One week of professional football is in the books, and the most interesting story has nothing to do with what happened on the field. Shawne Merriman has called it quits for this season, Brett Favre and the Packers seem to have made the right decision and could live happily-ever-after apart, and the New England Patriots are without their golden boy - quarterback Tom Brady.
Yet all of these storylines fall in comparison to what is by far the most baffling and mysterious story out there, and it involves one simple question: What has happened to Vince Young?
For those who don't know, Young has been dealing with some innerturmoil recently. Monday night, Titans head coach Jeff Fischer called the Metro Police in Nashville, Tenn., after he received a call from family and friends of Young stating that the quarterback had left his home in Williamson, Co., abruptly and without his cell phone.
Fischer made the call to the police who soon located Young at a friend's house, where he was watching football and eating chicken wings,"" according to his agent.
Where has this sudden search for Young - which included negotiators on stand-by - come from, and why is this misunderstanding such a big deal?
For starters, Young left Sunday's opener against Jacksonville - a 17-10 victory for the Titans - with a left knee injury. It is now known that Young has a sprained MCL, and it is uncertain when he will return. Young threw two interceptions in the victory, and it seemed as if he tried to take himself out of the game, joining the offense late on the field after his second pick.
Four plays later, Young suffered the knee injury and was booed by fans as he was carted to the locker room.
Knowing this, it seems understandable for someone to want to get away from family and friends telling him everything will be alright, but there seems to be more to the story.
Sunday's performance doesn't seem to be the cause of Young's erratic behavior. Actually, this may all stem from something further back.
During the off-season, Young told reporters that he was actually pondering the idea of retiring, sending the Titans, Young's family and friends, and definitely his agent into respiratory failure.
Young later negated the idea, claiming to have been taken ""out of context"" - something we in the media obviously do all the time.
To answer the opening question, the answer is... no one really knows. The Vince Young currently playing for the Titans resembles nothing like the cool, collected, carefree Young that rolled through Austin, Tex., in a Longhorn uniform, the one that single-handedly defeated USC in the Rose Bowl his senior season.
Whether it is the pressure to win and perform at such a high level or the daunting task of rebuilding a franchise and being its quarterback, Young has definitely lost his way.
His situation only proves that while college athletes may be the cream of the crop in their individual sport or position, there is always the next step. Whether it is dealing with failure or the realization that the NFL is just as much a business as the game they love, college athletes who go on to the NFL have a full plate set before them. Most have been able to cope and persevere, but there have been just as many Ryan Leafs who haven't been able to make the transition.
Hopefully for Young, he will find his way. If not, then he will have another blemish on his otherwise stellar pre-NFL record: being a top-10 NFL draft pick bust.
If you think Vince Young will find his way in the NFL or if you think his football career will never be the same as it was when he was a Longhorn, e-mail Nate at ncarey@wisc.edu.
