1) What you would have done – and how you would have explained it if the outcome had been far worse.
2) The contributing acts of VY to this scenario.

That’s really it. I feel as though I addressed your worst case scenario months ago. I believe you’ve continued to ignore the worst case scenario that was top of mind for Mike Mu, VY’s mother and Jeff Fisher. Why is that?

Finally, if Fisher’s status has been bumped up to “ringleader” that’s a huge leap from:

Let me make this clear’er’… I don’t think Jeff Fisher is against Vince Young. I don’t believe the Titans’ organization hate Vince Young or that they are blatantly racist.

Don’t you know that RINGLEADERS are always, always, always against someone…and they almost always use hate as the vehicle to galvanize “the ring.” What’s changed since 2008, P? Holla back.

LOL.

Happy New Year…

To answer the title of this blog entry, Vince Young, Whatcha Gonna Do Bruh?..

Well Vince may have given us clues… and that’s to START OVER WITH A NEW TEAM..and demand a trade in the offseason… and his opinion of receiving playing time is reflective of VY trying to move on..

“It’s like a resume for me to go out there and show that I can still play football at this level, and that’s basically it…”

And Temple when you say in your closing..”It seems like the one person who DID NOT behave in a reckless manner is the person you’ve pinpointed for just that…”

The recklessness was a team effort from the media, police and the ringleader Coach Jeff Fisher.

My retort is Fisher’s own words!

“It’s not an accurate portrayal of the events. I know. I was in the middle of it…..”

Now is the time for the potential consequences and Vince possibly leaving the Titans in a amicable manner via trade or being cut.

If Jeff Fisher was a colleague of Vince Young’s, I could entirely see your perspective. If they had a long-standing relationship and he experienced those events first hand, I could totally feel where you’re coming from. Since he didn’t have that luxury, I believe he gave the “benefit of the doubt” to the person who relayed the story. The other alternative would have been to essentially disregard the story and give the benefit to VY. In the calculus of worst case scenarios, which position is more reckless?

I guess I’m just wondering what you would have done — how, if things had turned out differently, you would have explained your inaction to his mother, your bosses, the city of Nashville, the NFL and the families of other persons adversely impacted.

You never deal with the mind set of the actors at the time of the event — only with the outcome. The outcome is irrelevant because it could not have been known at the time. Hence, my emphasis on our respective worst case scenarios. It’s not that I don’t think public humiliation is a big deal — it can be life defining and utterly tragic for some. Nonetheless, it usually pales in comparison to sudden death. I think you need to acknowledge that the possibility of death must have existed in the minds of some people making decisions here.

Which brings me to this:

1) Could you explain why you have so little regard for the statements make by Mike Mu? Do you know something the rest of us don’t know? His claims required a quick, decisive action. You call calling the police a reckless act by Fisher, but say nothing of VY’s actions. Why is that?

2) Let’s assume that calling the police is an overreaction to hearing that a person in whom you’ve invested considerable time, effort and money is engaged in something with the potential for significantly adverse outcomes (and you have no means of contacting the person). What would this mean to you: “It was Mike Mu, who is Young’s local marketing manager, who called Peters with the alarm that Young had left his home without his cell phone, threatening to quit and was speeding down the interstate with a gun in his car after talking about suicide.”

3) The same article you quote seems to indicate that Fisher has a strong commitment to Vince Young quarterbacking the Titans. Fisher is not the QB of the future. Why do you give such short shrift to that aspect of the article, but not others?

4) Finally, you’ve quoted quite a bit of legal reasoning here. I’m no attorney, but I’m wondering if you’ve contemplated the Principle of the Reasonable Man as an explanation for why Jeff Fisher was not charged with filing a false police report. Fisher was not unreasonable in accepting the veracity of Mu’s claims. Mu did not have an apparent motive for lying or an obvious opportunity to gain from doing so. Moreover, his believe may have been supported by other factors: the reaction to being booed, the reaction to being benched; the reaction to being injured. I don’t think Fisher had anything to fear from the police.

I don’t think they thought he was reckless. If anything, the police were reckless in writing the report and sharing it with the media. I think its possible that your critique should be directed at the police and the media since if they’d told the truth, there would not be a story. It seems like the one person who DID NOT behave in a reckless manner is the person you’ve pinpointed for just that.

Thanks again.

Let me make this clear’er’… I don’t think Jeff Fisher is against Vince Young. I don’t believe the Titans’ organization hate Vince Young or that they are blatantly racist.

However, they have made bad judgments in the way they handled the Vince Young ordeal, and should be held accountable.

Fisher is a football coach, not a clubhouse counselor nor a security detail guy. He was reckless in the way he handled the situation even though he had good intentions. There is and should always be consequences nonetheless.

