How to End a Career Before it Really Starts by Titus Young

One thing I learned a long time ago during my football playing days was that the higher up you got in the hierarchy of the game the better everyone got. When you think about the math it all makes sense. You got millions of kids that play Pop Warner ball; significantly less, but still millions play in high school. Maybe 6 percent of them are lucky enough to play college ball. Every April just a couple hundred get drafted.

So basically if you make it to the NFL chances are everyone on the team--from the must have starter to the practice squad--was a superstar in high school and likely in college as well. Just being great isn't good enough when everyone is great.

Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young does not appear to think so. I don't know for certain, but I would guess that he believes that he is just as good as the Calvin Johnson's of the league because he's been a superstar his whole career. After all, that's what he's always been.

The boy could not be more wrong and so far his career has played out that way. He has shown some flashes of talent, but the Lions have a pretty deep roster so he's really nothing special. Why else would he only have 48 catches for 607 yards and six touchdowns last season? It's good for a rookie, but otherwise its not that impressive.

Apparently Young is  not happpy with his production this season (33 catches, 383 yards, 4 TDs) and thinks the team should be getting him the ball more. Rather than work harder to earn more throws in his direction he opted for yelling at his position coach and sabotaging the team during their Week 11 game with the Packers by lining up in the wrong spots on purpose.

His actions eventually got him benched during the game and he was told to stay away from the team last week leading up to the Thanksgiving Day game. Wednesday saw him return to practice, but it remains to be seen what role if any he will play on the team.

How could you play him after what he has done? It's great that he wants the ball and all, but it has to be earned. Hurting the team like he did in the Packers game because he isn't getting his way. Playing that way will get you kicked off the playground and not allowed to come back. Honestly, I'd find it shocking if the Lions bothered to keep him on the active roster.

No one wants to play with someone you can't trust to do their best or at the least not try to do his worst. Talented or not how can you ever believe what he's going to do on the field or what kind of dissension he might try to create off of it?

You can't, and with top notch players coming out of college every year--like Lions rookie Ryan Broyles-- it will not be long before Young is just an afterthought in the NFL.