 July 2006). "Texas snags ESPY trifecta – 2006 Rose Bowl voted Best Game of the year, Vince gets Best Championship Performance". The Daily Texan. http://www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2006/07/14/Sports/Texas.Snags.Espy.Trifecta-2131713.shtml?norewrite200607252146&sourcedomain=www.dailytexanonline.com. Retrieved 2006-07-25. [dead link]
- ^ Frisbie, Bill (January 2, 2006). "Hollywood ending!". College Football News. http://texas.scout.com/2/336787.html. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
- ^ Vince Young: 'I plan on coming back' Dallas Morning News October 25, 2005.
- ^ Veyhl, Jake. Longhorns No. 1 for First Time in BCS The Daily Texan. October 25, 2005.
- ^ Vince Young to leave Texas, enter NFL Draft USA Today. January 8, 2006. Retrieved January 8, 2006.
- ^ Chadiha, Jeffri No Sure Thing Sports Illustrated March 2, 2006.
- ^ NFL rumors Sports Illustrated April 4, 2006.
- ^ Dougherty, Pete (Green Bay Press-Gazette) and Wyatt, Jim (The Tennessean) Will Wonderlic cause teams to wonder about Young? USA Today – accessed March 1, 2006.
- ^ McCormick, Terry NFL: Reports of Young's exam score inaccurate Nashville City Paper February 27, 2006
- ^ McShay: Young's test score creates quite a buzz KABC-TV February 27, 2006.
- ^ Young leaves Combine with questions looming. Retrieved March 3, 2006.
- ^ blogs.sun-sentinel.com
- ^ McClain, John False score gives Young wrong kind of buzz Houston Chronicle February 27, 2006. Retrieved February 27, 2006.
- ^ Walker, Teresa (April 29, 2006). "Young had early ties to Titans". Associated Press. http://www.titansonline.com/news/newsmain_detail.php?PRKey=3743. Retrieved 2007-02-19. [dead link]
- ^ "Bush sparks Saints to victory over Titans". NFL.com. August 12, 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-01-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20070111180207/http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/recap/NFL_20060812_NO@TEN. Retrieved 2007-02-19.
- ^ Lopez, John P. (February 25, 2007)."Wondering why Wonderlic stays". The Houston Chronicle.
- ^ "Titans agree to terms with Young; deal could be worth $58 million" Tennessean.com. July 27, 2006.
- ^ "Sortable Stats". Yahoo! Sports. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/stats/bycategory?cat=Passing&conference=NFL&year=season_2006&timeframe=All&qualified=1&sort=49&old_category=Passing. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ "Young named Madden 08 cover athlete". ESPN.com. 2007-06-07. http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=2840830. Retrieved 2008-05-28. [dead link]
- ^ ESPN News Services (2008-05-30). "In ensuing interview, Young says he didn't consider quitting". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3418636. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
- ^ "Titans QB Young apologizes for missing curfew, being benched". Associated Press. USA Today. 2007-08-13. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/titans/2007-08-13-young-apologizes_N.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-16.
- ^ "Titans Staying with Collins at QB". http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/26725441/.
- ^ Fisher Says Young Will Have to Earn His Job Back ESPN, March 29, 2009
- ^ Jim Wyatt, "Second chance: Titans move to Vince Young as starting QB," The Tennessean, October 29, 2009.
- ^ Sam Farmer, "Vince Young Works His Magic Against Matt Leinart-- Again," Chicago Tribune,' November 30, 2009.
- ^ Tom Brady of New England Patriots voted AP NFL comeback player award – ESPN Boston. Sports.espn.go.com (2010-01-07). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
- ^ Titans QB Vince Young voted Sporting News 2009 NFL Comeback Player of the Year – NFL. Sporting News (2010-01-14). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
- ^ Glenn, Gary. (2010-01-20) Young Replacing Chargers QB Philip Rivers at Pro Bowl. Titansonline.com. Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
- ^ Vince Young Profile – Tennessee Titans – ESPN. Sports.espn.go.com (2010-11-29). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
- ^ a b Tennessee Titans lose game, possibly quarterback | tennessean.com. The Tennessean (2010-11-22). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
- ^ Vince Young meltdown after Titans' loss leaves Jeff Fisher seething | tennessean.com. The Tennessean. Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
- ^ Titans now have to rely on rookie QB | tennessean.com. The Tennessean (2010-11-22). Retrieved on 2010-12-05.
- ^ tsn.ca Retrieved on 2011-01-05.
- ^ pro-football-reference.com
- ^ Rosenthal, Gregg. "Release Tracker". Pro Football Talk. http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/28/release-tracker/. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
- ^ http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Vince-Young-says-the-Eagles-are-going-to-be-a-?urn=nfl-wp4302
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011112011/2011/REG11/eagles@giants#menu=highlights&tab=recap
- ^ a b http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2011112709/2011/REG12/patriots@eagles#menu=highlights&tab=recap
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82906166/article/vince-young-agrees-to-oneyear-deal-with-buffalo-bills-
- ^ Engel, Jennifer Floyd. "Hometown hero, He might now reside in Austin, but Houston is where Longhorns star Vince Young's heart is." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Saturday December 3, 2005. D1 Sports. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.
- ^ "Young needs space, 'love and support,' mother says".
- ^ "QB's mother: Titans' Young 'hurting inside'".
- ^ Vince Young Suing Enos Cabell, Two Others SI.com, December 19, 2008.
- ^ "PITTMAN, STEPHAN ANTWAIN". Maryland Sex Offender Registry. http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/sorSearch/search.do?searchType=detail&anchor=false&id=6331388.
- ^ Hanzus, Dan. "Young impersonator takes convincing act to D.C.-area jail cell". NFL.com. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82280f71/article/young-impersonator-takes-convincing-act-to-dcarea-jail-cell?module=HP11_content_stream.
ESPN RISE 2000s All-Decade High School Football Team
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| Name |
Young, Vince |
| Alternative names |
Young, Vincent Paul; Young, Vincent P., Jr.; VY |
| Short description |
American college football player, professional football player, quarterback |
| Date of birth |
May 18, 1983 |
| Place of birth |
Houston, Texas, United States |
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![Vince Young Interview [LONG] - Vince discusses in detail what you've never seen before from him.](http://web.archive.org./web/20130605102246im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eU6KNV67DDs/default.jpg "Vince Young Interview [LONG] - Vince discusses in detail what you've never seen before from him.")
