Vince Young's Quadriceps Injury Could Become Chronic

Though Titans coach Jeff Fisher is optimistic about quarterback Vince Young playing against the Chargers, I'm not sure why he should be. He claims that the quadriceps injury hasn't been an issue for Young since the Houston game. Color me highly skeptical given the public information out there about Young's injury.

Quad injuries are ones that athletes can keep re-injuring because they don't cause pain until maximum exertion, like when all out sprinting. This is what I wrote when I (correctly) predicted that Young wouldn't play against the Texans in their first matchup:

Don't take my word for it, this doctor guy says that re-injury to the quad is a real possibility. Also the less time the injury has to heal, the more likely that re-injury could occur, or perhaps a worse injury. Even a basic look-see on the internet has tons of stories of these sorts of quad injuries gone bad. Like this one:

Resting may be the common sense approach, but it is one that is often ignored by competitive athletes. This is unwise, since it does not take much to turn a grade one Thigh strain into a grade two, or a grade two Thigh strain into a grade three.
Why? Because athletes feel like they can function with this sort of quad strain unless they try to do something like kicking or sprinting. I'm guessing a double-threat quarterback with a chronically bad wheel would not be something that Fisher would want to cause by starting Young. A grade three thigh strain is one that requires surgery.

Vince Young could function in a game, but his mobility will be limited because if he all out sprints (something he isn't likely to do much of in practice), he runs the risk making his injury worse or having to get his quad surgically repaired. This is the sort of injury that athletes think they can gut out because it doesn't hurt too bad with normal movements and practice. With maximum effort, Young's injury can get worse, especially after a recent re-injury to it.

Fisher is not afraid to start a dinged up quarterback, see the slow, brave deterioration of Steve McNair, but with few healthy wide receiving options, it doesn't seem like a great idea to start a quarterback who will clearly have limited wheels. Young's passing game is much better when he is a threat to run, but if he uses that threat he could cause an injury that ruins him in the longer term.

Even if Fisher is leaning towards not starting Young, he won't announce anything so that the Chargers have to prepare for both Young and Kerry Collins. So do you think Young plays, starts but doesn't finish, or do you think it's all Collins and why?

Previously at FanHouse:
Titans WR Roydell Williams Out vs. Chargers
Titans Running Out of Receivers
Should Young Sit This One Out?
Rob Bironas Kicks Titans to Postseason
Do You Think Vince Young Will Play Against the Texans?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-04-2008 @ 12:26PM

Big Sam said...

Vince Young a "double-threat quarterback"..... now that is funny. You take the dude's legs away from him and he's out of the league in 2 years.

1-04-2008 @ 12:43PM

Mike said...

I mean if VY can't run, isn't Collins the clear call here? He's still a good passer, but with zero mobility. If VY has limited mobility, he is a bad passer with bad mobility.

1-04-2008 @ 12:47PM

Stephanie Stradley said...

Mike-

You'd think so. A number of people are arguing the other way, but I think that is partially not understanding the nature of his injury, that it is just an injury you can gut through without risk.

See e.g.:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/hashmarks/0-5-11/Quick--name-a-Titans-WR.html

Thanks all for reading and commenting.
-Steph

1-04-2008 @ 3:29PM

August West said...

Good point Stephanie, Vince's playoff experience wouldn't be worth creating a hamstring issue that would pop up every year down the road.

That being said if Vince can walk and throw, he'll start. His quad has been an issue all year, but his numbers over the past month haven't been that bad. As much as people hate to admit it, Vince can put together some nice games (103 passer rating against Indy), and ALWAYS has in his biggest games.

Sure, he's thrown too many picks, but Brees, Anderson, Romo, Palmer, Kitna and E. Manning all threw more this year. So for those out there who keep bashing him like this is the best VY will ever be, may you drown in a pool of your own haterade!

1-04-2008 @ 3:28PM

kc said...

I'm not sure the Titans would be in the playoffs if Kerry Collins hadn't come into the game. Young's "injury" may be the best thing to happen to the Titans.

What makes you say that kc? VY wasn't fumbling the ball in the redzone, that was the RBs. VY didn't commit a single, solitary turn-over and was moving the ball down the field well! He lead the team to their only TD, and was driving them downfield for the go ahead FG when he had to leave the game!

1-04-2008 @ 10:18PM

donkeykong said...

If the Titans weren't going to pull Vince earlier when he got hurt I don't picture them pulling him now. They took the risk in season games so they'll probably take the risk again in the even more meaningful postseason games. Vince will start even if he can't play he'll just hand-off to Lendale White and then he will be done for the game after the opening play: this way Vince can collect some sort of record for being the youngest QB in franchise history to start a playoff game and it'd be a nice gesture because Vince led them there, playing most of the season games.

1-05-2008 @ 1:17PM

tom said...

The only reason the Titans are in is because the Colts let them in in hopes that they would beat the Chargers. Bescause the Colts Can't beat the Chargers.

1-05-2008 @ 1:20PM

donkeykong-

They sat Young after the initial quad injury so he didn't play in Houston against the Texans, a game Young really wanted to play.

If he was hurt enough to be limping off of the field means that he has re-injured the quad--playing shortly after a re-injury runs the risk of making the injury worse.

VY+little mobility+hurt WR/TE = hoping the defense will bail you out.