TITANS - Out With the Old, In With the "Young"

On Monday, Titans coach Jeff Fisher was strangely non-committal regarding his starting quarterback, Kerry Collins.

Now we know why.

Owner Bud Adams, who has remained loyal to and supportive of former starter Vince Young, has told coach Jeff Fisher to flip the switch back to the third overall pick in the 2006 draft, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

Adams previously made his wishes generally known in comments to the Tennessean, in the hours after a 59-0 thumping at Foxborough. Per Wyatt, Adams has been "more direct" regarding his desire to see Young back on the field.

Fisher, on Monday, was anything but direct.

"Both quarterbacks had a good week,'' Fisher said Monday regarding practices prior to the team's October 25 bye. "But [Kerry Collins] had an especially good week last week. . . . I am not going to go into details about lineup changes. Those are competitive issues.''

Young became the starter as a rookie, and he nearly led the team to a 2006 playoff berth despite an 0-5 start. He held the job through 2007, but an injury and an apparent emotional reaction (punctuated by a police search the following night after Young went missing) to being booed at home in Week One of the 2008 season prompted Fisher to go with Collins.

As the Titans piled up wins last year under Collins, finishing 13-3, Young became the forgotten man.

With the losses piling up this year, Adams wants to see what Young can do.

"If you don't play the guy and lose all your games, it is hard for you to see what he can do for you," Adams said on October 18. "Vince has won a lot of games for us.''

The Monday comments from Fisher suggest that the long-time coach believes Young won't spark a reversal -- and possibly that he'll only make things worse. The good news for Fisher is that, with a clear appearance being created that Young will be playing against Fisher's wishes, he'll be able to explain away a 2-14 or worse record when trying to get his next job by saying that he was forced to play a guy who no longer has it.

Of course, maybe Vince Young still has it. One way or the other, it looks like we'll be finding out on Sunday, when the Jaguars come to town.

The Titans and Mr. Young would appreciate it greatly if the paying customers refrain from booing, hissing, or otherwise expressing display with hand or finger gestures.

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