FOXBORO -- Ever since Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young was selected third overall in this year's NFL Draft, he's been compared to some of the best signal-callers in the league.

This being his rookie season -- he spent three years at the University of Texas, where he led the Longhorns to a National Championship over USC last January -- Young has made a smooth transition to the pro game.

In 14 games, 12 of which he started, he's completed 169 passes for 1,972 yards, while racking up 523 rushing yards on 81 carries for six touchdowns. In doing so, Young became the first rookie QB in league history to exceed 500 yards rushing. The 6-foot-4, 233-pounder is the complete package.

"He's a winner," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "He's made plays to make Tennessee win."

Because Young, who was named AFC offensive player of the week yesterday, can gun and run -- he prefers it in that order -- he's been compared to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, who has over 1,000 yards rushing with two TDs this season.

"He's a lot stronger than Vick," said Belichick. "He runs through a lot of tackles. He's fast, but he's strong. Guys just bounce off him because he's a big kid. He's got good vision and makes good decisions."

The Titans, the Patriots' opponent in the regular-season finale Sunday in Tennessee, are riding a six-game winning streak after starting the season 0-5, and Young is a big reason why.

"It's been a dream," said Young of his rookie campaign. "When I came into the season, I said I wanted to have a good rookie season. Right now, it's looking pretty good. We're playing together as a team and we're getting better and better each week."

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady went out of his way during the ESPY awards last summer to meet Young even before he threw his first NFL pass.

"I've always been a fan of his," said Brady. "He's a very exciting player. It's obvious that he's leading [the Titans] very well. And I wanted to meet him. . . . Vince seems to be a really nice person, a great leader, a great competitor with great ability and obviously a great future. And he's playing very well right now."

The respect is mutual.

"A lot of people haven't given (Brady) the type of (publicity) he deserves," said Young. "I really feel like he's doing a great job overall. He's one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL who doesn't get the (publicity) that he's supposed to."

Missed opportunity

This weekend would have marked the first time Tennessee wide receiver David Givens would have had to play against his former employer. But he's been on injured reserve since Nov. 14 with a knee injury after playing only five games for the Titans. Givens played four seasons (2002-2005) for the Patriots and recorded 158 receptions for 2,214 yards and 12 TDs in 53 games. He signed with Tennessee as an unrestricted free agent on March 14 and received a five-year contract worth $24 million. Because he left New England and won't have a chance to play Sunday, Givens told his agent, Brad Blank, that he wanted to keep a low profile this week.

For Young, losing Givens has had a negative effect.

"It meant a whole lot," said Young. "He's a real physical receiver. When you get the ball into his hands, he's going to make that one guy miss and he's going to get down field and make things happen."

Injury update

The Patriots released their injury report yesterday for the final game of the regular season. Safety Rashad Baker (thigh), wide receiver Bam Childress (ankle), running back Kevin Faulk (knee), defensive end Marquise Hill (knee), tackle Ryan O'Callaghan (neck), cornerback Chad Scott (back), tight end Benjamin Watson (knee), nose tackle Vince Wilfork (ankle) and defensive lineman Mike Wright are all listed as questionable. Brady (shoulder), safety Rodney Harrison (shoulder), cornerback Ellis Hobbs (wrist) and defensive lineman Richard Seymour (elbow) are listed as probable.

Brady did not participate in the media-access portion of practice yesterday, but Watson and Wilfork were both back on the field after missing the last two games.

For Tennessee: Defensive tackle Tony Brown (knee), tight end Casey Cramer (neck), running back Travis Henry (ankle), defensive end Travis LaBoy (knee), tight end Bo Scaife (ankle), defensive tackle Robaire Smith (toe) and wide receiver Bobby Wade (ankle) were all listed as questionable.

jmcdonal@projo.com / (401) 277-7340