With Vince Young sitting comfortably in the catbird seat as the Tennessee Titans’ starting signal-caller, there’s the perception that a battle is taking place to determine the team’s #2 QB.
Due to the rather significant salary of Kerry Collins, there’s been talk throughout the offseason that Chris Simms could emerge as the team’s primary backup to VY. Fuel was added to the fire of a possible scenario of Phil’s son stepping up as the #2 with him seeing the majority of the playing time behind Young last weekend against Seattle, with Collins not seeing any action at all.
I know it’s only one preseason game, but if the results of last weekend are any indication, here’s to hoping Kerry Collins will remain as the team’s second-string signal-caller.
Despite wearing his father’s trademark #11 jersey, Chris Simms’ performance did nothing to remind us of Phil’s solid career as an NFL QB. Completing 7 of his 13 passing attempts for a putrid 24 yards, Simms looked extremely uncomfortable in the pocket.
If anything, Simms reminded us of the guy who the Broncos released without hesitation during the offseason. When Denver starting QB Kyle Orton was injured last year, any hope of the team rallying around Simms was doused immediately, as he displayed the same problems that plagued him on Saturday night against the Seahawks: no pocket presence whatsoever, and a strong but unfortunately, erratic arm.
Paraphrasing the words I uttered in a follow-up comment regarding this past Saturday’s Titans/Seahawks matchup, I’d cringe if Simms were to see any extended playing time as the Titans’ QB during the regular season.
Instead, I’d feel a lot more comfortable if Kerry Collins was the guy the team would hand the reins to under the circumstances of Vince not being able to perform. Despite the money he’s scheduled to earn this season, Collins is clearly a guy who the team respects and would rally around if Vince were injured, in spite of his high salary.
Speaking of backup quarterbacks, the guy who hasn’t been mentioned thus far is strong-armed newcomer Rusty Smith. Despite a few rookie moments, generally, I liked what I saw from the young signal-caller against Seattle.
He has a ways to go, but with his arm strength and Mike Heimerdinger’s tutelage, Smith has a solid chance of developing into a player who at the very least, could be relied upon as a solid backup QB for the Titans in the future.
Any thoughts on the team’s situation at backup QB? Feel free to post your opinions in the comments section below.
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