You can call this guy Vince Young, VY, or even In-Vince-ible, because it seems that he answers to many names. Though the most important name he now answers to would be the starting Quarterback of the Tennessee Titans . In order to fully know whether or not Young is getting worse, or just had a tough day against the Falcons, one has to look into the past in order to see the present clearly. . . .  

Vince Young made a name for himself early in his football career.  After graduating High School in Houston Young went on to become one of the greatest Longhorns to ever play at the University of Texas. If there was a record to be broken,or a championship to be won Vince was your man. If there was an award to be handed out, Young was there to receive it, with only one exception, the trophy of all trophies, The Heisman.

Young came in second behind another shining star at that time, Reggie Bush. You would think that after finishing his rookie year in the NFL with much success and fanfare; Vince would be content with his accomplishments and ready to move on. Well if that is what you are thinking you would be wrong my friend. Young said during an interview with 60 minutes earlier this year he is still upset that he lost the Heisman Trophy to Reggie Bush.  

 Now some would think that statement makes Vince Young seem vain, arrogant, or even a poor sport, but in truth, I believe it shows the competition inside that drives the man. . . .

 

 Vince Young was drafted by the Titans in the first round (third pick) on April 29, 2006, but unlike most QB's drafted, Young would become the starting quarterback for the Titans sooner rather than later. He started a total of eleven games last season proving that his talent was not something he left behind back in Texas. The "Duel Threat Kid" who can rush as well as he passes, seemed to be just what the Doctors ordered in the Music City!

Drawing so much limelight from his rookie season, Young has gone on to star in numerous commercials and a Mike Jone's music Video. Some would say that with so much going on it might be possible that Young has started to believe his own hype. And while there may be some credence to that, in looking over his stats from the '06 season, compared to this season, the only difference I can see is in the amount of interceptions he has thrown.  The rest of his stats are right on schedule.

In the '06 season Young threw a total of thirteen interceptions, and so far during this season he has thrown for a total of five already, three would come from his last game against Atlanta. Not great by any stretch of the imagination, but if you were going to contrast and compare, the Great Brett Favre threw a total of eighteen interceptions last season, and has already thrown four this season, two in his last game against the Bears.

   The Titans are actually off to their best start since the 2003 season. In the first three games Vince Young beat the Jags, barely lost to the 5-0 Colts and shined on Monday Night Football against Reggie Bush and his Saints, but that all came to a screeching halt on an unusually hot Sunday afternoon in LP Stadium. 

The Titans should have won this game with no problem, but instead it started with a fumble by White on Tennessee's opening drive, resulting in a fifty six- yard touchdown. The next blow would come in the form of Falcons Bailey intercepting a pass by Young  and setting up a thirty two- yard field goal.     

 It only got worse for Young when he was once again picked off allowing the Falcons to kick a field goal for their final score of the day. I am sure that Titans fans groaned again, when in the fourth quarter Vince Young threw his final interception. The offense was so bad in the game against Atlanta they could not even run out the clock during the final few minutes. It was left up to the defense to finish the game; advancing the Titans to a 20-13 Victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

In a game where the Titans offense never picked up more than two first downs on any drive, and no more than four or fewer plays in seven possessions, one has to question if Vince Young is nothing more than an unseasoned quarterback or a good quarterback who was having a tough day.

I would have to say that Vince has come a long way since the last time he threw three interceptions. The game was against Jacksonville last November and it cost the Titans a loss. When asked Sunday about matching his career high Young went on to say that he made bad decisions by trying to force the ball. Still if you think about it any great quarterback will at some point in their career try to force the ball and suffer an interception.  

To sum this up, I think that Vince Young should be considered the latter of the two. He showed that he has what it takes too win in his first season with the Titans. And now he has won three out the first four in this season. Coming off a bye week combined with ungodly heat, all seemed to attribute to Young's unusually sloppy performance on Sunday. And though the true test will come later this week on the road against Tampa Bay,it is my opinion that Vince Young will undoubtedly continue to get better with each passing game.

