DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Vince Young almost quit after one year

Ahh..that wacky Uncle Rico....the most overhyped QB in the NFL...

Pressure almost pushed Young out of NFL after one season
ESPN.com news services

Updated: May 26, 2008, 8:07 PM ET

Vince Young is known for escaping pressure. The quarterback almost took that to extremes.

The Tennessee Titans 2006 Rookie of the Year told NFL.com in an interview posted on Monday that he considered retirement after his first season.

"I really thought long and hard about it," Young told the Web site. "There was so much going on with my family. It was crazy being an NFL quarterback. It wasn't fun anymore. All of the fun was out of it. All of the excitement was gone. All I was doing was worrying about things.

"My teammates helped lift me out of it. I prayed really hard. And I began to focus on God's calling for me. Play football. Be a role model."

Young was installed as the Titans starter in Week 4 of his rookie season and led Tennessee to an 8-8 record. The Titans barely missed making the playoffs, but Young was named to the Pro Bowl.

Last season, the Titans did make it to the playoffs, but Young threw all nine of the team's touchdown passes for the fewest of any team in the league. Nonetheless, he learned to live with the pressure of being an NFL quarterback.

He proved that to himself when he handled scrutiny that came his way when pictures of him drinking shirtless at a party showed up on the Internet.

"I have a stronger circle," Young told the Web site. "Now I can handle this kind of stuff without it making me want to give up football. I learned that 24/7 I'm representing the Titans and, especially, the kids all over I am trying to influence. I look at my man Michael Vick. I learned from that. I look at Pacman [Jones]. I learned from that. I look at some troubles recently for rappers T.I. and Lil Wayne, guys I listen to. I learned from them. I've learned from my life."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3413244

Wow....

thats all i can say... U almost quit cuz u couldn't handle football?

OK Vince... now quit telling us how tough it was or pay back some of your bonus money and get a real job. You know the type you can't quit when you feel a little sad and put upon.

I guess this is what happens when you go through most of your life being told how great you are and really being shielded from criticism. It seems (and correct me if I'm wrong) that he was really the golden child at Texas, so he was beyond reproach. So, he comes to the NFL, gets some scrutiny, and he doesn't know how to handle it.

But, it sounds like he did some maturing, and hopefully he'll continue to mature.

My boss was talking to me the other day about playing baseball. He was a catcher and good at it. He blew his knee out his first year of college and dropped out. Later he joined the minor leagues.

The one thing he said was that it wasn't fun anymore. It was about a bunch of guys looking into their stats and themselves, they didn't care about the team they played on the same way it did like when he was in college and hs.

Well I could see that being the case with minor league baseball because moving up is a big deal, but it could have been the case for Vince Young too. Remember that he's still a fairly young guy at this time, 22 or 23?

May be all the reporters and scrutiny brought pressure that none of us have ever seen. Handling it is difficult.

In my opinion you should put yourself in his shoes and give him a break, and don't just look at the money aspect of it

Sounds to me like he had some family issues that coupled with the pressures of the game, kinda caught up to him..

I'm glad he figured it out and stayed.

Either that or someone explained that if he quit, he'd have to give back part of his signing bonus

I can understand what your boss was saying. After our American Legion season was over i was asked to go to a fall league in the minors. I told them thanks, but i always played because it was fun and i couldn't do it as a job, but thanks anyways....Darn that was almost 40yrs ago now..

nordawg

Glad this guy isn't on our team. I'd rather have a fighter leading my team.

This why we need a rookie cap. He was set for life before he even played a down.

Matt Ryan just made over 30 million by just signing his name. He could go out next season, get beat up behind a shoddy falcons line, decide hes had enough, and hang it up. He has all the money he'll ever need.

I think it was the weight of the Madden Curse bearing down on him.

Tough to believe how hard some of y'all are being on him... Yea, he makes a lot of money, I still can't get over how so many people seem to think that means you aren't allowed to have human emotions and problems.... at the ripe mature age of 22 or 23 he was also expected to be the savior of an entire NFL franchise which was used to being relatively successful... Couple that with whatever personal issues he was having at the tim and so he felt the pressure, so it bothered him, so he contemplated walking away... he sought the advice of teammates, he prayed a lot, he put things in perspective... Now he's ready to play... I have to admit, if anything, I have more respect for him now than before...

Maybe some would be happier if he handled it the way some others do, get 15 of your closest friends, go to a strip club, then get into a fight before you drive your drunk ass home... that would be MUCH more mature...

Well put DC. Give the guy a break, who cares if he makes more money then most of us will see in a lifetime... He's still human, and did the right thing by seeking the help of his teammates and his faith. I also gained more respect for him after reading the article. Hopefully he'll continue to handle his difficulties.

Football isnt always fun. It is work a lot of times. Young had a lot of pressure on him, so what?! I can understand family problems but seriously, I just dont see it.

Young didnt opperate a complex offensive system did he? So it wasnt the complexity of the offense that threw him. I just cant grip why he would even think about it.

Just because you have physical talent and intelligence doesn't mean you can't feel pressure. He has human frailties. Sometimes it is hard to understand what others are going through. With what I have to deal with I think I have a better understanding then others. You would think he has a perfect life. Sometimes things like fame and fortune bring pressure that some people can't handle. I wish him luck.

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Young didnt opperate a complex offensive system did he? So it wasnt the complexity of the offense that threw him.

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Not that this was a significant source of his problems, but I'll bet it was 10 times more complex than the one he ran at Texas...

I remember seeing a show last season (perhaps it was one of the regular analysts or a coach?) talking about Vince Young and his difficulties and how he has a tendancy to sulk, pout and want to quit when he encounters adversity... but this really takes the cake.

