Young, Ryans win rookie honors

NEW YORK -- Vince Young looks as if he'll make the NFL his personal playground, too.

The dynamic quarterback for the Tennessee Titans won The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year Award on Wednesday. He did it in the same fashion he turned around the Titans' season -- running away from the rest of the field.

Young, who led Texas to the 2005 national championship and was the third overall pick in last April's draft, overwhelmed one of the strongest rookie classes in NFL history. He received 23 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league.

That easily beat New Orleans wide receiver Marques Colston and Jacksonville running back Maurice Drew, who had nine apiece; San Diego tackle Marcus McNeill (6); and Saints running back Reggie Bush (3).

Young is the third member of the Tennessee/Houston franchise to take top rookie honors: Earl Campbell in 1978 and Eddie George in 1996 did it for the Houston Oilers.

Houston linebacker DeMeco Ryans, chosen at the top of the second round of last April's draft -- 32 spots after the Texans made defensive end Mario Williams the first overall selection -- was a runaway winner of The Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Ryans led the league in solo tackles with 126, and his 156 total tackles were 33 more than the next-best rookie, Detroit linebacker Ernie Sims.

In fact, no rookie in the last 20 years had more tackles than Ryans, who was an All-American at Alabama in 2005.

Young was the catalyst in Tennessee's rally from 0-5 to 8-8, at times looking as unstoppable for the Titans as he did with the Longhorns. A starter from Week 4, Young sprinkled all kinds of spectacular big plays with a growing maturity in joining Ben Roethlisberger (2004) as the only quarterbacks to win top rookie honors in the 49-year history of the award.

He became the first rookie quarterback to rush for more than 500 yards in the Super Bowl era, and his passing skills improved all year under coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Norm Chow.

"I like to go out there and play the game and show that I can deliver the ball down the field, and that I can use my legs at the right time, when it's time to use my legs, and checking the ball down, just being a quarterback," Young said. "I want to change the game a little bit."

Young delivered, as the Titans threatened to become the first team to lose its opening five games and then make the playoffs. They were in contention until the final weekend, thanks greatly to a six-game winning streak that included a remarkable comeback from 21-0 down in the final 10 minutes to beat the Giants.

"He was very prepared when he got here because of the experience he had in college," said Fisher, who along with Tennessee's scouts and general manager Floyd Reese chose Young over Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler in the draft. "We knew that he had a chance to improve and obviously that's why we went ahead and started him when we did. We felt like he was ready."

Perhaps Young's finest moment was a 39-yard TD run in overtime to beat Houston, his hometown team which bypassed the Lone Star State hero to take Williams atop the draft. There seemed to be as many Titans No. 10 jerseys in Reliant Stadium as any Texans shirts.

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Rookie of the year honors

AP NFL Offensive Rookie Voting

Selected by The Associated Press in balloting by a nationwide media panel:

Vince Young, Tennessee 23

Marques Colston, New Orleans 9

Maurice Drew, Jacksonville 9

Marcus McNeill, San Diego 6

Reggie Bush, New Orleans 3

AP NFL Defensive Rookie Voting

Selected by The Associated Press in balloting by a nationwide panel of the media:

DeMeco Ryans, Houston 36

Mark Anderson, Chicago 5

A.J. Hawk, Green Bay 4

Kamerion Wembley, Cleveland 2

Mario Williams, Houston 1

Johnathan Joseph, Cincinnati 1

Dawan Landry, Baltimore 1