Redemption for Vince Young and other NFL thoughts

(1) Every second that Vince Young spends on the football field is changing the perception of the former first round pick. He was widely criticized last season for quitting on his teammates and allegedly attempting to commit suicide. Prior to his struggles in 2008, he was a huge college star at the University of Texas and a 2007 Offensive Rookie of the Year award winner. As a result of the ups and downs of his early NFL career, the common belief by NFL observers was that he was either a first round bust or didn’t possess the mental abilities to deal with the pressures of playing quarterback at the professional level. Oh, what a difference a year makes. After serving as the back-up to Kerry Collins during the Titans’ disastrous start to the 2009 season, Young has stepped into the void of a potentially lost season and led the Titans to five straight victories. In fact, after beating the Cardinals on Sunday, Tennessee became the first team in NFL history to win five consecutive games after starting a season 0-6. Their hot streak has them on the periphery of the AFC playoff picture. There are a lot of reasons why the Titans have been playing so well. The two biggest reasons are Vince Young’s steady play at quarterback and Chris Johnson’s record-setting rushing streak.


I have to start with Vince Young because the Titans started to win when he was inserted into the starting line-up five weeks ago. Young has not necessarily wowed anyone with huge statistics, but his impact goes way beyond the numbers that he is putting up. He has brought a leadership dynamic that was sorely needed with the team mired in their long season-starting losing streak. I’m not saying that Kerry Collins was a bad leader, but sometimes a change is needed at the top to light a fire under the troops. It was abundantly clear that Collins was not getting the job done, so Coach Jeff Fisher had no choice but to see what Young could do. During the five game winning streak, all Young has done is complete better than 60% of his passes and only turn the ball once. These two statistics tell me that Young has greatly improved his accuracy and his decision-making. Despite the fact that Young has improved as a quarterback, he has still stayed true to his roots as a “running” quarterback because he knows that he can change the game with his legs as well. He used his running ability to great effect against the Texans last week, which offset his most mediocre passing performance of the season. Young saved his most memorable moment for last as he directed one of the greatest game-winning drives in recent history to beat Arizona at the buzzer. The Titans got the ball at their one-yard line with two minutes and 37 seconds remaining in the game and they needed a touchdown to win. Young stepped into the huddle with the calm of a high stakes poker player and methodically led Tennessee down the field to victory. The drive totaled 18 plays and it included three fourth down conversions by the Titans. At the end of the day, Young threw for a career high 387 yards and won his ninth straight game as a starter. Not only did Young lead an epic drive, but he improved to 23-11 as a starter in the NFL. After this performance, the Young bandwagon is getting very full as the former doubters and naysayers all want to get on board.

Young has been spectacular in his return, but I would be remiss if I didn’t spend a little time talking about the wonderful season that Chris Johnson is putting together. This kid has followed up an outstanding rookie campaign with an even better sophomore season. He is on pace to run for over 1,900 yards and average better than six yards per carry. He is currently terrorizing NFL defenses like few running backs have ever done. After running for over 125 yards for the sixth straight game, Johnson joined Earl Campbell (1980) and Eric Dickerson (1984) as the only running backs in NFL history to accomplish the feat. He also compiled the most rushing yards in the month of November surpassing the record previously held by the great Barry Sanders (1997). In my opinion, Johnson is the most dynamic player in the NFL. I would argue that he is the most complete running back in the NFL because he has always done a good job of catching the ball out of the backfield and he has improved his pass blocking immensely since breaking into the league. If the Titans can do the impossible and run the table, then I believe that Johnson should get some serious consideration for the MVP award. Vince Young certainly deserves a lot of credit for Tennessee’s transformation, but the Titans would still be struggling if LenDale White was their primary running back.

