NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Vince Young is taking a cue from three-time NFL MVP Brett Favre when it comes to interceptions.
No quarterback wants to be intercepted. That doesn’t mean the quarterback has to beat himself up over every pick he throws.
“That’s one of the things I’ve been learning from Brett Favre,” the Tennessee quarterback said Wednesday. “He does not worry about the interception because it’s part of the game. You know the (defensive) guys get paid, too. At the same time, if you can manage the game even though you threw a pick and things like that and still win the game, that’s obviously pretty good as well.”
Young, who knows Favre through his mentor Steve McNair, is coming off his highest passer rating this season and the second best of his short career. The key? No interceptions, his first such game since Oct. 28.
Among NFL quarterbacks, only Tony Romo of Dallas, Carson Palmer of Cincinnati, Eli Manning of the New York Giants and Detroit’s Jon Kitna have been intercepted more than Young. He has 16 interceptions compared to 17 apiece for Romo, Palmer and Kitna.
The interception numbers look even worse when compared to what he had in 2006 as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Young was intercepted only 13 times as a rookie and had six starts in which he was not picked off at all.
It hasn’t been as easy this season.
He was picked off in the season opener and last week’s 26-17 win at Kansas City was only his fourth game in which he was not intercepted. Going into Kansas City, he had only seven touchdown passes compared to 16 interceptions.
Young finished 16-of-26 for 191 yards with two touchdowns and a 109.6 passer rating against the Chiefs.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher said they don’t grade the quarterback position based on interceptions.
“You can’t do that, because there’s different reasons for interceptions. He’s got three-four, a handful of balls that were tipped. Those things just happen, so that’s not a concern,” Fisher said.
“Our touchdown numbers could be better because we’ve got some drops and some called back. It’s not a concern.”
A penalty erased an 18-yard TD pass to Bo Scaife in Kansas City. Receivers have dropped at least three passes that could have been touchdowns, not counting others not caught in the end zone.
Fisher pointed out that Young’s completion percentage is up. Young is completing 62 percent of his passes compared to 51.5 percent as a rookie.
Young has had five games with two or more interceptions, and the Titans are 2-3 in those games this season. Ball security wasn’t easy in Kansas City with the wind chill at 14 degrees.
“We’ve won games with multiple turnovers before, but the bottom line is protecting the football,” Fisher said. “In weather conditions like that, we protected the football and found a way to win.”
Receiver Justin Gage, tied with Roydell Williams with a team-high 45 catches, said Young is becoming more comfortable the more he plays. Young has started 26 games so far.
“A lot of people don’t look at it. He’s only still in his second year. He has a lot of growing to do,” Gage said.
Young has had only three games in his short career with a passer rating of 100 or better and none since last Dec. 24, when he posted a 127.7 rating in a win at Buffalo. He celebrated by going back to work and studying film with quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson and his teammates.
“And see some of the good things I did and some of the bad things I did and try to continue to get it taken up the next step in my game,” Young said.
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