Titans Young quarterback

By Jim Wyatt, The Tennessean 

Vince Young was on top of the world the last time he played here in his hometown, a hero who delivered in the clutch just like everyone suspected he might.

In the rival's stadium, he had fans in every corner. And after his 39-yard touchdown run to beat the Texans in overtime, the mob scene that surrounded the Titans quarterback looked like something dreams are made of. Only this was real.

To many, Young could do no wrong, a college champion quickly tasting success in the NFL. That was his first season, 2006, a year that ended with him winning the league's offensive rookie of the year award and a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Tonight he returns to Reliant Stadium to lead the Titans against the Texans, yet so much has changed for Young in the last three years.

He's a different man, one who lived through a personal nightmare that changed his perspective on football, family, friends and life. He was forced make some tough decisions. He was forced to grow up.

Those close to Young say events of the past 14 months have made him a better man.

Tonight a national television audience will get a three-hour snapshot of his football progress. But no matter what happens, Young believes he's better equipped to succeed in his second time around as the Titans starting quarterback.

"It took me awhile to figure some things out, to get some structure and make sure I have some things straight, and the right people around me, people who have my best interest in mind," Young said. "And now all I have to do is focus on my job, taking care of my responsibilities. At 23, 24, things come at you so fast, and it can be tough.

"But I've learned a whole lot. I know how important things are now. And I know I have 53 guys that are depending on me. So I want to take care of my responsibilities and not let them down.''

A second chance

As Young stood at his locker the other day, he wore a Reebok shirt with the words "STILL REPRESENTIN'."

Until just a few weeks ago he was in the background, a former first-round pick from Texas who'd reached great heights and then was humbled.

He lost his job after the 2008 season opener. The rest of the year he'd be remembered for his reaction to getting booed, his coach having to coax him back on the field, and the soap opera that unfolded a couple of days later when police were called over concerns about his safety.

Young said the whole thing was blown out of proportion. The damage was done, however.

"It is something that was heard all over the entire nation,'' said tight end Bo Scaife, one of Young's closest friends on the team. "People were looking at V in a different light and in a different way and drew their own conclusions.''

Before returning to the starting lineup and leading the Titans to three straight wins, Young backed up Kerry Collins for 21 weeks, including last season's game at Houston.

In fact, this will be Young's first action in his hometown since the dramatics of 2006. He missed the 2007 game here because of an injury.

"We've been constantly in prayer, and I have been telling Vince, 'Just stay strong, keep a strong head and wait on the Lord. Your time will come again,' " said Samuel Smith, pastor at Mt. Horeb Missionary Baptist Church in Houston. "And that's what he's been doing, waiting on the Lord, and another chance.

"Vincent has matured, been able to review some things, and he has grown quite a bit. He was hurt by some things, yes. But we are seeing the Lord giving him the victory now. All of the negative stuff is behind him.''

Closing ranks

Among the things Young reviewed over the past year were the people around him. Now he looks less to others and more to himself. His crowd has thinned out, some by design, some not.

"It has been a soul-searching deal to where he's had to figure out who is there for him, who he needs to separate from,'' said fullback Ahmard Hall, another of Young's close friends on the team. "He is basically keeping the people that are going to help him moving forward and help him achieve positive things in his circle.''

Young said he has eliminated what he called the "distractions" in his life. Now he's able to put more focus on football, more time on preparation. Coaches have complimented his work ethic.

Too many times in his first three seasons Young felt like he was being taken advantage of or being distracted. He could've handled things better, he said.

"There was so much going on off the field, money, money. ... My mom needed this and that or somebody wanted to start a business,'' Young said. "I had to get that structure and let people know I am not doing that anymore. I had to make sure I had the right people around me.

"Some of the things off the field ... I just don't worry about that kind of stuff now. Sometimes (in the past) I had to come in here after practice and look at my cell phone and this and that. Now I have that all right. I don't have to worry about that, I just have to worry about football.''

It was a painful lesson, Young said, but he thinks he's better because of it. His friends agree.

"You learn who your friends are when you go through tough times, and we've talked about that,'' Scaife said. "People you think are close to you kind of shy away when things aren't going as well, and that is when you find out who your true friends are.

"The lesson he learned is maybe he didn't have as many friends as he thought he did and not as many people cared about him as much. ... But in life you have to cut your losses, and I think he has done that.''

Football in focus

Young has looked poised and has played well in his three starts this season. His passer rating in all three games was more than 90, a streak matching one by Steve McNair in his NFL co-MVP season of 2003.

Coach Jeff Fisher said Young has a better understanding of the offense now that he's in his second year under coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, and "that makes a big difference.''

Quarterback Rich Gannon suffered plenty of highs and lows during his 17-year career. He dealt with injuries, backup roles and even sitting out a year before going to four Pro Bowls and reaching his greatest heights.

Gannon is impressed by what he's seen from Young, but said he probably wasn't truly ready to play so much as a rookie.

"He had some success early and probably thought, 'You know what, this is how it is going to be,' and he never really learned how to be a professional at that position and how it takes so much time during the course of the week as far as preparation," said Gannon, now an NFL analyst for CBS. "The chance he had to sit back and watch Kerry has been beneficial to Vince. Now I think Vince has realized these next (seven) weeks are critical to him and his future with the organization.

"It's an opportunity for him to hopefully play his best football and show he has the ability to be the quarterback they thought he was when the picked him in the draft.''

For now, Young is worried only about the present. He wants to regain the trust of everyone around him.

He's off to a pretty good start.

"I've learned a whole lot,'' Young said. "But I'm going to keep working and never be satisfied.''