The big test for the Titans will come this Sunday against the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. If they can beat the Colts, then I believe they will run the table because the rest of the schedule is not that daunting. Their toughest match-up, the San Diego Chargers, will be played at LP Field and they still get to feast on the struggling Rams, Dolphins and Seahawks. I think it will be very difficult for them to knock off the Colts, but it is their last hurdle as they make an unprecedented run to the postseason.

(2) While we are on the topic of teams that are playing well, I think we need to spend some time with the Minnesota Vikings, who are laying waste to the NFL landscape like their namesakes did to Europe back in the ninth and 10th centuries. In my opinion, the Vikings are the best team in the entire NFL. Even though they have one loss, they are better than the Saints, better than the Colts and better than any other division-leader that you can name. It has taken me awhile to come around to Minnesota, but I firmly believe that they have the weapons on offense and the stoutness on defense to make a serious run to the Super Bowl title. All I had to do was take a look at what they have done to their opponents this season to convince me that they are the toast of the NFL. The biggest thing that jumped out to me is that they have scored less than 27 points on just one occasion. In addition, they have won seven out of their ten victories by 12 points or more. They are not just beating people, they are killing them.

The best evidence of their dominance is their recent four game winning streak. They have beaten the Packers by 12, even though the game wasn’t that close. They have beaten the Lions by 17 points, the Seahawks by 26 points and the Bears by 26 points. You could argue that their last four opponents are not very good, but quality teams don’t mess around with inferior competition rather they attempt to suck the life right out of their prey. The Vikings have been in such complete control of these games that Brett Favre has rested for nearly the entire second half against Seattle and half of the fourth quarter against Chicago. The two biggest surprises from the Vikings are that Favre has found the fountain of youth in Minnesota and they have done it with Adrian Peterson only having three 100+ yard performances. I have never been much of a Favre fan, but he has certainly proved me wrong with his unbelievable play in 2009. The guy is on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards for the sixth time in his career and post a passer rating over 100 for the first time in his career. He has never had a full season with fewer than 13 interceptions, but he is on pace to only throw five picks in 2009. He seems to be relatively healthy, enjoying the hell out of playing football and locked in like he hasn’t been in quite awhile. His biggest impact is that he has taken a talented yet underachieving bunch of offensive talent and turned them into the most dangerous team in the NFL. Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe have become Pro Bowl caliber players at their positions after being mostly nondescript players for their entire careers. Favre is taking advantage of the wiliness of veteran Bernard Berrian, the flexibility of Chester Taylor and the youthfulness of Percy Harvin. Frankly, Harvin will probably be the difference between a Super Bowl ring or another disappointment for Vikings’ fans because he is the most dynamic player on their roster. Honestly, I think that Minnesota can be even better on offense because Adrian Peterson has not really been the explosive player that we have come to know since he entered the league in 2007. He has been held to 85 yards or less on six different occasions and it appears that Favre’s arrival has actually had a negative effect on him. The widespread belief was that the threat of the pass would open huge running lanes for Peterson, but it looks like their opponents are still trying to take away the run and make the Vikings one-dimensional. Actually, Lovie Smith readily admitted that it was his strategy to take away Peterson despite the fact that Favre has been carving up opposing defenses like a rustic wood sculpture. If teams start to change their approach to Minnesota, then I could see Peterson closing the season with a flourish. Either way, the Vikings are the class of the NFL and are the front-runner to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.

(3) I know that the AFC features the undefeated Colts, the glamorous Patriots and the upstart Bengals, but the best team right now just might be the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers were ignored for most of the early part of the season because they began with their customary stumble out of the gate. Just when you thought that Norv Turner’s pink slip would be hand delivered by General Manager A.J. Smith, the Chargers went on their annual Save Norv’s Job campaign and promptly reeled off six consecutive wins. Their sixth win in a row was a complete devastation of the Kansas City Chiefs, who had just knocked off the defending champions in surprising fashion in week 11. The Chiefs were out-classed at every turn and the 29 point margin of victory for the Chargers demonstrated that Kansas City has a long way to go to challenge the elite of the AFC.

