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http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=cr-winnersandlosers112110&print=1
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Five years later, Vince Young(notes) proved he can still be a champion.
He?s earned titles in mediocrity, immaturity and egotism ? a three-pronged legacy with the Tennessee Titans.
You got the feeling that Titans coach Jeff Fisher never believed in Young as his quarterback, that all the talk about team owner Bud Adams taking Young in the NFL draft and sticking it to the city of Houston one last time were right on the money. It seemed as if Fisher was stuck with Young.
More From Charles Robinson
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Titans trainers examine the hand of quarterback Vince Young in the second half against the Redskins.
(Don McPeak-US Presswire)
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There was always plenty of ?Vince Time,? when Young would show up late to team meetings or physical therapy (or even a team flight). There was always the self-worship, including the third-person quotes and Texas-clad pictures of himself in his locker. But there was never dominance. There were no championships.
And now, soon, there will likely be no Vince Young in Tennessee, either.
So if you want to see this week?s biggest loser, look for the guy who threw half of his uniform in the stands after Sunday?s 19-16 overtime loss to the Redskins. Look for the guy who reportedly cursed repeatedly during his coach?s postgame speech, then stormed out of the locker room. Look for the guy who left his teammates to deal with the media after the most damaging loss of the season. Look for the guy who was, as always, living his life on Vince Time.
There will be those who suggest that Young was right to do what he did Sunday, that after being removed because of injury, he should have been reinserted by Fisher after he began warming up on the sideline. Fisher noted in his news conference that Young never came to him and said he was OK to play. According to Fisher, Young never asked to be put back into the game, either. And that kind of nugget is usually only shared about a quarterback for one reason ? the coach doesn?t believe in his ability to lead a team. And that has more to do with Fisher stripping him of his starting spot than any injury ever could.
For all the accolades he got in college, there have always been signs that Young was more interested in himself than the rest of the team. He has never been close with other quarterbacks during his time in Tennessee. The coaches rarely raved about his work ethic behind closed doors ? and at times only seemed to do it publicly in hopes of removing pressure from him or raising his confidence. He always seemed to have problems with criticism.
Maybe the biggest red flag (this month, anyway) was the reports that Young ducked out of physical therapy on his ankle during the Titans? bye week so he could return to Austin, Texas, to attend the opening of his swanky new steakhouse. If you know Young?s history, you didn?t question that report in the slightest, because some current and former teammates would tell you that he has been and will likely always be obsessed with Austin. He is a king there, and Vince always liked the royal treatment.
But eventually there was going to be a line in the NFL. Eventually he was going to have to prove either he was a winner and a leader, or a middling journeyman who would never realize his talent. We?re now five years in, and Vince has made a ton of money. He should be in his wheelhouse stage as a professional quarterback. He should be in his prime ? his Pro Bowl and championship years. Instead, he?s often injured, rarely dominating, and always good for some drama.
He has been realized as a bust for the Titans.
Whether he ever materializes into something else, only time will tell. More specifically, Vince Time ? and whether he can escape it long enough to realize that his career is a drama destroyed mess because he made it that way.
