Choosing the proper dance partner can make the music sound so much sweeter, and the Tennessee Titans chose the wrong one yesterday.
K.C. ALFRED / Union-Tribune
Absent a scrambling quarterback, LenDale White and the Titans offense were held to 30 yards on the ground in the second half.
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The Titans determined to go at quarterback with Vince Young when Young's step was severely limited. Young is a quarterback whose proficiency has its source in his ability to run. When he doesn't pose a running threat – and he didn't yesterday, not at all, not even remotely – he becomes no more than just another quarterback.
The Tennessee club, it says here, would have been better served by having had Kerry Collins at quarterback for an AFC wild-card playoff game that the Chargers won 17-6 under lowering skies at Qualcomm Stadium.
Collins is not the athlete Young is, but in his 13 NFL seasons for five different teams, he has thrown for 34,717 yards. Only three active passers – Brett Favre, Vinny Testaverde and Peyton Manning – have exceeded Collins' total.
Early on yesterday, it became apparent how severely Young was being impaired by the quadriceps injury with which he has been dealing. On Tennessee's first series, the team came up to a third-and-6 situation at its 47. Young stepped back to pass, and suddenly the field to his left opened up before him.
Young moved toward the opening, but he wasn't running as he did when he was starring at Texas or performing for the Titans a year ago, when he was the AFC's Offensive Rookie of the Year. He appeared to mosey through a 9-yard gain that, had he been fully fit, likely would have been at least twice that.
Young had only one other rushing attempt. He gained 3 yards.
When Young was asked to assess what percentage of his full capacity he possessed yesterday, he deflected the question. “Overall, I feel like I did a good job in the passing game,” he judged. “For my first time in the playoffs, I really feel like I did all right. I could have done a little bit better, but at the same time I just played the game and took what the defense gave me.”
Young's passing figures suggested the Chargers had not given him much. He was 16-for-29 for 138 yards, but he had just 37 yards passing while the hosts were outscoring Tennessee 17-0 in the second half. In those final 30 minutes, the Titans had an offensive net of 70 yards, with only 30 rushing.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said he did not determine to go with Young at quarterback until he had observed him during the pregame warmup. Even with his offense stalemated in the second half, Fisher never moved to replace Young.
Fisher was asked what Young later would be asked: What percentage of his athletic potential did Young possess yesterday? Sixty percent? Seventy? Eighty?
“It hard to quantify that,” Fisher said. “He was not 100 percent.”
So the playoff music stopped for the Titans. Before addressing postgame questions from reporters, Fisher took a moment to cite his squad for its attitude, approach and commitment. An 8-8 team a year ago, the Titans had cobbled together a 10-6 record this season. But they came into yesterday's game with a quarterback who couldn't move, without two of their three leading receivers and with a diminished offensive line.
At that, the team from “Music City” had winning opportunities. It was positioned to assume a 10-0 lead in the second period, only running back Chris Brown fumbled on a play that began at the San Diego 12 and Shaun Phillips recovered.
Fisher cited the fumble and Rob Bironas' failure to convert a 38-yard field-goal attempt in the final period as the difference in the game.
“You have to take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to you in order to win,” Fisher said. “That's precisely what we didn't do.”
In Nashville during the week, linebacker Keith Bulluck, the Titans' defensive leader, had listed his side's priorities as neutralizing LaDainian Tomlinson and taking Antonio Gates out of the game. LT was only a minor factor and Gates had to go to the dressing room in the second quarter after he suffered a toe injury. But the Titans clearly needed stronger quarterbacking.
Young should not be faulted. He simply was unable physically to exercise his gifts. “We're a young team,” Young said, “and we came in and played one of the best teams in the league in one of the toughest places to play, fought hard and had a chance. It shows me this team is close. I'm definitely frustrated by what happened today, but I'm excited about the direction this team is headed.”
A nice sentiment, but the Titans are moving off the playoffs' dance floor. With Collins in there yesterday, the music for them might still be playing.
Jerry Magee: (619) 293-1830; jerry.magee@uniontrib.com