When he called the police with inaccurate third-party information, he could have been ‘technically’ viewed as filing a false police report…

Before I go any further Temple…. this is about BAD JUDGMENT BY JEFF FISHER, NOT ABOUT RACE in this specific issue in regards to Vince Young…the Titans’ history of considering a black QB isn’t in play here…SO LET’S SEPARATE THIS RIGHT NOW… temple your assertion that: …”the proclamation that VY has been significantly harmed due to racial animus on the part of an organization that has had Black QBs…” does NOT minimize (in my view) the egregious error of judgment Coach Fisher made in handling this matter…

Fisher filed a false police report, but was not charged… and Temple when you say this:

…”I believe that the use of words like “gun,” “car,” “suicide,” and “speeding” were sufficient cause for intervention that rose to the level of notification to the PD — especially given that the suppositions in play involved the safety of countless others (highway travelers)….”

There are buzz words, but there was no evidence of VY speeding or any police reports reflecting any negative criminal, illegal behavior..You may think public humiliation is just a small consequence, but sometimes people go to court over that (i.e. libel, defamation of character, etc…)

And actually when you mention this intervention could have saved lives well, lets look at a definition of a filing a false report and why doing so is not a good thing…

****Class B misdemeanor, fine and possible short jail sentence. You are liable for additional charges and civil damages if your report were to tie up resources that were needed to intervene in another location w/ resulting damages.*****

I am not saying Fisher should go to jail, but he made a very bad decision, and should have and could have handled it better. He had other QUALIFIED resources within the Titans’ organization with legal and counselor expertise who would have provided Fisher with a better alternative than reporting third-hand information and inciting a media firestorm…and jeopardizing Vince Young’s career and the eventual BENCHING was really the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back..

Vince should ask out of Tennessee. Legally, he could take the Titans and Jeff Fisher to court…but Vince WOULD NOT do it..

I believe Vince wants to move on (quietly), and there is a quote from the Tennessean prior to the last game of the season when Fisher decided to let him play two quarters in a worthless game…

“It’s definitely big for me,” … “It’s like a resume for me to go out there and show that I can still play football at this level, and that’s basically it…”

Vince wants out. Just an amicable break. Trade him. Cut him. Just let him go.

Fisher isn’t a racist and I am not accusing the Titans’ organization either. Just move on with Kerry Collins and Chris Simms. And if VInce does well else, then so be it..

Here’s more Fisher, backtracking, but admitting that he didn’t know…

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3586215

“Some of that stuff in the report was just flat-out wrong …erroneous,” Fisher said. “It’s not an accurate portrayal of the events. I know. I was in the middle of it. And Vince is fine and he’s going to be fine …there’s going to be a positive outcome.”

Specifically, Fisher clarified certain aspects of the police report he said are misleading:

• Young was never at LP Stadium “let alone going off …with a gun,” as the report stated. In fact, a Nashville public information officer early Saturday morning also corrected the report and stated that Young never appeared at the stadium.

• Vince Young does not have a personal therapist, as cited in the report. Fisher said the therapist, Sheila Peters, is employed by the club and is available on-site to all team personnel two or three days during the week.

• It was Mike Mu, who is Young’s local marketing manager, who called Peters with the alarm that Young had left his home without his cell phone, threatening to quit and was speeding down the interstate with a gun in his car after talking about suicide. Peters, in turn, called Fisher with Mu’s account but she never spoke to directly with Young, as indicated in the report, until the end of the night.

“Look, when I got the call from Sheila, she was reacting on [Mu's] story and I had no way to reach Vince because he didn’t have his phone. So I did what anybody would do — I called the police,” Fisher said. “Once the police are involved, there’s certain protocol that has to be followed.

“So when Vince finally got home later that night, he called me and said, ‘What’s up?’ I told him he had to come down to the facility to meet with the police. Vince said, ‘I’m fine, coach.’ I said, ‘I know you’re fine but there’s a protocol now and you have to come down here and see the police face-to-face.’ And he did. They talked to him. Yes, there was a gun in the car — you can’t say that’s unusual with players these days — but it wasn’t loaded and the police didn’t have a problem with it. Then Sheila spoke with him and determined he was all right, too. And everybody went home.”

Your sarcasm sucks. “Here” is not a place where a lack of analysis will usually suffice. If you’re going to suggest otherwise, I suggest you ditch the sarcasm and commence to doing some heavy lifting. Save the sideline banter for another site where it will be well received. It won’t work “here.”

I still think there are too many missing pieces from your interpretation of Tennessee and VY. Pardon me if I’ve missed your explanations in other posts. Please feel free to enlighten me.

