Why Vince Young might be a good fit for the Packers

Vince Young played five years with the Tennessee Titans before spending 2011 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He got cut by the Buffalo Bills and has been out of football since. He tries out with the Packers today. Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports photograph

We all know about Vince Young.

We know of his sordid background that includes an up and down career as a quarterback, the fact that he uttered the “dream team” concept, and the fact that he’s been a loose cannon in the NFL.

So, why would the Green Bay Packers have any interest in the guy at all? Even the Buffalo Bills cut him. He’s must be damaged goods and maybe that’s what the Packers will find when they bring him in for a workout this afternoon. If he doesn’t get signed, it will be because he can’t perform on the field anymore, not because he’s a nut job.

But could Young be a decent fit in Green Bay? Well, performance-wise he can’t be much worse than what we saw from B.J. Coleman Saturday night. Two interceptions and erratic play throughout the night didn’t impress the coaching staff, thus the decision to take a look at Young.

Put aside Young’s mental lapses, everyone knows that if there’s any place in the entire league where players have been known to revive their careers, it’s Green Bay. We’ve seen it many times over the years. Players get into Green Bay and are void of the distractions they see in larger cities and find that Packers News is the place where they can concentrate solely on football.

Young may fall into that category.

But there’s the football side of things, too. When the guy’s been good, he’s been scary good. But, of course, when he’s been bad, he’s been horrible.

One of the main reasons the Packers are considering Young is his ability to run the read-option, which the Packers are sensitive about for obvious reasons. A Vince Young emulating Colin Kaepernick is much more believable than either a Graham Harrell or B.J. Coleman. So for that reason alone, Young would be a good addition.

But consider what the guy has done when he was good.

According to Wikipedia, here are his accomplishments while in high school:

"He was named Parade‘s and Student Sports‘ National Player of the Year after compiling 3,819 yards and 59 touchdowns (TD) as a senior;He was named 2001 Texas 5A Offensive Player of the Year;He was designated as The Sporting News‘s top high school prospect; andHe won the Pete Dawkins Trophy in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl."

In college, he continued his success. Again, this information comes from Wikipedia:

College career statistics

Vince Young.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports photograph

The list of his personal accomplishments are too long to list here. Suffice to say the guy earned everything for which he was awarded.

Young was drafted third overall in the 2006 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans where in his rookie season he was was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a berth in the Pro Bowl.

In all, he played five years with the Titans. He moved on to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2011 and was cut by the Bills early in 2012. He has been out of football since then.

Here are his NFL career stats as per profootballreference.com:

I trust Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy. The two of them know what’s best for their team, and I feel they will make the decision based on whether Young brings something to the team that they need.

All warts aside, you can see what the guy has done in the past. Whether he can recreate that in Green Bay is yet to be determined.

We’ll probably know today or tomorrow on whether he will be given a shot with the Packers.

Stay tuned …