Fisher: Young must get 'things back in perspective' to be Titans starter

Jeff Fisher said Wednesday that Vince Young's starting quarterback job will be there waiting for him, once he has his issues resolved. File

Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday that Vince Young's starting quarterback job will be there waiting for him, once he has any and all his issues resolved.

Fisher was asked if Young would return to the starting lineup for Kerry Collins once his sprained left knee heals. His answer was yes, but with one caveat that leads one to believe it might take more than a healthy knee for Young to reclaim his starting role.

“Yeah, but he’s got some work to do, obviously,” Fisher said. “He has to put some things back in perspective, and first and foremost, has to get healthy.”

Asked what things Young needed to get back in perspective, Fisher wanted no more to do with the topic, saying, “I think I’ve touched enough on it.”

Fisher declined comment when asked if Young was undergoing any mental evaluations after Monday night's episode where police were searching for him regarding concerns from friends and family over his well-being.

When Steve McNair underwent back surgery and missed five games in 1999, Fisher left no doubt as to who would be his starting quarterback when McNair recovered from the injury.

Even though the Titans went 4-1 under Neil O’Donnell that year, when McNair was ready to return, Fisher reinstalled him as the team’s starting quarterback, and the Titans went to their only Super Bowl appearance to date.

Fisher would not speculate on how long Young would be out, but admitted that as a quarterback who relies on his mobility that an MCL sprain might be a troubling. He declined to answer when asked if Young had suffered a complete tear of his MCL.

“Well if you take into consideration that his legs are a huge part of his game, it would be different, yes,” Fisher said.

Young made a short appearance during Titans practice on Wednesday, showing a slight limp and watching the proceedings while wearing a gray Titans sweatshirt and red shorts. He interacted with a few teammates like Keith Bulluck and Michael Griffin for a bit, then left and went back inside the building about halfway through practice.

Young has a sprained MCL that is likely to sideline him perhaps two to four weeks, maybe longer, but the bizarre situation that unfolded Monday night where police were searching for him and Fisher and family members were concerned about his well-being potentially places a much bigger cloud over his return.

“He came in this morning, he’s excited to get back and start treatment and get back in the building with his teammates,” Fisher said. “He interacted well with his teammates and he’s going to work very hard to rehab and get back on the field as quickly as he can.”

Young was not made available to the media on Wednesday. However, inside the locker room, reactions were mixed to the melodrama surrounding Young.

Collins, who will start for the foreseeable future beginning this week, endured his own struggles early in his career at Carolina and New Orleans, before conquering a bout with alcohol and reigniting what has been successful career beginning with the New York Giants.

“You feel alone. You really do,” Collins said of the struggles. “There’s one thing I try to tell Vince that he’s not alone. I’ve been through it. I’ve been through a lot of things he has gone through, and I think I can be a good resource for him.”

Linebacker Keith Bulluck said some time away from the game might be good for Young as he rehabs the injury.

“His being out, I think maybe helps him a little bit,” Bulluck said. “I think he gets to miss football and miss the things that he loves about it, and while his knee is on the mend, I’m sure everything else will for him too.”

Center Kevin Mawae said any issues Young is having beyond football and getting his knee healthy, are private and should be dealt with in that manner.

“I have no idea what he’s dealing with and there’s not many guys in this locker room that understand what he’s dealing with, but the thing is he’s got to get his knee healthy,” Mawae said. “That’s the biggest issue as far as football is concerned. Anything that happens outside the locker room and outside the realm of football, that’s something that’s between him and his family and whoever is handling that with him.”

The Titans will try to put the distractions behind them and rally around Collins, who is now at the controls of the offense. Collins, a 14-year veteran, who has started just four games since 2005, is excited about the opportunity in front of him.

“I love being back out there this week,” Collins said. “I now relish the opportunity to play, because I don’t get to play all the time anymore. I’m looking forward to it. I think we can go up there and be the kind of team that can handle everything and go out there and try to execute our game plan and play ball.”

As for Young, the Titans say they are still very much in his corner, and given that the team has overcome the situation with Adam “Pacman” Jones the past two years, that Young’s dilemma won’t be a distraction.

“I don’t think there’s any apologies needed. If he feels later down the line that he needs to address us, we’re all ears,” Bulluck said.” Ever since he’s been here, he’s been on our side and we’ve been on his side. So it’s nothing. There have been way more bigger distractions with this organization the last two years. So this definitely won’t be one of them.”