Teams
- Houston/Tennessee Oilers; Tennessee Titans (1995-2005)
- Baltimore Ravens (2006-2007)
Accolades
- NFL MVP (2003)
- 3x Pro Bowl (2000, 2003, 2005)
- 2nd Team All-Pro (2003)
“In the spring of 1995, I left Houston to go down to Alcorn State University to witness a workout of an up-and-coming, very talented young quarterback with part of our staff. We got there and his mom, Lucille, had food for everybody. We spent the day with him on and off the field, in the classroom, and as we got in the car to head back to Houston, we were unanimous as a staff that this young man was special. He was special and he was going to be special. So here we are 15 years later and he is no longer with us.”
—Jeff Fisher, former Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans, on the passing of Steve McNair (source)
Alcorn State is a historically black university of 3,700 students in Lorman, Mississippi. Being a small school playing in a Division I-AA conference, it’s not often that one of their players is considered a highly-prized target in an NFL Draft. That said, the Houston Oilers and Head Coach Jeff Fisher absolutely could not ignore the absolutely insane senior season that Alcorn State QB Steve “Air” McNair put up ’94. In 11 games, McNair would throw for 4,863 yards and 44 touchdowns, while running for an additional 936 yards. That means that, an average game for McNair was 527 total yards and four passing touchdowns alone. Rewarding him for that success, the Oilers took McNair 3rd overall in the draft.
Steve McNair would spend the majority of his first two seasons backing-up Chris Chandler, making only six starts from ’95-’96. But in 1997 he would finally make his debut as full-time starter, leading the now-Tennessee Oilers in all 16 games. It was a learning experience for the first-year starter as Tennessee would go 8-8. McNair would only throw for 2,665 yards, but impress with his feet in running for 674 yards. He provided 22 combined TDs, but also fumbled 16 times, the most in the league. Although Tennessee would not improve record-wise in 1998 (8-8), McNair progressed. He threw for 3,228 yards in ’98, adding another 559 on the ground. Perhaps even more importantly, his fumbles dropped to only five in another 16 starts.
In 1999, the Tennessee Oilers would become the Tennessee Titans and make enormous strides. Despite an early-season injury that would knock him out for five games, Neil O’Donnell kept the ship afloat with a 4-1 record. And for his part, McNair would pick right back up from where O’Donnell left off. The newly-ordained Titans would go 9-2 with the Alcorn State product under Center. For the first time, McNair would take his team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, despite defeating division rivals Jacksonville twice during the regular season, the Jags would be perfect the rest of the way. At 14-2, Jacksonville would win the division, relegating the 13-3 Titans to a Wild Card slot.
In the first two rounds of the playoffs, McNair served more as game manager in contributing only 242 total offensive yards and one touchdown in the two games combined. However, the Titans found themselves on the winning end of both, setting up a third date with Jacksonville, this time for the AFC title. While McNair’s passing was pedestrian (112 yards), his nose for the end zone was not. He ran for two TDs, in addition to a passing touchdown, and added 91 yards on the ground as Tennessee blew out Jax and earned a berth in Super Bowl XXXIV.
Anyone who remembers Super Bowl XXXIV recalls a tight game between first-year starter Kurt Warner and the St. Louis Rams and McNair’s Titans. With less than two minutes in regulation, down by seven points, McNair would drive the Titans 87 yards. He would go 6-for-10 (including a time-stopping spike) for 48 yards, while running for 14 more and aided by 25 yards in Rams defensive penalties. The only problem was that the Titans needed 88 yards. Kevin Dyson would famously stretch the ball towards the end zone, only to be brought down just short of a potentially game-tying score and the Rams would win 23-16. Despite no touchdowns, McNair passed for 214 yards, ran for another 64, and committed no turnovers.
The Tennessee Titans would not be deflated by the heartbreaking defeat. They would pick right up where they left off and in 2000 would go 13-3 (12-3 in McNair’s starts). Their signal caller’s stats weren’t mind-blowing, but solid enough to help his team finish with the AFC’s best record and earn his first Pro Bowl nod. But in an eerie similarity to the previous system, the AFC Central champs would be upset by an upstart divisional rival, this time the Baltimore Ravens. Air McNair would pass for 176 yards and an interception in the 24-10 defeat to the eventual Super Bowl champion Ravens.
In 2001, McNair would have best season statistically thus far, throwing for 3,350 yards and 21 TDs, while rushing for 414 yards and adding five more end zone trips. But the Titans would disappoint, ending at 7-9. However, 2002 was a huge bounce-back season. McNair would again eclipse 3,300 passing yards, 400 rushing yards, and 20 passing touchdowns as Tennessee would make the postseason at 11-5. He would also be heroic in a Divisional Round match-up with Pittsburgh, passing for 338 yards and two touchdowns (and rushing for another) in a 34-31 triumph. In the AFC Championship game, looking for a second trip to the Super Bowl, Air McNair threw for 194 yards, ran for another 53, and had three total touchdowns with no turnovers. Despite his effort, the defense faltered against NFL MVP Rich Gannon and the Raiders, and the Titans would go home after the 41-24 loss.
