Steve McNair in My Own Words

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Shocking. Words that could describe the last few weeks in world of the Hollywood community. Deaths have reigned down in the form of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and even television pitchman Billy Mays.

As sad as it was to hear that, the news was even more sad for me today. Upon hearing the news of Steve McNair’s death, I burst into tears. I grew up a Cowboys fan when I was younger, but wanted to branch out and find my own team. I looked for a team with something new and something fresh. I reached out for the Titans and immediately became a fan.

Through the many years, I watched as the Titans soared to new heights with running back Eddie George, Frank Wycheck and others. However, the one player I admired the most was Steve “Air” McNair. My first NFL football jersey? A dark blue No. 9 Titans garb with light blue shoulders. I still cherish that jersey to this day and it remains special in my jersey collection.

To me, Steve McNair was the consummate professional, on and off the field. I watched as he diligently worked on the field, completing pass after pass. He even put his body on the line just to get a single first down. A first down that could have won the game.

Off the field, Steve was what an NFL player should embody to be. Despite living in the age of Adam Jones, Michael Vick and Plaxico Burress, McNair was one of the few truly good guys out there. McNair worked hard with the Boys and Girls Club of America, as well as giving support and aid to the communities close to him hit by Hurricane Katrina.

I saw myself root for the guy. He wasn’t flashy like the Heisman Trophy winning Eddie George. He came from tiny Alcorn State, which was just a small I-AA school that was mostly a black college. He may have been somewhat of an unknown, but following the move to Tennessee, McNair became a household name.

McNair helped the Titans advance to their first and only Super Bowl in 1999. Despite not converting on their last play in the Super Bowl, I had hope that the Titans were heading in the right direction. The 2000 season saw the Titans go back to the playoffs and McNair do exceptionally well again. I can’t tell you the number of times I signaled with McNair’s trademark horns as he completed a big pass for a gain or score.

In 2003, I saw McNair get hurt, but still have the best season of his career. The amazing numbers he set helped him earn his first MVP. I debated the “Co” status because the man didn’t even play two games in a season with his best numbers. It was an amazing feat.

McNair would be traded to the Ravens in 2006. I held no remorse for the man. He had to do what he felt was right. In his mind, that was leaving his first team for his new team, the Baltimore Ravens. McNair never truly returned to his MVP form, but the man continued to amaze me by his shear presence on the field.

I sit here now, donning the same McNair jersey that became my first. It has changed since I first bought it, with some wear of the numbers on the front. The wilted numbers seems only right, as it reminds me of the small rips in my heart. God rest the soul of Steve McNair, a true Titan, on and off the field.

The Top 10 Games in Tennessee Titans History

Last season, the Tennessee Titans marked their 10th Anniversary of the name change from the Oilers. It’s been a memorable decade in Nashville and there have been some great games during that tenure. From memorable passes to a big game saving tackle, there are memories that I know I will personally remember for years to come.

With that said, I decided to come up with a list of the ten best games in the history of the Titan’s franchise. Each has their own significance and each is special in their own way to the fans, players, and coaches. However, these ten are the ones that stick out in my memory.

Five Questions I Would Ask Tennessee Titan’s Quarterback Vince Young

Many journalists out there try their hardest to be the best they can possibly be, but fail to realize their potential. They have trouble asking the tough questions that need to be asked, and it seems only the best out there do it.

This all begs the question—If given a chance to interview an athlete on the Tennessee Titans, who would I ask and what would I ask them?

There are hundreds of choices, but I would personally choose Vince Young from the Titans.

Facts are the guy has been surrounded by tons of controversy and now “rides the pine” behind the veteran comeback quarterback Kerry Collins. Young is explosive and has the potential to be a great player, but potential can only get you so far.

So, if I was given a chance to sit down with Vince for a one-on-one or even group interview, these are the five questions that I would ask him:

1) How has playing with former college teammates Bo Scaife, Michael Griffin, and   Ahmad Hall helped to ease the burden of playing in the tough NFL?

This would be a nice start off question. I want to try to ease myself into the interview with Vince and this would be a perfect softball question. I expect a typical answer, but I’d personally be really interested in what he says.

2) What have you learned by being a back up and seeing Kerry Collins lead the team to a 10-0 start last year?

This is a somewhat tougher question. But the fact remains that Young is now a back up quarterback and who knows how long it will last. It’s going to take either the retirement of Collins, his injury, or his complete fallout in order for Young to get a chance at regaining the spot he once held.

3) If you could go back and change one thing during your NFL career so far, what would it be and why?

This is a typical “what if” kind of question, but sometimes they make for some of the most interesting answers. Some people might expect his answer to center around the mental problems and supposed depression he suffered towards the beginning of last season. However, he might say something that most people may not have seen coming.

 

4) When you entered the league in 2006, you were under the leadership of Norm Chow as offensive coordinator. Two years later, Mike Heimerdinger is the leader of the offense. How much of a difference is there between those two coaches and have you had any problems transitioning between the two?

Working with one offensive coordinator when you enter the NFL is hard enough, but when you are a young player and have to transition, it makes it even harder. I would want to get Vince’s opinion on working with the two men and his ability to move from Chow to Heimerdinger.

 

5) Can you go into detail about the events that happened following the season opener against Jacksonville and your mention of suicide?

Clearly the big question everyone is wondering about. That incident has seemed to mar Young’s early career so far. There was not a lot said or talked about and getting everything into the air would be informative to the public and potentially helpful to Young’s development as a player.

Other questions that could be asked:

Do you keep in touch with Matt Leinart?

What are your thoughts on the Jay Cutler situation?

What player on another team would you like to see suit up for the Titans?

