Remember the Titans: McNair does

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, November 09, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Baltimore Ravens
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Steve McNair playing quarterback in Tennessee, in another uniform?

That must be like having Thanksgiving dinner with your ex, and bringing along your new family.

Or having your son come home from college for the first time, with a load of laundry -- the analogy offered by Titans coach Jeff Fisher.

McNair was a Titan for 11 years, an eternity in NFL terms, leading Tennessee into the playoffs in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2003. The first time, the Titans made it to the Super Bowl before losing to St. Louis in the final minute.

That happy history all ended during the offseason, when the Titans and McNair parted ways with an acrimony only a longstanding relationship can generate when it dissolves. At one point, Tennessee officials even locked their former hero out of training camp.

Not that McNair is complaining anymore. The Ravens, despite a few bumps in the road, are 6-2 and comfortably on top in the AFC North. The Titans are 2-6, and Vince Young is getting the kind of on-the-job quarterback training that McNair received back in 1997.

"When you put 12 years in," McNair said earlier this week, "you want to be with a team that has a chance to go to the Super Bowl."

The Ravens have an outside chance. The Titans? In their dreams.

Still, don't expect a runaway (or flyaway) by the Ravens this Sunday. For one thing, three key Baltimore players are damaged -- TE Todd Heap (ankle), LB Ray Lewis (back) and DB Ed Reed (neck). Lewis and Reed collided into each other in the 26-20 victory over Cincinnati last week, and both are listed as "questionable."

McNair, miraculously, has missed only one game with an injury this season. There was a time when his wife, a nurse, was a fixture on pre-game shows, talking about all her husband's afflictions and what she had to do to get him back on the field.

Another factor to consider is how well the Titans know McNair. Fisher was his coach almost the entire time he played in Tennessee, and obviously knows how his former star thinks, reacts and makes decisions.

On the flip side, though, McNair has spent many hours practicing against the Tennessee defense.

Baltimore is 2-0 since head coach Brian Billick started calling the offensive plays. McNair says he's comfortable with that arrangement, and RB Jamal Lewis likes getting the ball more. Musa Smith and Mike Anderson are capable runners in reserve roles.

Here's a remarkable stat as far as the Ravens are concerned -- in games in which they have at least a 14-point lead, they're 43-1.

As for McNair, he has thus far thrown for 1,319 yards and seven touchdowns against seven interceptions. His quarterback rating is 73.8, 20 points less on the season than the man he replaced, Kyle Boller.

The thing is, Steve McNair just wins. The Tennessee Titans know all about that.

Get more Baltimore Ravens commentary at RealFootball365.com
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