Chris Mortensen’s latest report shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Mort suggests that Jeff Fisher has already promised Kerry Collins the starting QB job in 2009.
If Collins does indeed re-sign in Tennessee, that leaves Vince Young with the primary responsibilities of holding the clipboard and continuing to serve as Kerry’s understudy.
That’s a long fall from 2006, when Vince was comfortably in the driver’s seat as the Tennessee Titans’ starting signal-caller for the foreseeable future.
Ironically, the setup of Collins as the starter and Vince as the apprentice was Jeff Fisher’s goal from the beginning. Hastily inserted into the starting lineup as a free agent acquisition in August 2006, Kerry was supposed to lead while Vince learned in the shadows.
However, an 0-3 start led to an ineffective Collins being benched and Vince becoming the lead-man. The rest of course, is history, as Vince guided the team to eight wins and an improbable near playoff berth and Collins becoming firmly entrenched as the Titans’ backup QB.
Due to last year’s VY meltdown and KC’s successful run as starting QB, it’s Back to the Future for their roles heading into 2009, with Vince being the backup and Collins serving as the guy in charge.
Speaking of the future, one has to wonder about Vince Young’s in a Tennessee Titan uniform. Despite the insistence of owner Bud Adams that Vince is still the team’s future starting QB, it’s only natural to question whether or not VY will ever get his job back.
To an outside observer such as myself, it appears as though Adams is only saying positive things publicly to appease and motivate Young to continue to keep his head up.
Regardless of Bud’s intentions, it’s pretty clear that this is Kerry Collins’ football team. From his generosity in the form of presenting his offensive linemen with gifts for keeping his jersey consistently clean to the glowing compliments of his teammates, the Titans’ are convincingly behind #5.
As for #10, the formidable challenges of becoming a better quarterback and a team leader lie in front of him. Unfortunately for Vince, he’ll probably have to accomplish those goals as the #2 QB.
History may be on Vince’s side, as indicated by his Phoenix-like rise from backup to star in 2006. However, reality suggests that despite some similarities, the circumstances have changed dramatically from three years ago.
History does have a way of repeating itself, but I think I’m going to side with the reality that Kerry Collins will probably be running the show in 2009 and possibly beyond.
What do you guys think? Does Vince have a future in Tennessee?
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