[Gotham Dark Knight]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When his first day of practice as a bona fide NFL quarterback had wrapped up, Vince Young went horizontal. He sprawled out on the floor in the Tennessee Titans' locker room, propped his heels in his locker and closed his eyes.

Time for contemplation.
Ideally, such a moment would be the mission statement of Young's rookie season: Practice, analyze film, relax and reflect on life as an understudy. Of all the elite rookie quarterbacks who needed this pressure-free introduction – a zero-attempts season enjoyed by the likes of Carson Palmer and Daunte Culpepper – we were led to believe Young needed it most.

One week after the draft, it's looking like a pipedream.

The Titans have vowed to take the slow approach, and coach Jeff Fisher even reiterated the design at the start of last weekend's minicamp for rookies, saying Young's playing days will arrive "when he's ready." But actions suggest that day might be sooner than many league personnel men anticipated.
With Steve McNair likely to continue his career in another city and Billy Volek looking to be elevated to the starting position, the Titans will spend the next four months giving Young a crash course on offense. Not just to teach, but to make him a viable option on offense in 2006.
"The difference between what Vince will be able to do and what Steve did [as a rookie] is significant, because of the time," Fisher said. "You know, you didn't have the specific OTA (organized team activity) days and things like that. He'll participate in probably 10 or 11 of them here, so that's going to help him.

"There will be a package for him when we start the season."
How much time Young gets in 2006 hinges on what occurs in the next few months – if he makes it to training camp on time, whether McNair is still on the roster and who he's fighting for playing time. If McNair is sent packing, Tennessee may find another veteran quarterback to put into the mix with Young, Volek and Matt Mauck. But even if that occurs, the incoming player won't be versed in coordinator Norm Chow's offense and isn't likely to take precious practice time from Young.

So how much playing time lies ahead for Vince?

[ThePundit]

I would say there's close to no chance that Young will start the season. Maybe 8 games in or something but there's no way he's ready to start in my very humble opinion.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by ThePundit

I would say there's close to no chance that Young will start the season. Maybe 8 games in or something but there's no way he's ready to start in my very humble opinion.

Probably not...but I would think they would have been better off having him learn for a year...I think part of the way in, you'll see him run the offense with a very simplistic play book...

[Lefty Noob]

I still think they should use Volek to start the season. He, at least, already knows the offense, and either Young or Collins (should they acquire him) would need to learn from square one. Who know... maybe Volek will go all Drew Brees on us and keep the 1st Round pick on the bench for a while?