Titans To Cut Ties With Young

The Titans released a statement on Wednesday in which owner, Bud Adams said that Young will not be on the roster next season.  The team will look to trade him during the off-season, but will release him if they are not able to find a trade.

We kind of knew it was going to come down to this.  Head Coach, Jeff Fisher and “Franchise” Quarterback, Vince Young simply could no longer coexist.  It was time for Bud Adams to make a decision: stick with the No. 3 overall pick from the 2006 draft, or stick with the head coach who just finished his 17^th year with the franchise.  When Adams sent out the team’s Christmas card this year, it was a photo of him between Young and running back Chris Johnson.  No Fisher.  Most took that to be a clear sign of where the organizations loyalties were moving forward.

Then, yesterday, the Titans released a statement saying that Vince was done in Nashville.  Way to go, Bud!  This is absolutely the right move.  Fisher is one of the most well respected coaches in the sport, and Vince Young is one of the most talented, yet immature athletes that the sport has seen recently.

Amidst questions about his work ethic, loyalty and maturity, there was that one little suicide scare that people don’t seem to want to talk about.  Despite all this, Vince managed to put up VERY pedestrian numbers over the last 5 years.  He completed just under 58% of his throws, has thrown exactly the same number of touchdowns as interceptions (42) and has a QB rating hovering around 75.  Jeff Fisher, on the other hand, has a win percentage of .542 through his 262 games coached and has led the team to 5 playoff berths.

When Vince was asked about the franchise’s decision to look for a new quarterback, his response was relatively predictable:

"Things happen for a reason. I tried my best to win a Super Bowl for them. I tried my hardest, I really did. I just wish coach Fisher would have trusted me a little bit more.”

Trusted what? That you’d continue with your trend of mediocrity? Or maybe trusted that you wouldn’t disappear again when struggling with your personal problems.  Being quarterback in the NFL requires a level of maturity that Vince Young simply doesn’t possess.  No amount of raw talent can make up for the absence of maturity, both on and off the field; go ask JaMarcus Russell.