Finally McNair is Dealt
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by user BigPPup
Finally, the end is near. After months of speculation, and one of the strangest off seasons in recent memory the Tennessee Titians have figured out what to do with franchise QB Steve McNair. On Wednesday the Titians worked out a deal that will ship the face of their team off to Baltimore, for a fourth round draft pick. While a physical is still pending, the deal puts to rest what has undoubtedly been the oddest chain of events in McNair’s playing career.
At the beginning of the off season Steve McNair was banned from entering the Titians practice facilities in fear he may injure himself. McNair was due 23 million dollars that was left on his contract and due to his injury prone history the Titians did not want to risk a mishap during off season workouts that would burden the team with having to pay all his salary without receiving his services.
Back in April during the NFL Draft the Titians gave Steve McNair’s agent Bus Cook permission to pursue a deal for McNair. It is rumored that Cook worked out a deal with the Ravens at that time that would have given the QB 11 million dollars plus a 1 million dollar signing bonus. This deal was worth more than the 9 million dollars McNair was slated to make in 2006 with the Titians.
The impact of this deal will be felt immediately next season. The Titians dealing McNair clears a space for top draft pick Vince Young. However, Young looks to McNair as a mentor and now he will miss out on spending time as an apprentice to his favorite QB. On the upside for Young, he now has the opportunity to compete for a starting job in Tennessee from the start.
For the Baltimore Ravens the deal may be the kick in the pants the franchise has been seeking since their 2001 Super Bowl victory. Current Ravens starting QB Kyle Boller has had an inconsistent career to say the least. He was brought in to be the pet project of Coach Brian Billick. Now he may be the pet that cost Billick to get evicted. Yet, there have been moments including the tail end of last season that Boller seems to grasp the offense and has potential to be a solid starter. The signing of Steve McNair is a double edged sword for Boller. With the arrival of McNair Boller is automatically dropped to a second string position. Yet the arrival of a Pro-Bowl QB could provide the kick in the ass Boller needs to jump start his career and work to achieve the potential Billick saw in him a few years ago.
That being said, Steve McNair is a Pro-Bowl caliber QB. Even when injured he has the talent and the heart to lift a team onto his shoulders. His ability to understand offenses will allow him to quickly adapt to the complex schemes Coach Billick prefers to run. Also with the guidance of Jim Fossil as his offensive coordinator McNair inherits a brain trust of coaching talent around him. McNair’s ability to stretch the field with his arm will open up space downfield for receivers like Derrick Mason. Also in doing that he will create holes over the middle and in the flats for Pro-Bowl TE Todd Heap to roam, and make big plays. Finally with a QB who is able to pass for over 100 yrds a game the Ravens will not have to rely on RB Jamal Lewis. This means teams will not be able to stack 8 men in the box to stop the run. This should allow Lewis the opportunity to find more holes to attack from the line of scrimmage. Despite being slowed by injury McNair still has a powerful arm that is very accurate. While he may not return to his MVP form of a few seasons ago, he has the potential to return Pro-Bowl talent and be an upgrade for a stagnant offense.
For the Baltimore Ravens signing Steve McNair is an instant upgrade in what is becoming one of the most competitive divisions in football. Currently the AFC North is home to the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers, the Cincinnati Bengals are widely considered one of the best teams in the league (if Palmer is healthy), and the Browns are improving each day under Coach Cornnel. The Ravens needed an upgrade just to keep pace with their division rivals. Not to mention signing McNair may be enough of a bold move to help keep outspoken and insanely talented linebacker Ray Lewis quiet going into camp. At least now the Ravens have a fighting chance.
Date
Thu 06/08/06, 2:33 pm EST