This victory started and ended with a dominating effort from the San Diego defense. They held the lowly Chiefs to only 284 yards of total offense and forced four turnovers that were all turned into points by the Chargers offense. Losing the turnover battle is difficult enough to overcome, but allowing the opposing offense to cash in with touchdowns on every single mistake is an insurmountable obstacle. The Chargers defense was the difference on Sunday and they have been the biggest reason that San Diego has turned their season around. During their 2-3 start to the season, the Chargers were giving up over 27 points per game, which included getting drubbed by the one-time division leading Denver Broncos by 11 points on Monday Night Football. Since their loss to Denver, the Chargers have given up just over 13 points per game. Their fifth win in this streak was an annihilation of the Denver Broncos by 29 points in Mile High Stadium. In a span of five weeks, the Chargers went from being manhandled in their own building by the Broncos to administering a wood shed beating to the same team. The NFL is a marathon and the Chargers look like they are in better condition to win the race.

(4) Turkey Day seems to have happened three weeks ago, but we shouldn’t forget what we learned from a full day of NFL action. First of all, we got more proof that the Detroit Lions and the Oakland Raiders are just as horrible as we thought they were. They may have generated a smoke screen with their victories from week 11, but it was clear that they were no match for the Packers and Cowboys. On a side note, is it so difficult for the NFL to deliver quality match-ups on Thanksgiving? I know that we are stuck with the Lions, but did they have to schedule the lowly Raiders as well. I just wish the NFL would give a little more thought to which teams get to play on one of the marquee dates of the NFL schedule. Anyhow, despite the lack of quality games, I learned that the Denver Broncos were the most impressive team that played on Thanksgiving. They were in a free fall after losing four games in a row, which allowed the Chargers to grab first place in the AFC West, but they destroyed the visiting New York Giants to reestablish their footing for the rest of the season. Their defense was dominant forcing three turnovers and holding the Giants to their fewest rushing yards (57 yards) since November 20, 2006. Their offense was extremely balanced with an efficient day from Kyle Orton and a physical running game from Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter. In addition, I learned that Aaron Rodgers was the most impressive individual player from Turkey Day. Rodgers had his fourth 300+ yard passing day of the season and led the Packers to 27 offensive points. If the Packers were having a little more team success, I would think that Rodgers would be getting a little more attention as an MVP candidate. The dude is putting up ridiculous numbers, which has him on pace to throw for over 4,500 yards and 32 touchdowns. He may hold onto the ball too long in the pocket, but he is not the reason that the Packers are only 6-4. Also, I learned that Tony Romo is still a front-runner. After struggling mightily the last two weeks, Romo morphed into a hall of fame candidate against the horrible Oakland Raiders. As I predicted, Romo feasted on the Raiders and once again had Cowboys’ fans drinking the Tony Romo Kool-Aid. Romo threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns, which gave him plenty of opportunities to flash his infamous country bumpkin, shit-eating grin. I guess I’m supposed to be impressed by the shiny numbers, but I’m still waiting for Romo to do something big in a big moment. Finally, I learned that the Giants are in big trouble. First of all, they find themselves looking up at the Eagles and Cowboys after getting completely undressed in the Mile High City. Secondly, they have to take time away from practicing for their next game to figure out where the hell the real Brandon Jacobs is hiding. This guy has gone from being one of the most feared players in the NFL to dancing in the hole like Donnie Osmond on Dancing with the Stars. I haven’t seen a descent this sharp from an NFL running back since Shaun Alexander went into the toilet after his MVP season. Finally, the Giants have to right the ship against the division leading Cowboys with a quarterback that is less than 100%. It seems that Eli Manning’s plantar fasciitis has turned into a stress reaction that could evolve into a stress fracture. With Manning at the helm, the Giants already have lots of work to do to make the playoffs. They might as well pack up for the winter if Manning goes down for a long stretch.

