NFL Handicapping: Vince Young Spearheading Titans Resurgence
by Trevor Whenham - 11/20/2009


It's too early to declare that Vince Young's  career has been kick-started, but he's at least on the right track this time  around. He was given the reins of the winless Tennessee  Titans after their bye week, and Young has done nothing but win. He's won thee  games in a row, and people are definitely taking notice - the Super Bowl  future odds have fallen in half to 200/1 because of their play. Young has  played reasonably well, but it's not like he is redefining the position - he  has just two TDs and an interception in three starts, and is averaging just 170  passing yards per game. Still, the team is playing with a swagger that they  decidedly lacked in front of Kerry Collins - they seem to actually believe that  they can win now. So, how is he doing it, and, more importantly, can he keep  doing it? Here's a look:
  
  Avoiding turnovers - There is no mystery to how to significantly improve  quarterback play in the short term - decrease turnovers. On that front Young  has been a very significant improvement over Collins. Collins threw eight  interceptions in six games - 1.3 per game. Young has thrown just one  interception in three games - an improvement of a full turnover per game.  Collins also fumbled the ball and lost it twice. Young has fumbled, but none  have led to turnovers. More than any other factor, protecting the ball has made  the difference. Whether Young can maintain it over the long term is an entirely  different issue. Young averaged two interceptions per game as a starter earlier  in this career. So this current competence will have to last longer before it  becomes a new trend.
  
  Chemistry with Johnson - Chris Johnson is the best offensive player that  the Titans have. He's an exceptionally talented running back, and he plays  behind a very solid offensive line - they open running lanes as needed, and  have only allowed six sacks all year. Johnson has been good all year, but he  has had three of his four most productive games, including his best, since  Young has taken over. He has also had the most productive receiving game of his  career under Young. Young and Johnson have an obvious chemistry, and the better  Johnson plays the better the Titans play. The Titans lost just three games last  year - Johnson's rookie year. Johnson missed one of those games, and in the  other two he had the two fewest carry totals he had all year. As long as  Johnson and Young can remain in-sync they can keep wining.
  
  YPA - My favorite single stat when it comes to getting a sense of how a  quarterback is playing is yards-per-attempt. To post a good number by that  metric you not only have to be passing with efficiency and for some reasonable  distance, but your whole offense needs to be working well as a unit - the  quarterback needs time to pass, and the running game needs to be functioning  well enough to keep the defense guessing. As a general rule, a YPA of better  than 7.0 is a sign of decent QB play, while below that isn't ideal. In his two  full years as a starter, the YPA was a good sign of why he struggled at times -  he averaged 6.2 in the first year, and 6.7 in year two. In his three starts  this year he has averaged 8.2 yards per attempt. That number may be somewhat  higher than is sustainable for Young, but the improvement from his past is a  positive sign of improvement.
  
  Schedule - So far we have painted a pretty positive picture. This is  where we will dim that a little bit. Young has played very well so far, but he  hasn't exactly done it against a powerhouse group of teams. Jacksonville is  playing better recently, but they have struggled to find any consistency, and  they have the 23rd-ranked defense in the league - 26th against the pass. The  Niners have underachieved this year, struggle to put points on the board, and  are 29th against the pass. Buffalo is terrible on both sides of the ball, were  in such chaos that their coach was fired after their game at Tennessee, and  have the 27th-ranked defense. Whether by coincidence or design Young was given  the starting job at a time when his chances of success were fairly high. Now  things get harder. Houston has a win over the Titans already this year, and are  coming off a bye week. Arizona and Indianapolis are next, and both are all but  certain to be playoff bound. San Diego also looms down the road. Young's  confidence has never been his strongest characteristic, so it remains to be  seen if he can maintain his play when the going gets tougher.
  
  
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