 

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I have always been an admirer of how football players adapt and make adjustments in how they play due to the elements. Man vs. Man vs. Nature. Can any one of us deny that games such as The Ice Bowl and others like it add purity to the game itself? I know that my favorite images of this game are men down on the line where their breath gives away the intensity of their emotions. So with this being said, who had the bright idea to dome the game? 

 

  I have always groaned at the notion of having to watch a game played in any dome. I think  that it robs so much from the players and the fans. Around the league there is a total of nine domes, two of them being retractable. Now I am sure that they were thought of by someone who thought more tickets could be sold if fans were not huddled up together freezing to death. Wrong! Give me an emotionally charged, close game and I will be nice and toasty! Ever since I can remember I have always enjoyed football from Peewee to High School, College and Pro Football more when the temp dips below forty degrees. A hot cup of coffee, or cocoa along with the smell of hot roasted peanuts all add to the atmosphere of the game.  

 As bad as domes are there is a worse danger lurking inside. That's right Artificial Turf can be a players worst nightmare. This freak of nature has been blamed for numerous injuries that could have been avoidable. I know for myself that "Turf Toe" sounds ridiculous, but is actually a painful injury that can sideline a player for up to three weeks or longer.   So why is this acceptable for a fourth of the stadiums in the league?

Only nine out of thirty-two teams play inside. I would think that teams who play in a Stadium as opposed to a Dome would have the advantage. Now sure you can bring up the Colts, but Payton Manning is the answer to your question. Do me a favor and think about this. . . out of all the domed teams, only Minnesota and Detroit can really say their winter weather is bad. On the other hand, winter months for teams like Green Bay, Buffalo, New England, Denver and Chicago are brutal and all played outside.  

 

In my opinion the only team that truly deserves a dome is the Cardinals, and man what a dome they have!  Not only do they have a retractable roof, but a retractable field allowing them to have real grass instead of turf. Dallas is also a team that allows the elements to affect their game, while letting their fans stay dry. Well at least until 2009 when their new stadium will open.  

 

 

 Look bottom line here is this. . . take a football, add some real men along with the unpredictability of the elements, mix them all together and you will achieve perfection!

Today I perused Fox Sports as I usually do every afternoon, and to no great surprise, was bombarded by blogs, columns and chatter in regards to Vick and whether or not he is guilty or has been railroaded into a plea deal by the Feds. I have kept silent for the most part on how I feel about what Vick and his friends have pled guilty to doing. So today I am going to interject my thoughts this once, and be done with it. Advice that I will gladly give to "EVERYONE" so that we may get back to the sports that we love the most!

Living in the Hampton Roads area, which is where these crimes occurred, has given me the unique insight into many things the national media has not thought news worthy enough to report. In all of the articles printed on Vick, or reported on in the national news, the most overlooked fact is how these crimes came to surface in the first place. This is how it happened according to the pilotonline.com " Boddie gave the Surry County address as his home when he was arrested April 20 in Hampton on su####ion of marijuana possession with the intent to distribute. Police got a search warrant and went through the house Wednesday looking for drugs and drug paraphernalia." It was then during the initial search of this property Police found the dogs, a cache of suspected dog-fighting items, including "performance- enhancing pharmaceuticals," treadmills to condition the animals and papers that documented involvement in animal fighting. It was very obvious to those conducting the search that this was something not to be overlooked.

Now here is my question to everyone...If it had been you searching that property, would you, who has been sworn to uphold the law, reported what you had found? Regardless of "Who" the property belonged to. Or would you have looked the other way? Forget the fact that the property belong to Michael Vick, a NFL Darling. Forget that there is a thing such as black and white in this world. Would you have done your job in the manner that it requires? Strip it all away and look at the basic facts. A crime was committed period !

I have seen many arguments, both pro and con, and I can say that there is a lot of passion in these heated debates. The most common thread that I have found is that many people believe that the media is crucifying Vick. Let's take a look at that claim...

