Posted Nov. 02, 2009 @ 5:12 p.m.
Finally, the Titans escaped from the ranks of the winless, rolling to a 30-13 win vs. Jacksonville on Sunday highlighted by a record-setting day from RB Chris Johnson and a efficient performance from QB Vince Young in this return to the starting lineup.
Johnson, the NFL's leading rusher, racked up a team-record 228 yards on 24 carries, highlighted by TD sprints of 89 and 52 yards. Meanwhile, Young completed 15-of-18 passes for 125 yards with one TD and no interceptions.
"The speed that he has, he has a God-given talent," Young said of Johnson, who might be the NFL's fastest back. "Just get the ball in his hands and we give him some time to spring them and that is what he does. I am very proud of him."
Young, making his first start in more than a year, showed little rust in his return. "He managed the game well," head coach Jeff Fisher said.
The PFW spin
Titans owner Bud Adams pushed for Fisher to replace starter Kerry Collins with Young, and the move helped spark the offense on Sunday.
"It was something I had to get involved in," Adams said of the decision to put Collins in the lineup, according to The (Nashville) Tennessean. " … We had to turn something around. It was not going very good this year."
But things went better on Sunday. The defense was much better vs. the pass, with the return of CB Cortland Finnegan a major boon to the secondary. While the defense was gashed for TD runs of 80 and 79 yards by Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew, both scores were set up by missed tackles, a problem that can be fixed, considering Tennessee had been sound vs. the run in previous games.
On offense, the Titans controlled the clock with the ground game, holding the ball for 39:43 and racking up 305 yards on 49 carries. Johnson can simply wear out shaky run defenses; if he gets to the second level with a step on his nearest opposition, good luck catching him.
Young also carried 12 times for 30 yards, but it was his passing that was particularly noteworthy. Not one of his completions went for more than 18 yards, but he was very accurate.
If Young has learned from his time out of the lineup, he'll give himself a chance to redeem his career. He sounds like he has taken some valuable lessons from his experiences, and his approach to the game might be improved.
"The year off has helped me a whole lot," he told reporters on Sunday. "I put myself in different scenarios at night time. If I go out there and make a bad play and they start to boo me and anything that is going to happen, put it in the past and don't worry about that. If we go out there and score a couple touchdowns and things like that, don't worry about that and continue to make plays and show your humbleness and maturity."
This is the first of Young's 10 starts to prove he should be the Titans' quarterback. He couldn't have begun much better.