Young, White make for bright future in Nashville

By Connor Byrne  |   Monday, May 01, 2006  |  Comments( 1 )

Tennessee Titans
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The Tennessee Titans entered this past weekend’s 2006 NFL Draft as a rebuilding franchise in need of a ton of help on both sides of the ball. They left the proceedings in New York City with two of college football’s best and brightest, former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young, and ex-USC Trojans running back LenDale White.

Young, the third overall pick on Saturday, may end up as a tremendous successor to 11-year veteran Steve McNair, who is on the verge of being released or traded by Titans GM Floyd Reese. Last season, Young finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting with 38 total touchdowns and 10 interceptions. However, Young led the Longhorns to something much more valuable than an individual achievement, a National Championship. With his 467 total yards, the gritty, confident Young just about single-handedly defeated USC in a 41-38 thriller.

Now that he’s with the Titans’ organization, Young will have ample time to learn without a ton of pressure on him. He may start off the 2006 season sitting behind steady veteran Billy Volek, but it shouldn’t be too long before head coach Jeff Fisher allows the 22-year-old Young to be thrown into the fire.

Many pundits have taken great joy in criticizing Young for possibly not being able to learn an NFL offense, but offensive coordinator Norm Chow should greatly aid the rookie in his progression. Young won’t necessarily understand the complexities of directing traffic from the line of scrimmage in the pros immediately, however, it will happen eventually. Young’s side-arm delivery has also drawn boatloads of criticism of late, but since he’s so tall, it shouldn’t be a problem. He’s 6’5”, so even if his delivery is awkward, he still throws like a quarterback who’s 6’2” or 6’3”.

With their next pick, No. 45 overall, the Titans selected LenDale White. A star running back at USC, White led the nation last season with 27 rushing touchdowns, including three in the Rose Bowl game. Had it not been for Young’s outstanding, heroic effort, White would have been the MVP of that game. Although running back wasn’t necessarily a major need for the Titans, they obviously didn’t feel that passing on White was prudent. He’s a phenomenal talent who will come in and compete with incumbents Chris Brown and Travis Henry for the starting job.

White, once thought of as a top 10 pick, saw his stock fall over the last month because of his hamstring, attitude and weight. White refused to run a 40-yard dash at a workout early in April, and that ended up being because of a torn hamstring. However, that injury will be fully healed by the second week of May. White’s attitude issues go hand-in-hand with his weight problems; he was out of shape at his aforementioned workout, which led many to believe his attitude was poor because he wasn’t perceived to be taking it seriously. In White’s defense, the hamstring injury was holding him back, but he still could have stayed in better shape and had a better showing at the weight room in his workout.

All troubles aside, White could and should be a special player for the Titans. He’ll end up being the second coming of a young Jerome Bettis for a Tennessee organization that has been searching for a bruiser since the heyday of former star Eddie George.

If Young and White turn out to be the kind of players they have the potential to be, the Tennessee Titans could be looking at a renaissance era; a period reminiscent of McNair and George in their primes. Heck, this new duo could be even better. If so, they’ll have “The Music City” singing a sweet tune in no time.

--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com
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