After being on the cusp of another Super Bowl appearance, Steve McNair would turn in his greatest year as a pro in 2013. He would lead the league in passing yards per attempt (8.0), yards per completion (12.9), and passer rating (100.4). For only the second time its inception in 1975, the Pro Football Writers of America would name two Most Valuable Players, awarded to both McNair and Peyton Manning. In only 14 starts, McNair would also throw for 3,215 yards, and career bests in passing touchdowns (24) and interceptions (7). In the Wild Card round, Tennessee would fend off Baltimore on a late Gary Anderson field goal by a 20-17 score. The league co-MVP would struggle though, throwing three interceptions against a tough Ravens D. But a key 49-yard TD pass in the third quarter would help be a difference-maker in helping the Titans advance. In a closely contested battle in Foxborough the following weekend, McNair would challenge Tom Brady closely with 210 yards passing and a touchdown. But a first quarter interception would give the Pats good field position, enabling them to score a key touchdown and beat Tennessee 17-14, another step towards the Patriots’ second Super Bowl title in three years.
After struggling with injuries in 2004, and dealing with a team in decline in 2005 (despite being named to a third and final Pro Bowl), McNair’s run in Nashville would come to an end. Prior to the 2006 season, under controversial circumstances, McNair was locked out of Titans team headquarters, and traded to rival Baltimore shortly thereafter. It was there that McNair would have one more resurgent year, making 16 starts and passing for over 3,000 yards in helping the Ravens to a 13-3 year and the #2 seed in the AFC. But in his last postseason appearance, McNair would struggle with only 179 total yards and three turnovers in a 15-6 loss to eventual NFL champs Indianapolis. He would start only six games in 2007 for Baltimore, and retire prior to the ’08 season. The story of Steve McNair ends on a crushing note. On the fourth of July, 2009, McNair was found shot to death, the victim of a murder-suicide conducted by his supposed mistress. Steve McNair was 36 years old.
Looking at the numbers over the course of 13 years of pro football, I was surprised at how consistent Steve McNair was, as well as the big strides he made after his first few years in the League. He was also a consistent winner, winning 91 of his regular season starts to only 62 losses. On top of that, his résumé speaks volumes about his personal achievement and overall success: MVP award, Super Bowl appearance, three Pro Bowls, playoff appearances in five different seasons. Furthermore, he evolved from a dual threat who emphasized running into a solid pass-first player. Marcus Mariota has had some success as Titans’ starter, but Tennessee fans are still waiting for somebody to take the team back to the Super Bowl. Until that time, Air McNair will continue to be remembered as The Man in Nashville.
Deviation Chart
| Season | W-L% | Tot Y/G | Tot TD/G | Tot TO/G | Y/C/Y/A | Cmp % | TD% | Int% |
| Reg Season | 0.053 | -0.022 | -0.016 | 0.075 | 0.001 | 0.026 | -0.023 | 0.077 |
| Playoffs | 0.000 | -0.070 | -0.065 | 0.092 | -0.169 | 0.025 | -0.199 | 0.015 |
Longevity Bonus = 1.1 Title Bonus = 0.0
Index Score = 1.970 (average QB = 0.0)
Deviation Rank (out of 155)
| Season | W-L% | Tot Y/G | Tot TD/G | Tot TO/G | Y/C/Y/A | Cmp % | TD% | Int% |
| Reg Season | 45th | 90th | 93rd | 50th | 94th | 62nd | 114th | 27th |
| Playoffs | T-47th | 101st | 95th | 41st | 148th | 48th | 133rd | 70th |
Why is he on the Top 100 list?
The one area in which Steve McNair truly shined was deviation for interceptions per pass (27th). But he also makes the Top 50 in win-loss percentage (45th) and fewest turnovers per game (50th), the latter all the more impressive considering he led the NFL in fumbles in ’97. As a playoff performer, his best attributes again were total turnovers per game, win-loss percentage, and completion percentage, all of which get him in the Top 50.
Why isn’t he higher on the list?
Really the one glaring weakness was McNair’s limited ability to throw for touchdowns. Make no mistake, the guy could get them as he ran for 37 in the regular season and six more in the playoffs. But overall, he’s in the bottom 100 for passing touchdown percentage in the regular season, and bottom 30 in the playoffs. He also narrowly slides in the Top 100 for total yards per game, total touchdowns per game, and yards/completion + yards/attempt average in terms of the regular season.
The Quarterback Project 