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CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. -- Vince Young served notice Saturday morning that his physical ability to play football isn't limited to when he has the ball.

Defensive tackle Randy Starks broke through the line and picked off a pass thrown by the Tennessee Titans' top draft pick, and Young responded by trying to break up the interception. The resulting collision left the 6-foot-3, 312-pound Starks on the ground.

Young was wearing the red jersey meaning that quarterbacks are off-limits, but the rookie said he doesn't like being intercepted.

"I hate that. That's the worst feeling. That's for any quarterback. I didn't try to tackle him like that, but I tried to knock the ball out. He's big, so I had to try and brace myself a little bit. It looked a little ugly," said Young, who isn't too small himself at 6-4, 233 pounds.

Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth called it a good hit even though he joked about talking with coach Jeff Fisher about being able to hit the quarterbacks once they put on full pads.

"I already respected Vince," Haynesworth said. "I think he's a good guy, a good athlete, and he's goodhearted. He doesn't even seem like a rookie to me. With that hit, it even boosted him up a little bit more in my book."

Young said he wanted to show the team how much heart he has and preview what will happen if he is intercepted in a game.

"I throw any picks in the real game, I'm going to go after that guy and try to kill him," Young said.

Fisher said he wasn't concerned about Young dealing with the live blitz nor his rookie quarterback's ability to tackle, which he called "quite impressive."

Was the coach worried the righthanded Young led with his throwing shoulder?

"He didn't have time to think about it. I was just glad to see Randy get up," Fisher said.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

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