Mac 9: The Iron Man - Steve “Air” McNair

(Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

       Early In 1999, McNair was caught in the first snag of his NFL career. He was injured with an inflamed disk in his back, which required surgery and sidelined him for five weeks of the regular season. 

Luckily, McNair was backed up by veteran Neil O’Donnell who led the Titans to a 4-1 record while McNair recovered.  When their leader returned, the Titans didn’t miss a beat winning seven of their last nine contests which was good enough for a 13-3 overall record and a second place finish to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC’s Central division. McNair and the Titans advanced to the 1999 playoffs and knocked off the Buffalo Bills in the wild card round in dramatic fashion. Does the Music City Miracle ring a bell?

       For the divisional round they packed their bags to battle the Indianapolis Colts led by their young star quarterback Peyton Manning. After knocking off the Colts it was time to face the Jaguars.

       It was their third meeting that year, the Titans were the only team to beat Jacksonville. McNair and his soldiers rolled over the Jaguars and Mac 9 tossed five touchdown passes. The Titans had their first conference title and were Super Bowl bound. In Super Bowl XXXIV they faced off against the St. Louis Rams whom they defeated in Tennessee in McNair’s first game back from injury.  

       With the clock ticking down in the NFL’s Championship game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, McNair used his uncanny ability to avoid the pass rush and break tackles to guide the Titans into St. Louis territory. Down by a score, Tennessee needed a touchdown, and with 6 seconds left on the final play of the game McNair connected with Kevin Dyson but came up one yard short of possibly sending the game into overtime. One yard short…

       McNair would spend his remaining years in Tennessee trying to get his Titans back to the Super Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens sent the Titans home early after claiming the #1 overall seed in the playoffs after another 13-3 regular season in 2001. They reached the AFC Championship game in 2002, but surrendered over 40 points to the potent Oakland Raiders in the black hole. 

       In 2003, McNair earned co-league MVP honors with his rival, Peyton Manning. McNair produced a quarterback rating of 100.4, throwing 24 touchdowns. Unfortunately, McNair and the Titans would lose a close game in the divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual super bowl champions, the New England Patriots.  In 2004, McNair was sidelined with a sternum injury throughout the season, and the Titans struggled without their leader.  After a difficult season the 2005 Titans began re-building their roster letting go of key veterans to free up cap space.

      As expected, they struggled once again, and at the end of a tumultuous season the Titans traded their beloved signal caller to Baltimore. McNair would finish out his career suiting up for his old rival the Ravens, finally retiring after 13 seasons in the NFL. He finally began accepting the fact that he physically could not play the position at a high level, or at least at the level that he wanted to.

     Steve “Air” McNair was an iron man, and a student of the game. His numbers won’t get him into the Hall of Fame. However, his dedication and toughness will never be forgotten by anyone who knows what Steve McNair was all about. He is survived by his wife Mechelle and four sons: Steve Junior, Trenton, Steven and Tyler. 

     Steve McNair will forever be my all-time favorite quarterback and I hope people realize just how mentally and physically strong this guy really was. I know that I will never forget Mac 9, the legendary quarterback who made me proud to be a Tennessee Titan fan. Steve McNair played the game with his heart, and if he could walk, he was going to play on Sunday. I ask you to honor what he did on the field, and not to dwell on his sins off of it. Steve McNair defined what the Titans organization represents…leadership, power, and selflessness.

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