As I’ve said before — we certainly have agreed to disagree about the extent of the intervention by Fisher earlier this season. I believe that the use of words like “gun,” “car,” “suicide,” and “speeding” were sufficient cause for intervention that rose to the level of notification to the PD — especially given that the suppositions in play involved the safety of countless others (highway travelers). You do not. You believe the issue should have been handled in house and that regardless of an inability to contact VY during the critical moments, the concerns of his mother and associate should have been handled in a manner that first preserved his reputation. My worst case scenario was a high speed collision on the highway that kills innocent children. I believe your worst case scenario was a bad press conference, benching and public humiliation. Okay. I think that’s correct. I don’t think I’m overstating this, but I welcome correction. Rescue me if I’m wrong on this.

The question of race with the Titans at the QB position just seems misplaced to me. This franchise has had a nearly uninterrupted tradition of Blacks at this position since 1984…that’s almost a QUARTER CENTURY. Norm Chow is gone. Vince is still there. The Titans clearly like what he offers or they would have drafted him. I have maintained that there was a split in the organization during the draft time about Vince or Leinart. I believe that someone told Norm Chow that the team would definitely draft Leinart. I believe that’s the only reason he accepted the job — and perhaps someone with the reputation and standing of Steve McNair lobbied on behalf of Vince — and that was the factor that determined the Titans draft pick.

From what we’ve all seen on the field, the selection of Vince Young was far superior to the decision to draft Matt Leinart. That notwithstanding, both are riding the pine and Norm Chow is back in college.

It’s not clear to me that the fact that Chris Chandler played while McNair is a sign of “racism.” It’s not like McNair was a random draft pick or that he didn’t actually become the franchise QB or even that Chandler was a bum. He wasn’t. He was the QB of the NFC champion Falcons in ’98 and he make some big throws to get them to the SB. He was fragile though. Moreover, different franchises have different approaches to whether or not guys should start as soon as they come out of college. Manning and Aikman took their lumps right away. Philip Rivers watched. Others who have had tremendous success have had to wait awhile. I believe the approaches are too varied to ascribe “racism” to the time McNair sat while in Houston. (Now, if you wanted to talk about his unceremonious departure, that might be different.)

I don’t know all the particulars of what happened. I think you just need to share a bit more about what you actually know that drives your sentiment. I just can’t see where your coming from on this. If Vince was traded and Chow was still in Tennessee, I could see it. If Fisher was bad mouthing Vince, I could see it. If Vince was a pariah in his own locker room, I could see it. If Vince was a “race man” who stood behind McNair or McNabb when related questions were put to him, I could see it. He ain’t that dude.

I haven’t heard you say that post-Chow, VY’s work ethic is unquestioned. I haven’t heard you say that like Tavaris Jackson, VY has clearly progressed in making reads on the field and in getting the ball downfield to speedy, talented, but underutilized receivers (I’m not talking about that scrub of all scrubs Justin McCareins.) I haven’t heard you say that the Titans locker room is split along racial lines because players believe a great injustice was done to Vince. I haven’t heard any of that.

What I have heard, without demonstration, is the proclamation that VY has been significantly harmed due to racial animus on the part of an organization that has had Black QBs (while playing in the deep South — formerly in Texas, then in the birthplace of the Klan) for almost 25 years.

I think you can see why I have a problem with what you’re advancing. Help me to see what I’m missing. Thanks. And happy new year to all.

(I apologize for the length, but I wanted to be as clear as possible.)

Vince is black, hence his benching is based on that, and that’s about as deep as it gets here.

Next.

Someone actually had the balls to write they didn’t like Obama because of his “leftist” policies — even though his cabinet is chock full of mainstream, traditional economic and military advisors (including Goldman Sachs crooks and Federal Reserve Bank hustlers).

That’s the funniest shit I’ve read in a long time. “Leftist policies.” ROTFLMBAO….oh, I don’t think I’ll be getting up for awhile. “Leftist” :0 Absolutely hilarious. Larry Summers, Greithner, Susan Rice, Gates — whew! That’s rich.

How can I put this? Am I am not trying to be a comedian, but you are missing EVERYTHING…

I think I pretty much explained myself in the earlier posts.

The ‘long and short’ of it, for Titans’ management/coaching staff to take Vince off the field completely after one game in YEAR 3, in a totally unprecedented move toward a franchise QB who was rookie of the year in 2006, and then led the team to the playoffs in his second year, was a slap in the face…and really sends a message the Titans organization doesn’t respect you and feel you are incapable of leading THIS TEAM.

Okay, Fisher and management can take that stand… If they believe Kerry Collins and Chris Simms can hold it down, then let Vince Young go in this 2008 offseason via a trade and try to part ways amicably. MOVE ON.

The Titans shouldn’t continue to hold Vince’s career hostage by innuendo, spite and contempt.

