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Vince Young Always Knew Chris Johnson Would Be Back

There has been plenty of praise for Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young, who had a breakout year in 2009 after it looked like his career may have been over. But much of the credit for that turnaround has gone to running back Chris Johnson. And rightfully so.

Johnson ran for over 2,000 yards last year, averaging 5.6 yards per carry and more than 125 yards per game. He certainly eased the pressure on Young, who in turn threw more touchdown passes than interceptions in a season for the first time in his career and led Tennessee to an 8-2 record in games that he started.

Johnson ended a tumultuous offseason in which there was some question whether he would report to Titans training camp as he looked to restructure his contract. He had already predicted a 2,500-yard season out of himself, so his return never really seemed like it was a matter of if, but more a question of when. A restructured deal on Tuesday cleared all of that up.

Vince Young joined WGFX in Nashville with Three Hour Lunch to discuss the return of Johnson, his turnaround as a starting quarterback and whether he’d like to throw to Terrell Owens:

On Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans agreeing on a revamped contract:

“I pretty much knew what was going to happen anyway. Host: So you knew this was coming for a while? “Yeah, because of the respect that C.J. has for us and his teammates and knowing that he loves the game of football as well as the organization and how much they care about him and how much he means to us. I knew they were going to come to some kind of terms.”

On handing the football off to one of the league’s top backs:

“He means a lot to our offense. He does a great job of listening to what goes on during the preparation and the week of practice. We’ve got a great offensive line, we’ve got a great coaching staff. They call great plays for him. With the talent he has, he just brings a lot to the table by himself.”

On his success last year and what he’s got to do to build on it:

“During the offseason I’ve been working behind the scenes … getting more comfortable with Coach [Mike] Heimerdinger  and knowing what defensive coordinators are trying to do with me. I know the defensive guys we go up against are very talented, but now more so I’m thinking about what the defensive coordinator is trying to do to me. I’m trying to out-coach him.”

On whether he’s had to prove he’s a pocket passer:

“Not really. That’s what everybody else wanted me to do as I made the transition from college to the NFL. … I feel like the year that I was off, I had a chance to do all of that, from off the field as well as from talking to Kerry Collins and learning how to be an NFL quarterback.”

On whether his talent is well-represented on Madden video games:

“You know how that goes, it’s just a game. A lot of guys give you a hard time. But when I play as myself, I know how to use myself.”

On whether he’d like to play with Terrell Owens:

“Oh yeah. Any time we get a guy like that in the receiving and leadership role, I feel like that’s good for the whole team. I told him that at the ESPYs, I said, ‘Come on down to Nashville, baby.’”

Listen to the entire interview with Vince Young on WGFX in Nashville here

Tags: NFL, Tennessee Titans, Terrell Owens, Vince Young