Vince Young, LeBron James and South Beach

A few years ago, Vince Young was at a nightclub hitting on the younger sister of a friend of mine — no surprise there, since this girl is some sort of heavenly combination of Beyonce and Stacey Dash.

After a few minutes, VY laughs and says, “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Sure I do. You’re LeBron James’ friend,” she says bubbly.

In a way, she was right; VY is indeed LBJ’s friend. But that definitely is not how Young defines himself. For better or worse, Vince thinks he is a peer of LeBron, that the two are one-name icons with the potential to revolutionize their respective sports.

And on that night, VY was still on top of the world — with a Reebok endorsement deal and the starting quarterback job for the Tennessee Titans, not to mention a Rookie of the Year trophy and game-worn Pro Bowl jersey hanging on the wall. Oh, and he was more popular than BBQ sauce in Texas after carrying the Longhorns to the national championship.

Much like LeBron, however, Vince has taken a hard fall in recent months due primarily to a lack of self-awareness and media savvy.

Unlike James — who was wined and dined by the entire NBA when he was a free agent last summer — Young will likely have to lobby for a job in the NFL once the lockout is finally over. The 26-year-old James and recently turned 28-year-old Young were once universally beloved — LBJ was the “King” and VY was “In-Vince-ible” — but both are now seen as spoiled prima donnas, a fact neither seems able to come to grips with.

Once the inevitable happens and the Titans cut ties with Young, he has made it clear that he would like to follow James and “take his talents to South Beach.” Young has been hanging around Miami this summer in hopes of getting some “face time” with the Dolphins’ decision-makers.

And upon further review, Young’s dream scheme scenario may make more sense than the “Heatles” supergroup produced by Pat Riley.

Lame Duck Coach, One-Year Rental QB

The marine mammals coach, Tony Sparano, is entering a season that at-best is make-or-break and at-worst a lame duck campaign. Inking VY to what would be essentially a one-year rental contract is perfect. The coach-QB tandem can fight for their lives and if it doesn’t work out, Miami can cut bait at the end of the season with a fresh start at coach and quarterback in 2012.

Young will certainly accept a low-ball, incentive-laden deal with team-friendly options. Taking VY for a test drive seems to have relatively little risk but tremendous reward if he has any gas left in the tank as a winning quarterback. And the move could save Sparano's job — or at least give him a good excuse if he gets canned.

More Star Power, Upside Than Chad Henne

Young has shown flashes of greatness since being drafted No. 3 overall in 2006. His results infamously outweighed his statistics in Tennessee; VY had a 30–17 record as a starter, while the Titans went 15–18 without him under center during that same time.

But recently Young’s stats have been catching up with his win total. Over his past 16 starts, VY has a 10–6 record, completing 209-of-355 passes (58.9 percent) for 2,745 yards, 18 TDs and eight INTs, along with 58 rushes for 343 yards (5.9 ypc) and one trip to the end zone.

He does, however, also have six lost fumbles and three DNFs — one coach’s decision against the Steelers, one sprained knee against the Jaguars and one season-ending thumb injury against the Redskins, which was followed by the meltdown with then-coach Jeff Fisher that sealed his fate in the Music City.

Current Phins starter Chad Henne is a solid professional, but no one seems convinced that he’s a franchise quarterback — let alone the heir to Dan Marino, which Miami has been starved for since Ace Ventura’s detective buddy retired in 1999.

Henne’s been the definition of mediocrity, going 13–14 as a starter, with 27 TDs and 33 INTs — recording six multi-TD games and eight multi-turnover games — during that stretch.

Direct Snaps From Wildcat

Imagine the 6’5”, 232-pound VY taking direct snaps from the shotgun in the Wildcat formation? In all seriousness, Young is a dual-threat playmaker at quarterback — with 264 carries for 1,380 yards (5.2 ypc) and 12 TDs (including a 39-yard overtime “walk off” in his Houston homecoming) over 54 career games.

Although he’s no Mike Vick, VY has an exciting edge to his game that fits the city of Miami’s style more than Henne’s.

LeBron James’ Friend

The hottest girl in the room is rarely wrong. Vince is LeBron’s friend — and peer, in a warped way. The Dolphins will be doing the Heat a favor by signing Young. After having their likenesses torn down in Nashville and Cleveland, VY and LBJ could become twin towers on the sports scene in Miami — a.k.a. Dwyane Wade’s town.