Steve McNair sat on the bench watching Chris Chandler in non-playoff years for two seasons in 1995 and 1996, and played better in 1997 and 1998.. Finally, in his fifth year McNair along with the franchise RB Eddie George the Titans made the playoffs.

Vince was put in the proverbial fire early after a 0-4 Kerry Collins start in YEAR ONE. Why? Because Fisher wanted to SAVE HIS JOB!!!! And Vince put Tennessee in a position to steal a wild card and got fan excited about the franchise again, but Collins’ poor start was just too much as the Titans finished with a 8-8 record.

As you say: ….”It’s all about how you perform between the lines…” Yeah, right..

So 8-8, then 10-6 isn’t accomplishing anything? Well, we see that differently. Could there be room for improvement for VY? Yes, but sitting him on the bench because haters in your fanbase/media and across the country want a reincarnation of Joe Montana or Peyton is unfair and cynical and attempting to micro-manage every incomplete pass is equally cynical.

Titans management chose to take Vince off the field. Vince didn’t do it to himself. Pac Man Jones is an example of someone who took himself off the field with his actions.

I have followed Vince and the Titans for years. And, what is the “negative situation” you speak of in TN?

If you wanna take it there, Steve McNair was, and is, revered for his ability on the field. His toughness was legendary, but Vince has not earned that respect yet b/c he has not accomplished much in the NFL.

Vince put on, in my opinion, the single greatest performance in a college national championship game, and he has shown flashes of brilliance in the NFL, but unless you can prove yourself, I doubt you know more than me about the Titans or about Vince Young, Patrick, and don’t try to paint his struggles as anything more than a self-imposed screw up on his part. His mom is the one that called Jeff Fisher. (long story, short)

As a Titans fan, I want VY to win 10 Super Bowls, but looking at him, I see a problem. He sees boos as a personal attack to his character, and it’s not. It’s all about how you perform between the lines.

What am I missing?

I’m not looking to argue, really, and I am not going to bash Obama.

I didn’t boo Vince, but he does need to play better. He had something like 55 yards in 2 1/2 quarters this past Sunday……”

That’s BS. Vince has always been a competitor throughout his whole football career (throughout high school to the pros)…

If he couldn’t go into a game, it was because he was injured. And the media was pushing this BSPN rumor as a fact. There was an existing tension between Norm Chow and Vince, and I recall watching a NBC Sunday night telecast against Indy in which Andrea Kremer was interviewing Chow on the sideline, and he was bad-mouthing Vince about his perceived work ethic…

Vince was definitely in and still is in a very negative situation with the Titans..THAT’S THE REAL ISSUE.

The coaching staff is trying to turn into Joe Montana or Peyton Manning instead of finding a coordinator who respects Vince Young instead of having an existing vendetta from the USC-Texas game as in one Norm Chow. Peyton Manning had the same coach from Day One and so has Tom Brady when he was playing as well as Joe Montana.

If the Titans wanted to go to the college ranks then find coaches who have experience with dual-threat QBs such as Ralph Freidgn from Maryland..or maybe a Hue Jackson and Cam Cameron (now assistants in Baltimore). Cameron used to be a college coach at Indiana when Antawn Randle-El was there several years ago. Now Cameron and Jackson are having some success in preparing Joe Flacco in Baltimore. Cameron was available and the Titans should have been more aggressive and tried to acquire him.

Good coaches are out there if the Titans were truly dedicated in helping Vince be an effective player for the Titans. However, it seems they want to do the opposite and pass off as if they are doing something…

It is a shame that in this politically-correct age, people can’t agree to disagree. I’m sure there were some black people that didn’t vote for Obama. That doesn’t make them self-hating racists. But that’s where we are in 2008: black people yelling from one side, white people yelling from the other, and nobody’s really being heard.

My mistake, “Truth”. I should’ve been more specific and said WHITE people had and still have the CHOICE of picking that particular mantle up. White people don’t have their lives defined by race. Black people do. That’s the point I was trying to make. You as an individual don’t see the world through the prism of race because you don’t have to. You’re free to live your life away from that.

For example, when Jayson Blair was busted for plaigarism by the NY Times, affirmative action was called on the carpet. All because ONE black reporter messed up. But if that was a white reporter, it would’ve been appropriately reported as one person messing up. White men as a whole wouldn’t been put on blast. Andy Reid’s sons got busted for selling drugs out of his house, yet you didn’t hear people say white men make bad fathers (in fact, aside from the fact that Tony Dungy seems to be a genuinely nice guy, one of the reasons that MSM didn’t put him or black men in general on blast after his son committed suicide is that even they weren’t cruel enough to go there. But that scenario is always present). Black people are always judged under a group dynamic (as well as individually) because that’s how we were brought to this country.