Have you heard by now that Vince Young is trying to make an NFL comeback? Well, Vince Young is trying to make an NFL comeback, and it doesn't seem to be going well.
Among other things, Young has said he wrote an apologetic letter to Jeff Fisher, who coached him with the Tennessee Titans (and now coaches the St. Louis Rams) and continued his image rehabilitation efforts Wednesday when he said on ESPN that any suggestion he was not a hard worker or lacked leadership ability is off base.
"You could never say that I wasn't a hard worker, leading the team, doing all these things that they said I’m not doing," Young said. "And that’s what kills me when I'm out here working extremely hard every summer time and don't get the opportunity to shine like most guys has had. I just want a lot of people to understand that I have been through a lot in my life, in my 29 years, and I have owned up to it. I've made my mistakes. But I just really feel like people can get past that and let me finish my career like I want it to be and be a great asset for a football team."
Young was cut from the Buffalo Bills during training camp last year. He was on the Eagles before that, and before that he was with the Tennessee Titans, who drafted him No. 3 overall in the 2006 draft. In doing so the Titans took a chance on a player whose throwing mechanics were basically never before seen from a successful modern-day NFL quarterback. But Young nonetheless was a prolific passer at the University of Texas, where his unusual combination of size (6-foot-5, 230 pounds) and graceful speed made him virtually unstoppable.
Some forget this now, but Young is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was the Associated Press offensive rookie of the year. He also does seem to have a knack for leading comebacks, although that reputation was developed seven seasons ago now, and he hasn't done much to build on it since. His issues with Fisher began in 2007 when he was suspended for the team's first preseason game.
Then he hurt his knee, Kerry Collins led the team to a 13-3 season and things started to get weird.
In 2008, he briefly disappeared and was only located after Fisher called Nashville police to search for him.
Young did win his starting job back the next season, and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate. But during a 2010 game against the Redskins, he stormed off the field, threw his shoulder pads into the crowd and got into it with Fisher. After that season the Titans announced they would be getting rid of him, which they did in July 2011.
