The Titans quarterback grimaced, put his hands on top of his head and pleaded for it to stop.
The problem? Not pain from his strained right quadriceps muscle but all the questions about the injury and whether it will force him to miss playing his hometown Houston Texans on Sunday.
"It's day to day right now. I can't just tell you I'm playing, then don't play," Young said. "It's like lying not only to my teammates but all the people in the world that want to see me as well."
Young didn't practice Wednesday, and it sounded as if the 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year won't practice this week. Coach Jeff Fisher said an MRI on Monday showed what they expected but wouldn't say if Young could start against the Texans (3-3) without practicing.
"I would be less likely to allow him to go without practice against an unfamiliar opponent. But the decision this week is going to be purely based on his physical condition," Fisher said.
That would be very tough on a quarterback who insisted he has never missed a game because of injury, not in high school or even back to middle school.
Obviously, missing a game against an AFC South opponent wouldn't be easy on the competitive Young.
In fact, not playing in Houston, where he blew kisses to fans after running for the winning touchdown in overtime last December, seemingly would be impossible for the quarterback who has the Titans (3-2) off to their best start since 2003.
Young scolded reporters for hyping a regular season game too much.
"That's in the past now. That game happened last year. That's what everybody wanted to see. There's a whole different team over there. ... It's not all about Vince Young going against the Texans. I'm just tired of hearing that right now," Young said.
One thing is certain: Young is not accustomed to dealing with injuries. He walked out about 40 minutes into the session and watched backup Kerry Collins handle most of the work wearing a hooded sweatshirt. If his right thigh was wrapped, it couldn't be seen under his shorts.
Young hurt his leg Sunday in the third quarter of a 13-10 loss to Tampa Bay as he sprinted to the sideline on a 2-yard gain.
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