Will Jeff Fisher’s Message Get Through to Vince Young?

In the Tennessee Titans’ loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Vince Young got pulled for Kerry Collins after throwing two very costly interceptions and losing a fumble

Kerry Collins came in, went 17-25 for 149 yards with a touchdown and an interception and brought the Titans within one possession of the Steelers, but Fisher announced after the game that Young would be the starter.

The reason for the move was apparently just to show Young that he has to be more careful with the football — a lesson that hasn’t seemed to get through to him over the course of his NFL career, as evidenced by Young’s 34 career touchdowns and 41 interceptions, including this Sunday.

But will it sink through to Young, or will it cause another regression? The answer is really going to depend on how much Young has truly matured as a quarterback and as an individual.

Early in his career, Young was a headcase. There’s no other way to say it. The slightest bit of adversity caused him to hit the fetal position and his team was left hanging. But as of late, starting with the tail end of the 2009 season, Young has been responsive to any trouble he’s faced on and off the field.

As sad as it is, the turning point seemed to be the murder of his friend and mentor Steve McNair.

It looked like a wake-up call for Young. He seemed to not only recommit himself to football, but to his life off the field as well. He stepped up big time and is acting like a father to McNair’s children, and has taken on the role of being a leader for the Titans.

Young will be able to mess up a few times and McNair’s children will forgive him. But unfortunately, the NFL is not so forgiving. He must make better decisions with the football while under duress. The man has been blessed with great athleticism, but he didn’t use it Sunday against the Steelers.

Rather than trying to bounce from the pocket and make a play on the move, Young seemed satisfied to stay in the pocket and try to strong-arm his passes. He had no room to step into a throw, so there was almost no shot of him being able to complete a pass like that.

The fact that Collins came in and had two turnovers of his own had to help Fisher’s decision to reinstate Young as the starter, but if VY isn’t more careful he might not be so lucky next time.