(5) The game against the St. Louis Rams was a damned if you, damned if you don’t proposition for the Seattle Seahawks. If they had lost to the lowly Lambs, they would have been skewered by the local media and national pundits. On the flip side, if they didn’t look spectacular in beating the Lambs, their victory was going to get brushed off as being the result of playing St. Louis. The Hawks needed to dismantle St. Louis like the University of Washington suffocated the Washington State Cougars in the Apple Cup. They needed to dominate on defense and rack up the yards and points on offense. They needed to demonstrate to the entire world that there is a world of difference between Seahawks football and whatever name you give to what St. Louis does on Sundays. Instead, the Hawks struggled with the Rams all day long and came away with a less than impressive victory.

First of all, they were pretty uneven on offense. On the positive, Justin Forsett looked good running the football for the second time in three weeks. He set a career high with 130 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He made several explosive runs and the Hawks generally looked like a competent running team. The problem is that the Lambs are not exactly the Monsters of the Midway against the run. In the last three games, they have given up 556 yards with a per carry average of 6.2 yards. I think fans expect the Hawks to rack up big yards against the cellar dwellers of the NFC West, but where was even a fraction of this ground game against the Minnesota Vikings. I think that the Hawks should be applauded for establishing a presence on the ground against the Lambs, but we should be careful to declare that their running woes are behind them. The Hawks are kind of like Tony Romo; they play their best when the stakes are low and the pressure is almost non-existent. On the negative side, the Hawks passing game was anemic to put it bluntly. Matt Hasselbeck only threw for 102 yards on 25 attempts, which basically made the Hawks a one-dimensional team. How do you explain such a terrible outing by Hasselbeck? The Rams must have done something pretty exotic in their pass defense because the Hawks had come into the game averaging 281 yards and 42 attempts per game in their previous four games. I guess the simplest explanation is that the Hawks didn’t run that many plays in the game and the running game was working so well that the Hawks pretty much abandoned the passing game. In the end, the Hawks needed to control the game with their offense, but they couldn’t accomplish their goal against a team that has lost 11 consecutive games at home.

Secondly, the defense played pretty well despite the fact that they gave up nearly 400 yards of total offense against a team led by Kyle Boller and featuring the receiving talents of Donnie Avery, Danny Amendola and former Coug Brandon Gibson. I didn’t think that the Lambs’ wide receiving group could get worse than the unit that visited Qwest Field on opening day, but they somehow achieved the impossible. Nonetheless, the stellar Hawks secondary allowed Boller to complete 26 passes to 10 different receivers, which pretty much filled in for a ground game that struggled to get going. I know that Boller threw two interceptions and I know that Josh Wilson returned one of them for a 65-yard touchdown, but it is pretty embarrassing to allow Boller and that group of receivers to pretty much have their way with you. The big positive for the Seahawks defense is that they pressured Boller all game long and sacked him four times, which has to be a Seattle record for most sacks in a road game. We even had a Patrick Kearney sighting. Once again, David Hawthorne was the best player on the defense with seven overall tackles and one of the four sacks. I also thought that Leroy Hill played one of his most disruptive games of the season and Aaron Curry was a factor as well. The most promising aspect of the Seahawks’ performance was that they generally shut down Steven Jackson. I’m pretty sure that the Rams’ game plan was to literally ram the ball down the collective throats of the Seahawks defense using Jackson as an endotracheal tube. Fortunately, the Hawks were up to the task and limited Jackson to only 89 yards on 23 carries. The Hawks have been good against the run all year long except for the San Francisco game, but I have always wondered if their opponents have ignored the run because the passing lanes were so free and clear. In my opinion, holding Jackson to only 3.9 yards per carry was the real deal because there is no way that Coach Steve Spagnuolo wanted to put the game in the hands of Kyle Boller. The Hawks succeeded in forcing Boller to beat them and he was not up to the task.