Memo to Vince Young: Time to Man Up
Look familiar?
Vince Young would probably prefer to forget the past 48 hours.
On Sunday the Titans' QB moped on the sidelines before tearing his MCL. Then last night, VY took his SUV for a spin while friends, family, Jeff Fisher, and half the Metro PD tried to track him down. The saga ended with a midnight pow-wow between coach and player and an assurance from Fisher that it was all just a "misunderstanding"—an unlikely explanation, considering the all-points bulletin and police negotiators on stand-by.
This two-day soap opera comes after Young's off-season reveal that he considered retiring after his rookie year.
If tomorrow's news cycle reveals Young's problems stem from some newly discovered psychological ailment, family tragedy, or some combination thereof, then all bets are off. If, however, these theatrics can't be fobbed off on some form of chemical imbalance, we've got a message for our favorite fly-pattern flinger:
Vince Young, it's time to man up.
We don't pretend to know what it's like to be a quarterback in the NFL. Being chased by grown men three times our size is not a daily obstacle in the life of a cubicle jockey. What we do understand is simple math.
When Young first came into the league, he signed a contract worth $58 million. Roughly speaking, that's a kajillion times more than you or I will ever make in our lifetimes. Enough to compensate him for a little tough love from the LP faithful. Enough to get him through a three-week rehab. And more than enough to pay for the gas required for last night's four-hour joyride, a budget-busting luxury for your average Titans' fan.
Money may not buy happiness. But it does afford Young something not every Nashvillian can fall back on in these strapped times: peace of mind.
So buck up, Vince. A couple boos and a torn meniscus may hurt now. But it's nothing one phone call to your mom, dad, priest, rabbi, or spiritual adviser of choice can't fix. Or just a call to your banker.
Comments
Third string (taxi squad) QB Ingle Martin is headed to the KC Chiefs. Titans shakeup in QB situation well underway.
Posted 09/09/2008 at 04:07:46 PMAccording to the ESPN article, God is an NFL fan. I bet He does really well with his fantasy team.
Posted 09/09/2008 at 05:39:52 PMHere's hoping the kid is all right.
I'll keep all the "man up" statements in my cubicle, where they belong.
Posted 09/09/2008 at 05:57:20 PMI agree with the post, $58 million and he can't take a little crticism. Boo friggin hoo. And I saw in the Tennessean that during his 4 hour joyride he stopped for chicken which he traded a couple of autographs for, what did he leave home without his American Express card too? First we had Pacman "making it rain" and shooting it up in strip clubs now we have a crybaby who can't spring for a bucket of wings while crying about his hurt feelings, give me a break.
Posted 09/10/2008 at 10:10:22 PMI agree, BDB. Just when I began to feel sorry for the guy -- that he may have real mental problems -- he's out scamming free wings in exchange for autographs. Seems the guy is so used to his privileges that he just can't handle being booed. He's a multimillionaire, for chrissakes. He can't pay for the wings and give the nice minimum wage workers free autographs? Verdict: pampered candy-ass.
Posted 09/11/2008 at 10:41:29 AMWhen you Einsteins have dealt for a couple of years with the pressures of celebrity and soaring expectations, you might have the moral authority to tell someone like Young to be a man. From here, it looks like the candyasses are the ones dispensing advice while sitting on their butts.
Posted 09/11/2008 at 12:12:35 PM