Buffalo Bills Vince Young locking up backup job
The Buffalo Bills have had Ryan Fitzpatrick locked in as the team’s starting quarterback, and it looks like the backup gig is also locked up as well. Vince Young has been a disappointment in this league for a few years, and he’s likely never going to be a starting quarterback. However, he is a capable backup in this league and has completely distanced himself from fellow second-string hopeful Tyler Thigpen after yesterday’s performance from both quarterbacks.
The Bills lost their preseason matchup 36-14 to the Minnesota Vikings, but Young performed admirably against the Vikings. He completed 8 of 14 passes for 123 yards to average 8.8 yards per attempt. Thigpen, meanwhile, continued a disappointing preseason by going 8-15 for 56 yards and a pick. Going 8 for 15 doesn’t seem so bad, but Thigpen only averaged 3.7 yards per attempt. That’s absolutely putrid; a word that can describe how this preseason has gone for him.
Through two weeks, Tyler Thigpen has attempted 23 passes with under 50% of them going for a completion. As for his Y/A average, Thigpen sits at a well below-average 4.1. While it is small sample size for the preseason, his play in training camp validates those poor statistics above.
Vince Young, on the other hand, has progressed nicely in training camp and played well in the second preseason game after a subpar opening game. Just a few weeks ago, Young looked like a misfit for the Bills, as he had a great deal of trouble getting down the offense. However, he was outplaying Thigpen then just as he has now. It’s important for him to continue to play well as he tries to bounce back after a dismal 2011 season with the Philadelphia Eagles. He has drawn the praise of the Bills coaches this offseason, and he’s definitely going to be the main backup for the team. It’s good to see Young doing well, even if he had a poor first game and will never start again. I mean, he’s certainly been better than Thigpen up to this point.
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