Young caps 2006 with Rookie of Year award
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?I want to change the game a little bit. They say quarterbacks aren?t supposed to run. You want to show them that you can run, and then you can also deliver the ball down field. Keeping the defense on the edge of their feet, that?s how I like it,? Young said.
?I?m a quarterback. Everybody is saying I?m not. I don?t care.?
Young went 8-5 as a starter for a team that had won only nine games the previous two seasons combined. He capped a year in which he led Texas to the national championship in the Rose Bowl by winning The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year on Wednesday.
He became only the second quarterback in the award?s 49-year history to win, joining Ben Roethlisberger (2004).
?A lot of people said it couldn?t be done, especially at my position,? Young said Wednesday from Houston. ?I just worked hard to get to that position behind the scenes to get to the point of getting into the race of trying to get rookie of the year.?
Running back Carnell ?Cadillac? Williams of Tampa Bay won last year.
Young received 23 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. New Orleans wide receiver Marques Colston and Jacksonville running back Maurice Drew had nine apiece followed by San Diego tackle Marcus McNeill (6), and Saints running back Reggie Bush (3).
He became the third player from this franchise to win this award, joining Eddie George (1996) and Earl Campbell (1978).
?As we move forward into the Vince Young era, there?s a lot of excitement ahead,? Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.
Young set an NFL record for rookie quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era by running for 552 yards and also scored seven touchdowns but refuses to be labeled as a running quarterback. Teammates who watched him mature throughout the season agree he?s different.
?The guy?s 6-5. He runs like a gazelle. He?s got great vision. He?s got the ability to make guys miss him,? 13-year veteran center Kevin Mawae said.
But Young?s best work may have been in practice and the Titans? locker room.
A year ago, the Titans? locker room was splintered in a 4-12 season. The Titans signed some veterans to start the healing, and Young quickly earned respect.
He worked hard, waited his turn patiently behind Billy Volek, then Kerry Collins. He also made friends with veterans like linebacker Keith Bulluck and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and even last year?s top draft pick, troubled cornerback Adam ?Pacman? Jones.
?He goes out there and lays it all on the line,? Bulluck said. ?As a person, he brings charisma. He definitely brings a type of encouragement, camaraderie to his other teammates. Motivation so to speak to let them know he has confidence in them.?
Young promises he never doubted he would be successful in the NFL. He has too many doubters he?s determined to prove wrong, and this is only the start of what he intends to be a long career.
?All I?m going to do is continue to get better,? Young said.