AFC South Blog: Is Vince Young the next Steve McNair?

by Bill Young

Despite the headlines All-Pro Running Back Chris Johnson grabbed with his predictions of 2,500 rushing yards this summer, the Titans will only go as far as QB Vince Young takes them. He must hold defenses accountable for the passing game to balance out one of the league's best rushing offenses. If he fails to do so, the Titans have a long season ahead of them.

Early in this preseason, however, Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young has shown remarkable poise in the pocket for someone who not too long ago would be running for his life as soon as his first read was covered. No one questions his leadership now.

This season is a turning point in Young's career. He can either step up and lead the Titans to the playoffs and potentially more, or crumble under the pressure the way he did early in his career. So far, despite this being preseason, the Titans look like a formidable team in a loaded division. The players appear to be rallying around Young in the same way they once believed in Steve McNair. Tennessee's receivers may not be household names, but coach Jeff Fisher believes that "they're the best group he's seen in years."

High praise to be sure, but the potential for this Titans team to go to the playoffs and do damage is great. Don't be surprised if the Titans start this season the way they ended last season--as one of the league's best teams.

NFC East Blog: Is Manning Really All Better Now?

by Bill Young

Early in his career, New York Giants QB Eli Manning was criticized by people like former RB Tiki Barber for not being a leader and not being as confident as NFL QB needs to be to win games. While Manning's stitches may have been removed recently, the effects of hits like the one Manning sustained in his first preseason game can linger throughout the upcoming season and potentially the rest of his career.

Former Texans QB David Carr was once a highly touted QB coming out of college. He took a few vicious hits during his first few seasons and never was the same QB. Because of these hits, he has been relegated to being a backup for the rest of his NFL career.

I'm not saying that Eli Manning has taken the beating that Carr has. However, if the Giants line can't protect him during the first few games of the season, Eli's career as a starting QB could very much be in jeopardy. For the Giants who hope Manning will be their franchise QB for years to come, further injury is unacceptable.

Given that Eli Manning is banged up, the running game and defense will have to step up. If for some reason there are 3rd and longs, running the ball or throwing screen passes isn't the end of the world. Defense has ultimately been the calling card of the NFC East for the past few years. Its time for the Giants to be more conservative and limit the amount of hits Manning takes during regular and preseason games.

AFC South Blog: Texans Lose RB Tate for Season

by Bill Young

The Houston Texans lost RB Ben Tate for the season when he tore ligaments in his ankle and susgtained damage to his fibula after being tackled by Arizona LB Daryl Washington. This setback will hurt the Texans dearly as Tate was drafted to compete for the starting job. Coach Gary Kubiak had been very high on Tate's chances to start this season ahead of Steve Slaton and Jeremiah Johnson.
This latest setback will put even more pressure on the shoulders of QB Matt Schaub to carry the load as the Texans will need to look to a more passing dominated approach to keep up with their division rivals.

NFC East Blog: Cowboys Win First Preseason Game

by Bill Young

Finally, the scrimmages begin and news other than Albert Haynesworth's conditioning test can come into focus. The Dallas Cowboys looked impressive early, moving the ball easily against the Bengals in the first quarter en route to a 16-7 victory. Unfortunately, the red zone offense left a lot to be desired as the drive stalled inside the five yard line.
While the Cowboys defense may have looked impressive statistically, offenses are notoriously poor in the beginning of the preseason. Carson Palmer did not have the timing down with his receivers and the running game suffered as a result.
Offensively, the Cowboys played one real drive with starters before giving way to players fighting for roster spots. For the most part, the offense was ugly, with the lone bright spot TE John Phillips sustaining an ACL injury effectively ending his season. It is a tough break for Phillips and the Cowboys as Phillips was impressing the coaching staff and playing well before the injury with 4 catches for 60 yards.