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"I have a stronger circle," Young told the Web site. "Now I can handle this kind of stuff without it making me want to give up football. I learned that 24/7 I'm representing the Titans and, especially, the kids all over I am trying to influence. I look at my man Michael Vick. I learned from that. I look at Pacman [Jones]. I learned from that. I look at some troubles recently for rappers T.I. and Lil Wayne, guys I listen to. I learned from them. I've learned from my life."

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Especially after my momma and my accountant both slapped me upside my #6 Wonderlic head.

This definitely brings to mind his Wonderlic score.

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This definitely brings to mind his Wonderlic score.

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I don't remember what it was,,,,

I keep thinking about what I would feel like if I just read that about my teammate.. I mean, what do the rest of the Titans think of a guy that was highly touted and paid and they just find out he wanted to quit after one year.

I'm not sure because I don't know all the circumstances, But I have the feeling that if I were his teammate, I'd always wonder about how much effort he's really going to put into things and for how long.

Well, who knows how many guys have felt this way, though. I have to think that first year has to be completely overwhelming for all the guys in the league, let alone for someone with as much expectation as Young.

Maybe his teammates see how he battled through it, recognize his maturity, and respect him for it. Maybe not. But, if he gets it done on the field, I think his teammates won't care too much about if he almost quit after a year.

and you could be right about that...

A few years back (actually quite a few) one of the guys I had been seeing off and on during his senior year in college got an opportunity to play for the Browns. He was home about 2 months later and we had lunch together. I asked him what happened and he told me that he did his best but it was a whole different creature from college football. He said that he couldn't handle the step up from college ball to the NFL was too much for him.

B.S. This spoiled kid has been pampered all his adolescence and through his college years. Why? Simply because he was an excellent football player.

Put myself in his shoes...wish the hell I could. Do you think this kid is playing ball for any other reason than big money??? Hell no...If he was he'd be playing semi pro ball while working at the local J.C. Penney store.

Imagine the poor schmuck working at a garage for a of a boss trying to support his wife and 3 kids. Who cares about his feelings and understands how tough it is to get 4 hours sleep at night with the kids crying and the wife needing new clothes.

Now that guy needs help and understanding...Vince needs to cinch up his jock and take a few for the team!

You're not going to be much fun at the "Pray for Vince Campout " Ralphie

I agree. Ralph doesn't know what Young might be doing, and there is nothing wrong with working for JC Penney.

I had a neighbor who started with JC Penney as a teen, stuck through college and ended up a regional manager making some serious coin....a dept mgr. can make 30-40k...regional managers. over 30-40 stores make 10x that.

Great points, DC. I will add that his coaches up until he was drafted caused much of his problems. At Texas, he was never taught to read a defense. He was taught to look for the primary and, if covered, take off. While it was successful at the college level, it retarded (please understand that I'm using that word in the purest sense) his progress in the pros.

Think about it He comes into a situation that he is nowhere near prepared for through no fault of his own. He is labeled as the savior of a franchise through no fault of his own. He is given huge money, but also huge expectations. He has to actually learn how to be a QB, something he should have been taught years before. On top of that he has to adjust to the speed of the NFL. I'm not talking just the speed of the players, but the speed of the entire game. Things happen on the field that a rookie feels like someone hit the fast foward on the DVD player. It takes time to get acclimated to that and for the game to slow down for ANY rookie, let alone one ill prepared for the job he's going to do. Trust me, I know from personal experience how big a leap it is to the NFL from college.

That is IMMENSE pressure. At some point, I would bet that any rookie in a similar situation would have to think to himself if it is worth it. I understand that we all look at the money these kids make and think how we would respond and react to things. We, as fans, can't fathom what is going on because the average fan isn't making that kind of scratch and think that it's absurd to think someone making that kind of coin to play a GAME is weak minded or a punk if he ponders what he's doing. The simple truth is that none of us can understand unless we've been there. I've never been labeled a savior by any stretch of the imagination, but I do remember my first year, in 100 degree heat, running yet another set of wind sprints, pulling off my helmet so I could puke as I continued to run and then throwing the helmet back on all the while trying not to break stride. Then getting hit by guys that had the impact of two cars in a head on collision going 35 MPH. Then draggin myself to the weight room to throw around weights in between the two practices. I remember that there was a time during all of that that I actually wondered what I was doing. Was it worth it? The answer was yes, but that question does come to mind in the middle of all of that. It's not the question that shows your heart. It's the answer that you decide on that does.

Damn Coach, you're on a roll.

I agree. He wasn't coached to be a NFL qb, he was coached to win at Texas....look here, if open throw, if not, run.

I think Young can be a good qb...and think he is now

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surprised he said it this early in his career though...

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Actually I'm not. I would imagine that first year is the toughest, getting your feet on the ground, getting used to the schedule, the offseason, juggling the endorsements and the personal appearances, realizing you are now paid to win, etc.. a bunch of things you don't have to worry so much about in college... I believe he will settle in and get used to it and find his way... Hopefully he keeps his teammates and good people around him and doesn't let the wrong crowd influence him...

I see alot of this in wrestling...im an assistant wrestling coach the high school level and we have alot of the Jr. High kids who dominate when they are in Jr High but when they become freshmen and get their butts handed to them they get down on themselves cause they arnt used to losing....the tuff kids stick it out but most of them quit and we never hear from them again....Im sure it was hard on his ego being the big fish in a little pond.....and now he has found out he is still a big fish, but in the ocean with abunch of sharks.