NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -New York cornerback Frank Walker helped slam Vince Young to the ground, swinging his right elbow at the quarterback's head. Everyone watching flinched and went, ``Oooh!''
Young bounced right up.
``I have an attitude problem as well. I'm a competitor so I just jumped up as well,'' Young said.
Then he showed the same calm and poise he displayed in winning the national championship last January at Texas. With Adam ``Pacman'' Jones getting him the ball back with two interceptions, Young led the Tennessee Titans to the greatest NFL comeback victory by a rookie quarterback.
The athletic Young was supposed to be a three-year project? Jones allegedly was too short to play cornerback in the NFL, and his personal struggles overshadowed any plays he could make on the field?
Young and Jones did much more than answer their critics with Sunday's stunning and improbable 24-21 comeback against the Giants. They staged their own personal coming-out party, and Young thinks this game will be remembered as the day they came of age.
``It's just beautiful to get that feeling,'' Young said. ``I just want them guys to take that win and just to look not from the finish of the game ... but also looking to our future, what we can do.''
The rebuilding Titans (4-7) now have matched last year's win total with five games left by gambling on two players who couldn't be more different.
Jones has made headlines for allegedly spitting on women in nightclubs. Young's first move after being drafted was promising a big check to his Houston church.
Coach Jeff Fisher wanted the 5-foot-10 Jones with the sixth pick overall in 2005 and backed him through a variety of both on- and off-field antics before suspending him for a loss at Jacksonville on Nov. 5 after the cornerback was charged with misdemeanor assault.
A few months ago, Young had lots of critics who didn't like his throwing motion. He would need time to learn how to work under center. All that running in college at Texas? Forget it. Not against faster NFL defenses.
The No. 3 pick overall became the Titans' starter on Oct. 1. Now Young now is 4-4 after his best day as a pro with 249 yards passing and a 107.9 passer rating.
And Young was at his best in the fourth quarter.
He ran for 45 yards, including a 19-yard dash when Mathias Kiwanuka should have sacked him on fourth-and-10. He also scored on a bootleg that resembled his final TD against Southern California in the Rose Bowl. He was 13-of-18 for 130 yards with two touchdowns.
``I don't think they anticipated his ability, one to scramble the way he did, and two, his ability to make the throws down the field,'' Fisher said Monday. ``He was exceptional with his arm and his decision making.''
Center Kevin Mawae, a 13-year veteran and six-time Pro Bowler, was impressed with Young's ability to freelance and poise on the last drive.
``He was calmer at that point than he was at any other point in the game,'' Mawae said. ``I think that just goes to show it's a maturing process he's going through. It's a big win for him, and it's a big win for this team, as well.''
It would not have happened without Jones.
He had one career interception until the fourth quarter. Eli Manning overthrew 6-foot-5 Plaxico Burress, Jones caught the ball at his 28 and started running. He didn't stop until forced out at the Giants 46.
``He had to have a breakout game to quiet his critics,'' Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said of Jones.
Trailing 21-7, Jones went back for a punt even though Jeff Feagles had been punting away from him because of his two punt returns for TDs this season. A false start gave Jones extra time, and he wandered toward the New York sideline.
Maybe he dared them to kick to him. Jones won't say. He hasn't talked to reporters since October, although a reporter heard him say he would let his play speak instead of words after the rally.
Feagles kicked, and Jones had enough room to catch the ball. He spun, twisted and ran 23 yards to the New York 36.
``To me, this guy is like an arcade game,'' Young said.
Then came a decision that may haunt Manning for a long time.
With the game tied at 21, Manning tried to force a throw to David Tyree instead of throwing out of bounds and waiting for overtime. Jones leapt into the air, grabbed the ball and cradled it as he fell onto his back at midfield.
``The sky's the limit for him,'' Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said.
And the ride's only really starting now for both.
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