Vince Young Named Offensive Rookie of the Year

Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year today. After sitting on the bench and watching for the first month of the season, the Longhorn Legend finally got his chance. Once VY was given the opportunity to prove himself, he did what we all expected him to do – he danced, pranced, cajoled and lead his team to amazing victory after amazing victory, carrying the 0-5 Titans to an 8-8 finish.

Although Merril Hoge may still be oblivious, it is quite clear to football fans and experts around the country that all Vince Young does is win football games. Young received 23 of 50 votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL, but we imagine if defenses could have voted, the margin may have been even greater. Young beat out New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston and Jacksonville running back Maurice Drew, who had nine votes each. Rounding out the field were San Diego tackle Marcus McNeill (6) and Saints running back Reggie Bush (3).

Young compiled an 8-3 record as a starter, while becoming the first rookie quarterback in the modern era to rush for over 500 yards in a season. Many assumed Young would not be able to dance around lineman and linebackers in the dangerously high-speed world of the NFL. They were wrong. Young continued to break ankles and leave grown men looking like boys with his scrambling skills. If you think Young is too slow or his arm motion too gimmicky or his brain too undeveloped, go ask the Indianapolis Colts or the Houston Texans about Vince. He made each those teams look foolish as he led the Titans back from fourth quarter deficits to amazing wins.

"I like to go out there and play the game and show that I can deliver the ball down the field, and that I can use my legs at the right time, when it's time to use my legs, and checking the ball down, just being a quarterback," Young said. "I want to change the game a little bit."

Oh, he’s changing it, alright.

While Vince seems to be a genetic freak, the thing that impresses us most, and always had with the young man from Houston’s Madison High School, is his ability to lead h is teammates, to make them believe, to get them excited about playing a kids’ game. He’s done it at every level, and today he was acknowledged as being one of the best at doing it at the highest level.

"Besides the physical skills, it's the will and the strength inside, the 'it' factor that a quarterback either has or doesn't have," Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow said. "Obviously, he has it. The quickness in which he won the team over and the quickness in which he became the leader, the guy everybody looked up to, that was special. Vince Young has this great ability to lift others around him. To see him do it so quickly, that wasn't a surprise, but it was certainly good to see."

Think the Texans would like a draft-day mulligan? (Of course, the Texans did do ok in the draft, taking Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who was named Defensive Rookie of the Year today. The again, he was their second round pick. Just think if they'd picked Vince first, they might have actually won as many as they lost.)