First of all, if you haven't read Babcock's post on Tom Brady, do yourself a favor and read it immediately. The man is pure genius.
Second of all, read Nick's post on Week 2 after you’ve read Babcock’s piece. All I can say is that we’re pretty damn lucky to have two NFL experts here at the RoomofZen. Where else can you find stuff like this on the internet?
This week I'd like to discuss Vince Young. If you follow the NFL, I'm sure you've read about his meltdown. In case you haven’t and your head is buried underground, you can read about it here:
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/09/09/agent-says-young-was-watching-football/
http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080909/SPORTS01/80909043
http://deadspin.com/5047255/this-vince-young-melt-down-is-getting-uglierand-scary
http://deadspin.com/5047422/vince-youngs-got-a-gun-searching-for-answers-to-the-quarterbacks-bizarre-unraveling
Weird stuff, right? An NFL quarterback goes missing for two hours and his team calls the police. Young claims it’s not a big deal, but if a regular player goes off the radar for two hours, do you panic and start calling the cops? Not unless you know something is seriously wrong with the dude. The phrase “suicide watch” comes to mind, especially if he has a gun. From the AP:
“The mother of Titans quarterback Vince Young said he indicated he doesn't want to play football and is "hurting inside and out."
His mom, like any decent mom whose concerned about their son, goes onto say:
"What would you think, if you were tired of being ridiculed and persecuted and talked about and not being treated very well, what would you do? What kind of decision would you make?"
Apparently you start talking about quitting and giving up if you're Vince Young. And frankly there's nothing wrong with that if your head is not in the game. Just leave the team, free up the cap-space, and do your teammates a favor. Nobody wants a teammate like that, right?
But Vince Young is pretty darn good. And it's not like the guy is Ryan Leaf with expectations out of this planet. We know he can't pass too well, we know he has a hard time learning the offense, and we know he's a running-style QB like McNair or Vick. So big deal if he has a terrible opening game. I can cut him some slack. He did lead his team to the Playoffs and the guy does have a winning record. If I am a Titan's fan, all I care about is W's and Young is a proven winner. If he could pull a Ricky Williams and get his shit together, who wouldn't welcome back to the game? I would.
I started thinking about Vince Young last night and I actually feel sorry for this guy since I know he needs some psychological help. But then again he’s making millions of dollars and he’s playing a sport for a living. The guy has no excuse not to seek medical help. My sense is that his ego and self-pride is preventing him from doing so. (That and his agent is doing a terrible job advising the poor guy)
If you were Vince Young, wouldn’t you have an inflated ego, too? He’s won the National Championship, he’s was the 2006 Rookie of the Year, he’s been paid millions of dollars, and he was voted the 10th Best College Football Player…of all time. But those are just accolades. Look at what he’s actually said to the media:
"I never doubt myself. Never. If I doubt myself then I'm gonna be a bad quarterback”
“Asked if he's going to the playoffs, Young tells Pelley, "We working on it right now. I wanna say, you know, I'm not trying to predict it right now. But how we looking right now, we have a big shot at it."
"People have told you to calm down on your predictions, haven't they?" Pelley asks.
"No," Young says, laughing. "No?" Pelley asks.
Says Young, "Can't nobody tell me nothing."
On a scale of 1-10, with ten being the most cocky and borderline arrogant you can be as an NFL player, this type of attitude is an eleven. So of course this guy is fairly insecure and when the Titans lose and he's held responsible, there may be some issues.
(As an aside, pro athletes are notorious for not seeking help when they need it. Guys like Robinson on Raiders denied their problems and they only got worse. But then you have guys like the Eagles o-lineman who missed training camp due to depression. No one questioned his decision to seek help and now he’s back, ready to play. Why can’t Young do the same thing? No brainer, right? Just take some time off).
But for christ-sakes, dont have your mother go on the record defending you from media criticism. That shit just looks weak! Imagine the type of shit-talking Vince Young is going to hear if he ever comes back. It would take three Super Bowls in two seasons to stem the type of trash-talking I envision. And what defensive player in their right mind would hold back?
Just admit you're depressed, take some time off to clear your head, and come back to the league with gun's blazing. NFL fans, like most Americans, are forgiving and empathetic people. They understand that people suffer from mental breakdowns, especially when the spot-light is so intense. Maybe Young will eat some humble pie in the process and return to his prior form, sans the attitude.
And maybe his mom will stop making him look so bad.
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2 comments:
I too am very intrigued by this story...First, it really does have to suck to have your mother go on record defending you to the media. Even if your mother is the nicest, most wonderful person in the world, you have to be ashamed in this instance. It brings to mind Brenda Warner (full body shiver)defending husband Kurt.
Secondly, on Around The Horn yesterday Bill Plasche hinted that some of Young's off field issues in the past have been related to certain members of his immediate family and that they may have had a part in intentionally blowing the story out of proportion. I'm not sure if theres any credibility to this but its an interesting angle. Consider that Fisher and the Titans quickly went on record saying that nothing was wrong once Young was found. He was probably like "Can't Nobody Make me answer the phone!"
Finally THE MOST IMPORTANT THING about this story is being totally disregarded. That is, that people started freaking out because he didn't answer his Cell Phone! This is whats wrong with the world today. You get a cell phone and suddenly you are supposed to be available to people 24/7/365. Sometimes a man just needs to be alone. How many times have you just not answered a phone call only to have the person calling give you a hard time the next time you see them. (Where were you? I tried calling you 4 times!" etc...)
Motherfucker. In the not-so-distant past people used to communicate by the fucking Pony Express! Everyone needs to chill out with the cell phone thing. I mean shit, now with those bluetooth headsets you cant even use driving, juggling, or using a chainsaw, as an excuse to not answer the phone. We're all screwed.
Hilarious story from the Sports Pickle:
After another abysmal performance by Vince Young on Sunday, Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher called Nashville police on Monday night, told them to keep an eye out for his quarterback, and then requested that they drop the one-time first round pick on sight.
“I truly felt he was a threat to harm others,” said Fisher. “Specifically, this football team. He’s essentially killing us by continuing to play like this.”
Nashville Police Department captain Roger Depp was one of the officers contacted by the coach.
“I talked Coach Fisher down,” said Capt. Depp. “Actually, Coach Fisher and some other police officers who are season ticket holders who raced to the scene to take Young down. I’m a Titans fan, too – and Young truly does suck. But he shouldn’t be shot. A bullet to the knee, sure. But nothing life-threatening.”
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