Release Point Causes Young's Problems

When it comes to Vince Young, Titans fans know that on any play, you might see a once-in-a-lifetime performance. He can fire a pass 55 yards downfield, or run through five defenders for a 55-yard run.

But unfortunately, we also now know that he's just as likely to put up a 55 percent completion percentage. Because of that, a new Scout's Inc. story at ESPN.com ranks Young in the middle of the pack among young quarterbacks. The story also offers an explanation for Young's problems with accuracy, saying that Young's low release point and tendency to drop his elbow keeps him from developing a consistent touch.

"It's hard to throw the ball with any sort of loft or touch," the AFC scout said. "It's one of Joey Harrington's issues, that and not waiting to get the ball out. It's never changed with David Carr, either. They had Carr throwing over chairs and ladders and it's not going to change. It is what it is. A guy like Vince, I love to watch him play. He's fun and he runs around and he creates, but there were a million guys who failed before Bernie Kosar had success with that motion."

And there have been a million guys since Kosar who failed with a similar motion. It doesn't mean Young won't have success, but it is the best explanation I've seen for why Young sometimes seems able to thread a needle with a pass, and at other times misses wide open receivers on easy passes in the flats.

What's tough is that even if what the scout says is true, there's little the Titans can do. You don't completely rework the mechanics of your starting quarterback, so this is the Vince Young we can expect to see for years to come. Young has improved his completion percentage (up to 62 percent this year after 51.5 percent last year), and his yards per attempt (6.4), but until he can get his interceptions under control (29 in less than two full seasons), he's going to face plenty of questions about how good he can be, and whether his tendency to drop his elbow is causing the problems.