After Week 12 in 2002, the Tennessee Titans had fallen a game behind the Indianapolis Colts for first place in the AFC South division and their starting quarterback, Steve McNair, was so bruised that he could not practice (and would not for the final five weeks of the season). However, that did not stop McNair from starting the final five games of the season and leading the Titans to the division title and into the AFC championship game.
Most people will remember Steve McNair for the final drive in Super Bowl XXXIV that fell a yard short from potentially forcing the first overtime game in Super Bowl history. I like to remember him for the countless times he never quit and never missed a start when he easily could have said, “I can’t play on Sunday.”
McNair, who was shot and killed Saturday, July 4, in Nashville, has always been a dynamic player that wowed sports fans. His unconventional play never got in the way of his talent and fortitude. His toughness and resilience was unmatched.
If you compare him to other quarterbacks of his era, you will find players with better passing and running stats and players with better football intelligence. But like Trent Dilfer, McNair knew how to win and lead his team. Along with Eddie George, they plowed along like a tugboat. His Titans (and the one successful year he had with the Baltimore Ravens) were not the most formidable opponents, but they were teams no one ever wanted to play. Teams knew they would finish a game against McNair bruised, battered, broken, and most likely with a loss.
It was McNair’s work ethic, grit, and competitiveness that guided him to success in football.
Gaining attention in the most unlikely of places
McNair did not play four years of college at a Division I school – nor did he even play one year. He played his college career at Alcorn State (a Division I-AA school). Of course, like everything else in his life, it did not stop him from rising to the top.
He played so well at Alcorn State that NFL scouts and fans from across the country came to watch him play at the historically black college. In 1994 (his senior year), McNair accumulated 5,799 total yards – still a Division I-AA (now known as Football Championship Subdivision) record. Over his entire college football career, he amassed a total of 16, 823 total yards – another record that still stands.
He is one of the few (and could be the only) Division I-AA players to finish in the top three of the Heisman Trophy race. He was so good in college that the Houston Oilers (soon to be the Titans) ignored where he played for and drafted him in 2005 with the third pick. If it wasn’t for the Oilers, he would have definitely been drafted very soon thereafter.
From Division I-AA stardom to NFL stardom
McNair did not disappoint his teammates and fans in the NFL. He was a leader on and off the field from the start of his career. He never lost his composure and always picked himself up – no matter how vicious the hit.
In his NFL career, he amassed over 30,000 passing yards and 3,500 rushing yards becoming one of three NFL players (along with Steve Young and Fran Tarkenton) to accomplish that feat. He went to three Pro Bowls and was co-MVP with Peyton Manning in 2003. In 2007, he was inducted into the Oilers/Titans Hall of Fame and the Ring of Honor at LP Field last year.
While he never won a Super Bowl ring during his illustrious 13-year career, it was never because of a lack of talent or heart on his part. The ring elluded him like it did to many great players before (and soon to be after) him. Of course, most of those players will not say they finished one yard short of potentially winning a Super Bowl.
McNair’s resilience
Teammates did not love to play with McNair because of his talent and football smarts. They loved him for his toughness and grit. He was accountable and stood up for his teammates. Something you don’t see with most sports players anymore. It earned him the respect of his teammates.
He was a model football player who never quit on his team no matter the circumstances. But more importantly, the life he lead on the field was the life he lead off the field. It is a shame he had to die young.
McNair will be missed.
July 19, 2009 at 2:25 pm |
Being a Pittsburgh Steeler fan, I will always remember McNairs toughness. The blitzing defense would hammer McNair and He would stay in the pocket and hit the receiver for a completion. He took the hits and was a tough competitor. The Steelers repected his toughness and gave him a great deal of respect personally. I know most people remember his great effort in the superbowl only to come up short but if you look at his career you walk away knowing he was a tough competitor. McNair will be missed.