No thread on Steve McNair's retirement?

Beat me to it. And because I'm biased, the Lynn Swann catch.

 

Plain and simple, McNair didn't live in the gym in-season or care much for off-season workouts or put in the playbook time you'd expect of a top-shelf NFL QB.

 

Because you're forcing me to do it, BYH ... George Mason!

 

I wish he would have written that instead of hinting around the issue. Either say the guy didn't work hard or don't. Don't qualify it or get mysterious about it or couch it in talk of what a great guy he was.

And Oz, I never thought you were a kick-in-the-groin kinda guy. I guess I was wrong. Even with the Larry Brown comment, there was no reason for you to hurt me like that.

 

I hear you, Manning's escape was mighty impressive, but McNair's was better.

After his escape, Manning basically had a prayer down the field answered by Tyree. It was a Favrian wing-and-a-prayer toss that could just as easily been an interception. It worked out for the Giants, though, and rightfully will go down in history.

McNair's completion was still rates higher in my mind. His throw was spot-on, it wasn't a prayer by any means. He wasn't in desperation mode as much as Manning was when he threw his pass, he kept his head in the play despite the fact the play should have been dead to rights several times over.

Just a tad more impressive to me, even if, as you said, it ultimately didn't mean as much given that the Titans lost.

 

He should have retired in Tennessee. He had a good career though.

 

Don Banks had an interesting read on the subject:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/don_banks/04/18/mcnair/index.html

 

Good column... Banks is always a great read...

 

Like Earl Campell (HoF, first ballot, rightly so), McNair was a terrific player whose style carried the seeds of his destruction. Quarterbacks cannot get hit like he did without missing games.
Not saying McNair was anywhere as good as Campbell, or a Hall of Famer-just noting the similarity. He paid a lot for those Titans' wins.

 

McNair and Favre are two of the toughest QB's ever and they're both from Mississippi. McNair was fun to watch. Great story of where he came from in Mississippi to become one of the elite QB's in the NFL. On a side note, he can absolutely crush a softball.