Titan up: Young on the rise
After rough start, rookie QB rolling with Tennessee
After all, Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger went 13-0 as a rookie in 2004. The Bears' own Kyle Orton, a fourth-round pick pressed into action by injury and incompetence, produced a 10-5 record in 2005. Is it really that impressive that Young has strung together six consecutive victories and an 8-4 mark since taking over the reins with the Titans?
You'd better believe it.
There's a huge difference between being on a winning team and putting it on your back. Roethlisberger and Orton were managing the offense for defense-driven teams that ranked among the league's best. Young has produced his magic despite a defense that ranks last in the NFL. His presence has made all the difference.
The Titans were 0-3 when Young took over and began a run that includes becoming the first rookie quarterback to lead two comebacks from 14-point deficits in the same season. Young has thrown 12 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions. He has completed 52.6 percent of his passes and has a 69.7 passer rating.
He's more than just a passer, of course, and already has set the rookie rushing record for a quarterback with 523 yards (6.5 yards per carry) and six touchdowns.
Impressive stuff considering how miserable the season began, with Young mired on the bench watching a terrible team in chaos.
''I was wondering if I should've stayed in college because of all the stuff going on,'' Young told reporters in Nashville this week. ''It was to the point that we were getting our butts whipped on top of all the stuff that was going on on the sideline. I was like, 'What is going on? What have I gotten myself into?' But at the same time, it was a learning process for me and for the rest of the guys.
''I wasn't questioning my decision. It was just like a joke: 'What is going on? Should I have stayed at Texas for another year?' It was kind of rough coming in. You are trying to fit yourself with a team, and once you get behind [in games], you have guys pointing fingers. I didn't really see that where I came from at Texas.
''Now you see the leaders, and you don't see what you saw at the beginning of the season. Basically, we're having more fun as a team.''
Young is having most of the fun. He's the reigning AFC offensive player of the week after throwing for two touchdowns and running for another in a 30-29 victory over Buffalo. And he has the Titans poised for an outside shot at a playoff berth if they can get the right combination of wins and losses this weekend. He's also the first player in league history with three rushing touchdowns of 20 or more yards and three touchdown passes of 20 or more yards in the same season.
''There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to be successful in the NFL,'' he said. ''It was just how long it was going to take and how much I was willing to work. I really feel like all the hard work behind the scenes has helped my progress.''
New England Patriots
A second-round pick (No. 56 overall) by the Bears in 1995, Sauerbrun signed with his fifth NFL team last week when New England made him its third punter this season after injuries to Josh Miller and Ken Walter. Sauerbrun had five star-crossed seasons with the Bears before being allowed to bolt to Kansas City as a free agent. He lasted one season there before finally enjoying the best run of his career with Carolina, where he made three consecutive Pro Bowls. He was traded to Denver before last season after several incidents with the Panthers, including his name surfacing in a steroids scandal. Sauerbrun was cut by the Broncos after getting hit with a four-game suspension last season for violating the league's banned-substance policy.
"I made some dumb choices, and I think I've been pretty humbled through that,'' Sauerbrun told reporters, insisting he took ephedra but not steroids. "I've been punished more than enough.''
He said a CBS News report that he filled prescriptions for a banned steroid in 2004 were just allegations.
"Nothing is proven,'' Sauerbrun said. "We passed all the tests. They tested me, and they have nothing on me.''
You have to admire Kansas City's perpetually miserable running back, Larry Johnson (below). The guy is never satisfied. For years he was admonishing the organization for drafting him and not playing him while he rotted on the bench behind Priest Holmes. Now that he's the top dog, he figures he's being used too much. He might have a point. With 28 carries against Jacksonville, Johnson would break the single-season record for rushing attempts set by Atlanta's Jamal Anderson in 1998. Four hundred carries has been regarded as a death blow to running backs. Anderson blew his knee out the year after setting the record.
"Nobody really wants that record,'' Johnson told reporters.
Pick 'em
The NFL headed to a wild final weekend with only 12 teams eliminated from the playoffs and 11 vying for the final three wild-card slots. For fans of the teams on the outside, the wild-card race doesn't hold much interest, and, sadly, there isn't a lot of suspense about draft positio either. Detroit (2-13) and Oakland (2-13) are battling for the top pick, with the Lions enjoying the advantage of a weaker schedule, which translates to a higher selection. The Lions have to win at Dallas to lose the top pick. Maybe Mike Williams will become a cult hero among Detroit fans for dropping a touchdown pass on the final play against the Bears and preserving the No. 1 selection.
Tampa Bay (4-11) and Cleveland (4-11) are guaranteed a spot in the top four, and Houston, Washington and Arizona are battling for a top-five spot.
Out of time
The end of the season undoubtedly will mean the end of the line for some coaches, with Arizona's Dennis Green expected to be fired first, perhaps right after the Cardinals' season finale. There are plenty of other coaches on the hot seat, and some others who might decide to retire, including Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher. The Steelers face the Bengals, the team Cowher has beaten the most among his 148 regular-season victories.
What will the Steelers do if Cowher retires? The smart money is on replacing him from within with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt or offensive- line coach Russ Grimm.
"You'd love to stay in-house,'' receiver Hines Ward said. "The coaching staff knows you, and you see some of the same faces.''