NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said after Sunday's overtime loss to the Redskins that quarterback Vince Young has lost his hold on the starting job.
Fisher's comments follow an emotional day for Young in which the the fifth-year signal caller was booed, injured his thumb, threw his shoulder pads into the stands and and stormed out of LP Field without talking to the media.
Fisher said Young tore the flexor tendon in his right thumb and when asked if Young had lost his job as starter, Fisher told The Tennessean, "Yes, right now he has. There are some things that need to change."
Young hurt his thumb when his hand slammed into a helmet completing a 37-yard pass to Nate Washington. He stayed in the game for a handoff to Chris Johnson, then went to the sideline where he had his thumb taped. Trainers kept retaping the thumb as he tossed the ball with Moss, trying to see if he could return.
"Vince tore a flexor tendon in his thumb and I was not satisfied with his ability to control the ball so I stayed with Rusty," Fisher told The Tennessean after the game. "He never said to me he was OK and wanted to go back in, and I was told he was a little upset after, and I was also told he threw half his uniform in the stands.
"Clearly that is no way to respond, so we have some things we have to sort out with him. He may need surgery, and if that's the case, he is done for the year. If that's the case, Rusty is our guy."
Young walked past reporters quickly after the game ended and The Tennessean reported that Titans safety Michael Griffin chased after Young, but was unable to catch for Texas product.
Fisher told the paper that he talked to Young, but declined to reveal specfics of the conversation.
Young may have been upset with Titans fans that booed the home team throughout the game. As the fans booed late in the first half, Young waved his arms when fans were booing -- as if egging them on.
"I was very disappointed, his teammates were disappointed," Fisher said to The Tennessean after the 16-13 defeat. There's going to be frustration in losses, and there are times you have to really dig deep and fight and turn to one another. I don't think you run. And that's why I disappointed."
It was Smith's debut in the NFL. Kerry Collins is the Titans' No. 3 quarterback with a strained left calf.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.
