You had to feel for Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart(notes). There he stood, on the sidelines, arms folded and the game out of his hands. Vince Young(notes) was doing it to him again.
The last time these two started a game against each other, Young conjured one of the most scintillating comeback victories in the history of college football, driving the Texas Longhorns 56 yards in less than two minutes and capturing the national championship against Leinart’s USC Trojans in the 2006 Rose Bowl. Nearly four years and countless NFL career twists later, the two met once again on Sunday. This time, the buildup was vastly different, with Young rebuilding his career as the starter of the Tennessee Titans and Leinart filling in for Kurt Warner(notes), who was inactive with concussion issues.
But while the prologue was different, the story remained the same, with Young engineering an improbable 99-yard touchdown drive that captured a 20-17 victory on the final play of the game. Much like 2006, all Leinart could do was stand and watch as his team’s 17-13 lead vanished before his very eyes. For Leinart, it was a solid game ending on a sour note. For Young, it was a seismic event. Yes, he had led the Titans to four straight wins after owner Bud Adams essentially forced him back into the starting lineup. But Sunday’s 99-yard drive was unquestionably a seminal moment. Not every win defines a winner. However, this victory did just that.
If ever there were a moment that had the power to change the perception of a player, Young captured it against Arizona. He passed for 94 of the 99 yards, converted three fourth downs and used his feet to deftly commandeer extra time on his game-winning 10-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Britt(notes), which came with no time left on the game clock. Young established a career-high 387 passing yards in the process. And while all of those figures were impressive, what set this drive apart was what Young didn’t do. He didn’t panic. He didn’t falter. He didn’t lose poise.
What will be overlooked in that final drive is that Young changed when it mattered most. For much of the game, Arizona’s defense had stressed containing Young and forcing him to be a pocket passer. They wanted him throwing and not using his feet to create opportunities. But at the end of the game, when Arizona’s rush continually went after Young – when the Cardinals wanted him to burn time and use his feet rather than throw downfield – Young did the opposite. He stood pat in the face of the rush. He refused to waste much-needed clock and patiently threw for chunks of yardage at the sidelines. And when he was faced with pressure on his final throw, he negotiated the pocket and threw into a space that allowed Britt to jump for the ball and make a superb play.
Now, one game isn’t going to quell the considerable doubts that Young created last season, when he seemed distant, mentally soft and disconnected from a veteran-laden locker room. But the current five-game winning streak and Sunday’s remarkable drive have thrust Young back into a familiar position. Not only is he winning, but he’s commanding. And as he has likely learned over the past two years, NFL quarterbacks can rarely have one without the other.
by yahoo sport
