Armchair Quarterback: McNair return brings forth mixed emotions
When it comes to professional football players, there aren’t many guys nicer than Titans quarterback Steve McNair.
That’s why I met the announcement of his return this week with mixed emotions given his recent injuries which kept him sidelined most of last season. He actually had his worst season ever last year, finishing with a 73.9 passer rating and just nine touchdowns, on the heels of a career season in which he shared MVP honors with Peyton Manning.
For some, his return was like a ray of hope leading into the coming season as the Titans try to rebound from a horrid 5-11 campaign. Some also feel the addition of new offensive coordinator Norm Chow from the defending national collegiate champion USC Trojans will help bolster the team.
However, this hope comes in a year where the Titans have basically scaled down a huge part of the their team, letting go of talent like Samari Rolle, Carlos Hall and Andre Dyson while basically getting nothing in return, instead hoping players like Lamont Thompson can step up again this year.
It seems we forget too soon that it wasn’t offense the Titans were lacking last year. Back-up quarterback Billy Volek tore it up last year before going down to an injury himself late in the season. However, in games such as the Monday Night debacle late last year against the Chiefs where the Titans lost 49-38 despite leading by three at the two-minute warning, it was the defense which couldn’t even slow down opposing offenses.
Anyone with a fantasy team who was smart enough to grab Volek at the time of McNair’s injury last year knows this guy was putting up nearly 400 yards a game and throwing numerous touchdowns to Drew Bennett. And, all of this was without injured receiver Tyrone Calico and with the limited help of oft injured back Chris Brown.
His numbers, I believe, were as good or better than what McNair would have put up in a normal year. And, may I point out a normal year means battling injuries for McNair. I’ve seen this guy in person following games on several occasions when I’ve attended the post-game press conferences. This past year it was almost painful to watch him as he lumbered like he could barely move, obviously in pain even following games where he did not suffer a debilitating hit like the one that caused his sternum injury, an injury for which he had a bone grafted from his leg to his chest recently to help strengthen the sternum. This is the same guy who said he has problems sleeping at night due to the constant pain.
Obviously, it’s love of the game bringing him back. However, I fear he will only get more pain for his return. In college ball we’d call this a rebuilding year. He has lost Derrick Mason on offense, plus, making it worse, the team’s defense is nonexistent now. This means the Titans will be playing from behind a lot this year, which, in turn, means McNair will be in the pocket a lot with a bulls eye on his jersey in the obvious passing downs. Given his leg problems, he won’t be able to avoid the hits and that chest, well, pro linebackers aren’t known for their bedside manners. They will target his weak spot.
Hopefully I’m wrong, but the indicators are McNair may be in for a long season given the salary cap problems the Titans are fighting. Can he still perform? Most likely. But, it may be a problem of simply not having the tools to win this year seeing the Titans mortgaged the farm years ago, a mortgage that came due this off-season.