I knew it was coming.  I did not know when.  I did not know where.  I did not know what media outlet would get him to bite.  But anyone who has followed professional sports for any length of time knew that embattled Titans QB Vince Young would voice a measure of displeasure with his current role…..Tennessee Titans backup quarterback.  Last weekend, in an interview with Baltimore television station WMAR (isn’t that ironic), Young spoke on his current predicament and stated that he was ready to regain his starting role and “if they're (the Titans) not ready for me to play ball, somebody is."

To be fair, Young’s point of view is understandable.  He was the man at Madison High School in Houston, earning Rivals.com All-American honors.  He was the guy who brought the Sears Trophy back to the 12 Acres of The University of Texas.  He was the kid who took over a winless Titans team at the quarter mark of the 2006 season and made them a playoff contender.  He was the guy who presided over the Titans first playoff experience without Steve McNair under center.

However, what Vince Young has seemingly forgotten is that he WAS also the guy who developed rabbit ears during the 2008 season opener against Jacksonville at LP Field and subsequently tried to quit on his team.  Despite all of the great things he has done, it is his last action that is still fresh on the public’s mind.  Last season, in the aftermath of the Jacksonville tantrum, injury, failure to show for an MRI, mom panicking point on, I felt like Vince Young handled his demotion the way he should have publically.  He did not rock the boat of a team that was the league’s best during the regular season and whose geriatric QB, Kerry Collins, was enjoying a renaissance year.  Young did not always have the best body language at times on the sideline and seemed a bit aloof in sideline shots, but he never sacrificed team chemistry.

As recently as April, Young expressed a desire to steer clear of causing a stir and seemed to have the attitude of a guy who was going to do the right things to perfect his craft and eventually regain his starting QB job.  What changed in a matter of weeks, no one outside of Vince Young’s inner circle and Baptist Sports Park knows, but there is no doubt that his comments rocked the jukeboxes and media outlets in the Music City.  Young’s agent, Major Adams, was quick to downplay the comments Wednesday when speaking to Tennessean beat writer Gary Estwick.  Adams stated that Young “was just voicing his opinion about competing for a starting job” and that Vince is “not asking for a trade.”

Out of this muck, I still have hope as a Titans fan for Vince Young’s future with the organization. As a matter of fact, there is a part of me that was glad to see these statements emanate from the former Longhorn’s mouth.  This really was the first glimpse of the confident, energetic Vince Young that I have seen since late in the 2007 season.  A Vince Young with his swagger turned on, is a motivated Vince Young.  Hopefully, this will serve as an igniter for an athlete to turn his career around.

The talent is there, it is now up to Vince Young to sustain his fire for the game of football and maximize his God-given abilities.  I was in Section 101 at LP Field when he rallied the Titans from a 21-0 4th quarter deficit to beat the New York Giants.  I saw him improvise and will his way to being the 2006 NFL Rookie of the Year.  This is a talented young man who simply needs to get in the lab, lock the door, watch tape of how the Manning’s and Brady’s go through their progressions, manipulate coverage, and put their team’s in the best positions to win.  He also needs to continue his mechanical work with Craig Johnson to further refine his pocket footwork and release point.  And finally, as ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky stated in his blog several days ago, he needs to pick Kerry Collins’ brain not only on how to become a better QB, but how to take this road bump in his career and turn it into a positive learning experience.

If Vince Young does all of those things, he may just reach his potential, and the last year will be the bitter that was turned sweet.  Let’s just hope that he realizes that patience is truly a virtue and he is using his time out of the starting lineup wisely.