NFL: Ranking Quarterbacks who were one-hit wonders
By Nick Villano
NFL: Ranking Quarterbacks who were one-hit wonders: 8. Vince Young
Vince Young had that legendary performance in the national championship game against the USC Trojans. He led the Texas Longhorns on his own to declare themselves champs in one of the most legendary college football games ever. That put him on the map, although he was already having a great season. He beat Matt Leinart head to head as they were heading into the NFL Draft.
Young was taken in the top ten of the NFL Draft as Mario Williams and Reggie Bush were considered the top picks. Leinart was also taken very high in the draft by the Arizona Cardinals, but he didn’t even have the fleeting success that Young enjoyed.
Young struggled in his first few years in the NFL. He was throwing more interceptions than touchdowns, and the Titans were doing their best to win despite the turnovers. Young wasn’t showing the big-play flashes he had at Texas, and he was honestly too timid in the league. That might have been thanks to the coaching of Jeff Fisher, but it really muted his impact on the field. That was until 2009 when he led the Titans to a huge run after Kerry Collins took his job the season before.
The Titans started 0-6 after it was clear Collins had just one more run in him, and he used it the season before. Young was given the starter’s job back in October, and the Titans immediately started winning. They won five-straight games, and they were right back into the playoff race. Young won the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award by Sporting News over a returning Tom Brady. His career sputtered after that, and the issues that caused him to lose his job in the first place crept up again. He eventually went to the Eagles, called themselves the Dream Team despite not even being the starter, and his legacy fell by the wayside.