SEATTLE -- Bad judgment has been the story of Vince Youngs season. Whether it was back at Lehigh, when he called the Eagles a Dream Team, or on the football field, where his interceptions have become an epidemic, Youngs judgment has been off.
Way off.
Young threw four more interceptions Thursday night in the Eagles 31-14 loss to Seahawks, and on two of the four, he appeared to simply throw the football right to a Seahawk.
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Young has nine interceptions this year and eight in his three starts in place of Michael Vick.
He definitely takes a lot of chances, said Seahawks linebacker David Hawthorne, who returned an interception 77 yards for a touchdown Thursday night. So we feel like if we pressure him right and everybodys where they need to be in their pass coverages, well be in great position have opportunities to get turnovers like we did.
Despite starting just three games, Young has more interceptions this year (nine) than he had in 10 starts during his 2009 Pro Bowl season with the Titans (seven).
Two weeks ago, the Eagles had clawed back to 4-6 with an upset win over the Giants in Youngs first start in a year. Now Young has lost consecutive starts, both by 17 or more points, and the season has turned into just as big a disaster as Youngs performances.
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I just have to take care of the ball, Young said after the Eagles latest nationally televised prime-time loss.
Ya think?
Young set a career high with four interceptions, and hes now thrown nine INTs in just 114 pass attemptsone every 12.7 pass attempts.
Overall, he was 17 for 29 for 208 yards with one TD and a 52.7 passer rating. So far this year, hes thrown four TDs and nine INTs.
Since 1958, the only Eagles QB with numbers that bad was Bobby Hoying, who in 1998 threw nine INTs and no TDs.
Young ranks 17th in the NFL in interceptions and 35th in touchdowns.
Maybe Vick, whos missed the last three games with broken ribs, will be healthy enough to return against the Dolphins a week from Sunday, although at this pointwith the Eagles 4-8 and losers of four of their last fiveit hardly matters.
The Eagles brought in Young, a two-time Pro Bowl pick, to keep the Eagles afloat if Vick got hurt. When Young took over, the Eagles were still in playoff contention. Now, theyre not.
Youngs first INT Thursday came on his first pass. He was trying to hit DeSean Jackson but there was a miscommunication between the two, Kam Chancellor picked off Young, and six plays later, Marshawn Lynchs 15-yard TD run gave the Seahawks a 7-0 lead just 5 minutes into the game.
I should have just took off and ran, Young said. Me and D-Jack were just not on the same page, I thought he was going to come back to it but when I released it, he didnt. So, that was on the quarterback. That was my fault. I just have to take care of the ball and use my legs a little bit more on plays like that.
Brandon Browners INT and 55-yard returnoff a ball deflected in the air by Riley Cooperset up another TD, and Youngs third INT was returned 77 yards for a touchdown by Hawthornethe longest INT return for a TD by a linebacker against the Eagles in 60 years.
That was just a bonehead play on my part, Young said. I should have known there was a man there. I just lost a linebacker when I released it. He just popped into the picture. Thats all on the quarterbacks fault. I saw the coverage, I saw the man, I just lost a linebacker on that route.
Browner got Young again in the fourth quarter,
I think we did an all right job, we just have to take care of the turnovers, Young said. Thats pretty much it.
Young is the second Eagle this year to throw four INTs in a season. Vick threw four at Buffalo in October.
Last time two different Eagles had a four-INT game in the same season was 1968, when Norm Snead had two and King Hill had one.
Youngs 17 completions and 29 attempts are both the fewest by an Eagle QB in a game in which he had four interceptions since Brad Goebel completed just 12 passes in a four-interception loss in 1991 to the Saints at the Vet.
Were pros, things happen, Young said. Im not pointing fingers at anybody. Were a team first, so we have to get it back together and be ready for the next game.
E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.