Entering his 11th season re-energized and healthy, former NFL co-MVP Steve McNair expects to again be one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks while piloting the franchise back to the playoffs. Although given unlikely odds to return the Titans to glory in the immediate future, the 32-year-old Mississippian has made a life-long habit of conquering the improbable. Prior to and during his storied career, McNair has set benchmarks, broken stereotypes and, at times, defied belief. From humble beginnings – only one university, Alcorn State, wanted him to play quarterback coming out of high school – to leading the Titans through the most successful five-year run in team history, he has garnered repeated accolades for his grace, athleticism and dogged determination to win.
After being drafted in 1995, he sat and learned for most of his rookie season and much of 1996. By his third NFL season, he was poised to take charge of the team’s offense. Amid the backdrop of the team’s move from Houston to its temporary home in Memphis and finally to Nashville, McNair’s ascension into the NFL’s elite mirrored that of the team’s. By 1999, the team had found a permanent home at the Coliseum, and McNair was poised to lead the Titans to their first Super Bowl appearance. He continued to win games and win over fans with his remarkable play. Many football historians too were convinced. There are five players in the history of the NFL who have passed for 20,000 yards and rushed for 3,000 yards – John Elway, Fran Tarkenton, Steve Young, Randall Cunningham and McNair.
In 2003, McNair’s individual career reached a new level. He successfully guided the Titans to the team’s fourth playoff appearance in five seasons. Along the way, he shared one of the most prestigious awards in sports with Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning, the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award. He became only the second member of the Oilers/Titans to win the MVP award, joining Earl Campbell, who won it in 1979. Also voted to start the Pro Bowl for the AFC, McNair’s 100.4 passer rating in 2003 was the best in the league and the highest in team history.
As he begins the 2005 season, McNair’s prominence has reached a level reserved for the franchise’s greatest players. His 23,980 passing yards rank second in club annals behind Warren Moon (33,685). He is the all-time leader in completion percentage (59.3%) and ranks second in completions (2,013), second in attempts (3,395) and third in touchdowns (140). With an 83.4 career passer rating, he ranks first in team history and 20th in the history of the NFL (minimum 1,500 attempts). In 2002, he completed a string of 23 games in which he passed for at least one touchdown (10/14/01-11/24/02), breaking Warren Moon’s mark of 21 games. McNair is the team’s fourth quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards in a season (1998, 2001, 2002, 2003), joining Moon, George Blanda and Ken Stabler, and he is only the second to reach the mark in three consecutive seasons (Moon, 1989-1991). He became the youngest of the four to hit the 3,000-yard mark in 1998, and in 2002, at the age of 29, he became the franchise’s youngest quarterback to reach 100 touchdown passes (Moon, 33).
