Titans' Young tries to avoid Vick's footsteps

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER, Times Staff Writer
Published October 13, 2007

TAMPA - Vince Young knows what you think of him: just another mobile quarterback itching to tuck and run, a passer who can't wait to transform into a runner.

Basically, another Michael Vick.

To that, the second-year Titan has this to say: "In terms of us making big plays with our feet, yes, (Vick and I) are similar. But me, I like to look downfield first. And if it does break down, I'm still looking downfield until it's time for me to take it down and run."

In other words, a play is never over until Young - or a savvy defender - says so.

When Young makes his first visit to Tampa on Sunday with his 3-1 team, it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to a unit that was a pain in the neck for Vick, the suspended but sometimes superhuman Atlanta quarterback who typically was made mortal by Tampa Bay.

"With Vick, he just made a lot of teams look stupid," Bucs defensive tackle Chris Hovan said. "But the one team that always got him down was Tampa because Tampa always shot its gun against Vick.

"They didn't just sit there and hesitate and wait for him. The first guy isn't always going to make the play. The second or third guy will, though. That's the kind of mentality we have to take."

But don't think the Bucs have all the answers for the 2006 offensive rookie of the year. Just when it appears Young is going to take off or a defense believes it has him contained, he rips off a pass with his rocket arm.

He has a gun of his own. And it is never holstered.

"He can throw it on a whim," Hovan said of the No. 3 overall pick out of Texas. "His throwing motion is very sneaky because all of a sudden, (though) it doesn't look like he's throwing it, he's throwing it 40, 50 yards - and it's a rifle."

Said defensive end Greg Spires: "It's about rushing him and keeping him in the pocket. We don't want him to break the pocket and scramble and find a wide-open guy."

Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin was quick to point out that despite often throwing while eluding defenders, Young has done so accurately.

"People say he just runs a lot and he can't pass," Kiffin said. "Well, check out his completion percentage. It's 62 percent. That's pretty darn good. (Vick), early on, he would bolt pretty quick. But Young will sit in there longer and read the coverages."

Vick's best completion percentage is 56.4 in 2004, his fourth season.

Young is not without flaws. His three interceptions Sunday against Atlanta were an ugly blemish. But the 24-year-old attributes those to careless passes from which he'll learn. And it's important not to get hung up on his numbers because they rarely are stellar.

His quarterback rating, for example, is 67.2. But that's largely because his passes are typically short (5.8 yards per completion) and selective. In 17 starts, Young has surpassed 200 yards just four times. He doesn't shoot for the sake of it.

"I'm very conservative about my passing," Young said.

But put him in a pressure situation, with a game on the line, and he seems to play with abandon.

"I like the pressure," Young said.

Added Hovan: "He's a great player. And when it comes down to a key situation, they're trying to put the ball in his hands."

The only question, then, is: What will he do with it?

Stephen F. Holder can be reached at sholder@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3377.

[Last modified October 12, 2007, 21:09:24]