Twenty Four/ Seven you can find a channel reporting about Vick. Why is that? Well I have come up with a plausible answer... If you look at any given cable or satellite company how many channels are dedicated solely to sports? I can tell you, much to my and my husbands amazement, I just counted how many sports channels we have and do not have to pay extra for, and it is thirty three! Of course ESPN has the most. So just looking at ESPN and the NFL Network, I can tell you the reason Vick is constantly on is because they run their programs in loops. But that aside, for all of us who love our sports we have at least one TV in our house dedicated to blaring one sports channel constantly. In my opinion that would explain a lot. Also, I have to say that to be fair, the national news networks have given equal coverage to all of their headlines. I have not seen that Vick is getting more play than any other story.

My bottom line on Vick is this...This man had the NFL world at his feet. He worked hard to get there and I respect that greatly. Unfortunately he did not think more about the personal choices he made, and for that I do believe that this NFL great will have to stand up and take the punishment that is doled out to him. You cannot expect to live on top of the world, with all the love and adoration the media affords you, then turn around and expect them to look the other way at such a blatant crime. But I think the best way to sum up how I feel is to relay a statement his own Grandfather said today on my local news channel...

"For all the good that Vick did. It only took this one bad thing to overshadow it all. And I am tired of hearing about it!"



If you would like to view all the local articles in regards to this case I will provide a link to the pilotonline.
http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=13
0682&ran=61364

As all of you are aware lately legal problems have abounded all over the NFL. While it is true that "High Profile" players are the only thing the media cares about, there are many more incidents that are not reported as widely. But, if you pick up a local newspaper in any area where there is interest in a NFL Team, you will find many more arrests. I am wondering if this issue has become worse in recent years, or has it always been taken care of, or swept under the rug in the past? If so, then why now?

Today the media has its focus on only two players ...Mike Vick and Pacman Jones. But, if you look further into the troubles the NFL is having, you will find that there are many more players with troubling legal problems. As of last season the Cincinnati Bengals had nine players arrested on numerous charges. Some of these charges were things such as, Weapons Violations, Spouse Abuse and Intoxication while boating. Then there is Tank Johnson, who was released from the Bears during the off season, due to being found guilty on a Weapons Charge. He will have to serve four months in jail. I also found that Jeremy Stevens of the Seahawks was arrested for his “second” DUI back in March of this year. Stevens was also involved with a “Hit and Run” back in 2001.Warfield of the Chiefs has three DUI arrests. Leonardo Carson of the Chargers has four arrests. Joseph Jefferson of the Colts has two DUI arrests plus a gun charge. And of course Sean Taylor of the Washington Redskins was arrested and taken to trial for weapons charges and assault, but was acquitted before the 2006 season started.

Statistics compiled since 2000 have found that 308 citations or arrest have been made, and that is not counting any minor infractions. One statistic states that there has been 98 arrests in the past 87 months. That is about 1 in 144 NFL players arrested due to alcohol. It is also reported that defensive backs, and wide receivers account for 130 incidents, those two being the most highly rated positions for arrests. Over all there has been a total of 1 incident per 45 players, per year.

While it seems to be excessive numbers, when set against general population, the statistics are lower. I think that the combination of money and age, is the largest factors that comes into play. Take any young man in their early twenties and you will find that they spend most of their nights in a bar while partying with friends. Now take those same young men, add millions of dollars on top of that, plus the ego that comes with being a professional football player, and you can see why the statistics are so high

It seems to me that arrests stemming back before the year 2000 were kept more under raps by the executives who ran the teams. Why that has changed now? I am not sure, except that I do believe the media has further reaching tentacles, and more high tech devices at their disposal. Plus, the players have high powered agents who believe that “No Press” coverage is worse thing possible. Don’t believe me? Look at the whole T.O. “Suicide” attempt last year. Drew Rosenhaus had a field day with it. And now if Owens has a sore back we know about it! Football players no longer work for themselves, but are huge corporations. Long gone are the days when the NFL still had a sense of innocence. Instead to the detriment of all its fans, it has been replaced with agents, egos and rap sheets!

I give my thanks to Wikapedia and SignOnSanDiego.com. for the statistics and info I needed!