Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #19 - Steve McNair

Steve McNair

Steve McNair was a starting quarterback in the NFL for a full decade, and was one of the better ones in the league for a good chunk of that time, and literally came within inches of being a Super Bowl champ.

McNair was drafted by the Houston Oilers with the 3rd overall pick in the 1995 Draft out of tiny Alcorn State to be their quarterback of the future, and he spent his first 2 seasons backing up Chris Chandler. He did not play much, but when he did, he showed signs of how good he was going to be.

When the team moved to Tennessee before the 1997, McNair was named the starter and started every game the Tennessee Oilers ever played, and they won exactly half of those games. He was getting better and better, and even led the team and all quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns in 1997, when he reached the end zone 8 times in the season.

In 1999 the team officially changed their name to the Titans, and McNair had his best season up to that date, even though he missed 5 games early in the season. He again finished with 8 rushing touchdowns, matching his career high, and threw another 12 to go with only 8 picks, and Tennessee finished with a record of 13-3.

That season's playoffs were very memorable. First came the wild card game against Buffalo, which ended with the Music City Miracle, one of the most unforgettable endings to a playoff game in history. McNair scored his team's only offensive touchdown of the game. They eventually reached the Super Bowl, where they held the Greatest Show on Turf Rams team to only 23 points, and McNair's pass to Kevin Dyson came up just short of the goal line as time expired.

He continued to play well through the next 3 seasons, even getting the Titans back to the AFC title game again in 2002, but they failed to reach the Super Bowl again. He had his best season in 2003, when he won the MVP after throwing 24 touchdowns with only 7 picks, but they were bounced by the Patriots in the playoffs.

His seasons ended early due to injury in 2004 and 2005, which prompted the Titans to move on, trading him to Baltimore for a draft pick. He was healthy in his first season for the Ravens, and started every game as the team went 13-3, but they lost 15-6 to the Colts in their first playoff game. Following another injury-plagued season, he announced his retirement once the 2007 season ended.

McNair never won a championship during his career, but he is one of the best to have fallen short of that honor, and he was probably the closest of anyone to fall short. He was one of the best running quarterbacks of his time, and didn't make many mistakes passing the ball, and consistently led his team to the playoffs. He may not be in the Hall of Fame yet, but he should be, and I believe that he deserves to be ranked this high among the greatest QBs of all time.