NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Anyone curious to see how Vince Young has improved since he was last seen in the Pro Bowl must wait a week.
Young, who was benched for violating a team rule, sat on the sidelines. Without him, the Tennessee Titans lost their preseason opener on Saturday night.
Marcus Mason scored from a yard out and Byron Westbrook recovered a fumble in the end zone in the final 1:14, helping the Washington Redskins pull out a 14-6 victory over the Titans in the exhibition opener for both teams.
Young is coming off his Offensive Rookie of the Year award and is a big reason the Titans expect to pick up where they left off after an excellent finish that left them a game short of the playoffs.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher refused to say why he sat Young except that he owed it to the quarterback not to say. Asked by a TV reporter what happened, Young warned children not to break the rules, but he reportedly stayed at home instead of the team hotel.
That left Young forced to watch wearing a baseball cap, blue T-shirt and shorts while holding onto a white towel around his neck. He kept his hands busy by often gripping each end of that towel, swinging his arms back and forth or just clasping them behind his back as he fidgeted on his feet.
Fisher said Young will practice and play next week.
Tennessee struggled to move the ball with Kerry Collins starting in Young’s place. Their only scoring drive came when Cortland Finnegan, trying to replace suspended Adam “Pacman” Jones at punt returner, took Derrick Frost’s punt 38 yards.
Collins finished 10-of-17 for 79 yards for an offense that had only 38 yards rushing in the first half without Young’s legs.
Meanwhile, Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell understandably is in a hurry for left tackle Chris Samuels’ healthy return in Washington.
Campbell, the starter after taking over the final seven games last season, got to play with rookie free agent Stephon Hayer starting at left tackle with Samuels out with a knee injury. Todd Wade made his first start at left guard after being converted from tackle.
Campbell continued the Redskins’ offensive struggles from last preseason when the first-team unit never got inside the opponent’s 20 by getting only to the Titans 29. He finished 6-of-14 for 104 yards.
The Titans sacked Campbell twice in the first nine minutes.
But Washington, a team that went winless last preseason and stumbled to a 5-11 season, left happy about finding a way to win despite giving up five sacks to the Titans.
Todd Collins drove the Redskins 75 yards in seven plays, capped by Mason’s dive up the middle with 1:14 to go. Rookie center Leroy Harris fumbled a bad snap, and Westbrook chased the loose ball down in the end zone to punctuate the surprising victory.
Earlier in the game, Campbell couldn’t get the team into the end zone.
When Campbell got the Redskins to the Titans 29, the drive stalled and Shaun Suisham’s 47-yarder hit the left upright and fall backward. Not even facing most of Tennessee’s second-team defense for half the second quarter helped.
Rob Bironas kicked a 41-yarder, and rookie John Vaughn added a 39-yarder for the Titans’ only points.
Add A Comment
THIS IS NOT A GAMBLING SITE – If you think you have a gambling problem click here.
Disclaimer: This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Individual users are responsible for the laws regarding accessing gambling information from their jurisdictions. Many countries around the world prohibit gambling, please check the laws in your location. Any use of this information that may violate any federal, state, local or international law is strictly prohibited.
Copyright: The information contained on TheSpread.com website is protected by international copyright and may not be reproduced, or redistributed in any way without expressed written consent.
About: TheSpread.com is the largest sports betting news site in the United States. We provide point spread news, odds, statistics and information to over 175 countries around the world each year. Our coverage includes all North American College and Professional Sports as well as entertainment, political and proposition wagering news.
©1999-2023 TheSpread.com