What is your personal opinion of Kerry Collins?

Who are your favorite and least favorite players on the team?

If you weren’t playing with the Titans, what would you be doing?

It would definitely be interesting to get his views on all of these questions. His opinion would help to answer some questions and issues, while other answers would help bring some different issues to light.

Titans Coaching Staff Brings Right Experience to the Table

 

While many view a coaching staff as being less important than the players, think again. Let the Tennessee Titans be a source of reference.

From top to bottom, each and every piece has come together to make the Titans one of the NFL’s growing franchises. Let’s start at the top of the coaching tree.

The biggest mistake that the Denver Broncos made was letting Mike Shanahan go. One of the longest serving NFL coaches out there, Shanahan led the Broncos to two Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999. It didn’t happen in his first year. It was that longevity that helped to build a successful organization for many years. 

Jeff Fisher is the exact same way. His stint goes from 1994 to the present and he has coaches the Houston Oilers to Tennessee Oilers to current Tennessee Titans.

While change can be good, that longevity has helped the Titans reach the Super Bowl once and they are certainly poised to go back to the big game in the near future.

Tangled in the Shanahan web is Mike Heimerdinger, the Tennessee offensive coordinator.

Heimdinger was with the Broncos during their two Super Bowl victories. His first stint with the Titans was from 2000-04. Tennessee remained dominant on offense during those years, but after leaving the team, Tennessee failed to see results offensively. During that stretch, the team went 4-12 and 8-8, but did have a breakout year in 2007 with a 10-6 record.

Heimdinger’s return last year saw the resurgence of veteran Kerry Collins, as well as the development of a smooth passing offense and vaunted running attack of Chris Johnson and LenDale White. It’s clear to see that the Titans missed Heimdinger and his offensive knowledge.

Two newcomers to the coaching staff this year are important ones. Chuck Cecil replaces Jim Schwartz, who left for the Detroit Lions, as defensive coordinator.

Cecil is known for his work with the defensive backs, but his main focus will be fixing a defensive line missing Albert Haynesworth. He helped make Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin look impressive. Titan fans can only hope he’ll do the same and retool the defensive front four.

Earnest Byner also replaces Sherman Smith as running backs coach. Smith is now the defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins, the same team Byner left to join Tennessee.

Byner had tremendous success with Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts in Washington; the two combined for 5,386 rushing yards during his tenure. Tennessee can only hope he replicates similar success with their two running backs—Chris Johnson and LenDale White.

Other very important names this season will be Fred Graves, the wide receivers coach, and Jim Washburn, the defensive line coach.

The young Graves helped to build Tennessee’s unknown receiving corps into one of the most solid and consistent groups in the league. Now he’ll have new talent in Nate Washington and Kenny Britt to help him continue his development and resurgence.

Washburn has the task of working with defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil in making a plan for restructuring the defensive line. Adding Jovan Haye and Sen’Derrick Marks should help give them plenty of ideas moving forward.

The coming months should see these men, plus others I haven’t mentioned, come together to create a plan that will help the Titans either succeed in the AFC South or find trouble after an unbelievable season.

Tennessee Titans Fill Their Needs, but Having an Impact Will Be a Toss Up

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The conclusion of the NFL Draft and most of free agency has team’s set up for a summer of preparation for the 2009 NFL season. Such is the case for the Tennessee Titans, who look to build momentum from an amazing 13-3 season and AFC South Championship.

The hopes of many Titans fans were that the team would bring back franchise defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. However, in the beginning hours of free agency, the Washington Redskins and $100 million were too great to pass up for the University of Tennessee alum. That left the Titans with a 6’ 5”, 320 pound hole to fill.

That hole was addressed with several offseason moves.

First, Jovan Haye was brought over in the Titan’s first move of this free agency period. Haye had played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and broke out in 2007 with a 68 tackle, six sack season. However, he was plagued with injuries last year and did not record a single sack.

Tennessee’s second round pick, Sen’Derrick Marks, comes over from Auburn. Marks is the opposite of Haye, as he played in all but three games in college.

Finally, breakout star Jason Jones looks to be in the rotation. The former Eastern Michigan player started only three games last year, but wrapped up 3.5 sacks against Pittsburgh and five sacks total.

The receiving corps of the Titans did well with what they had last year, but it just wasn’t quite enough to get them past the Ravens in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

With the many options they had, such as bringing in T.J. Houshmandzadeh via free agency or perhaps Terrell Owens with a trade, the Titans chose instead to bring in Super Bowl winner Nate Washington from Pittsburgh. In the 2009 NFL Draft, Tennessee also selected Rutgers wide receiver Kenny Britt with the 30th pick.

Tight end was another issue, as the Titans franchised Bo Scaife this offseason. Scaife was the Titan’s second leading receiver, only marginally behind Justin Gage.

Alge Crumpler was added last season to help the blocking up front for the running game, but his catching ability hasn’t been there. This year’s third round pick, Jared Cook, looks to be a potential replacement for Scaife next season and has similar tools. Cook can also become a nice big play man, as he has a great ability to break short passes for long gains.

These additions look impressive at first glance, but the realization is that no one truly knows how each player will play until they enter the field of play. You can analyze tape as much as you want, but there are so many outside factors that play into how a player performs.

Does he study the tape? How hard is he working in practice? Will he get injured at some point in the season? Just look at the New England Patriots. They lost Tom Brady at the beginning of the season. No one predicted it, but it didn’t hurt the team too badly.

Another issue is personality. Does a player’s personality conflict with others? So many variables go into how a team works together.

It is as simple as this though; the one team that works the best together always overcomes obstacles and holds up the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the year.

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