Steve McNair to Retire Today

by Jimmy on Apr 17, 2008 9:58 AM CDT in Tennessee Titans News

Steve McNair has told the Baltimore Ravens that he will announce his retirement today at 12 p.m. central press conference. It was tough for a lot of us as Titans fans to take when he signed with the Ravens, but he is still probably my favorite Titan of all time.

I will have a lot more on him in the next few days. For now leave your favorite Air McNair memory in the comments. I will start. I will never forget the 2002 game against the Giants when he led the Titans to a 4th quarter comeback after not practicing for the entire week. He is one of the toughest quarterbacks to ever play the game and a true gamer in every since of the word.

Update [2008-4-17 14:17:1 by Jimmy]: Here is a quote from his press conference:

McNair said he walked up to Newsome recently and said, "I'm not going to pull your leg. Mentally, I can play two or three more years. Physically, I just can't get it back. I don't have the physical tools it takes to play this game at a high level. My mind was telling me yes, and my body was telling me, 'No, what are doing?'"

I think that about sums up what we have known for a couple of years now.

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Retire as a Titan!!!

One day contract!!

Come on Bud!!

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Apr 17, 2008 10:04 AM CDT reply actions

please please please please please please please..

do this Bud! McNair was such an inspiration for Nashville and did so much to legitimize this football team that it would be a travesty to see him retire in the hated purple and black!

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Apr 17, 2008 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions

I third.

I was hoping he would come and be our backup, but I guess he felt it's time to hang it up.

This is sad news, and I wish him well in his future endeavors.

On the field, I can't choose just one moment. There were so many times that he willed himself to perform, and willed this team to a victory.

Off the field, my favorite Steve moment was when I was working as a valet and I got to park his car.

by hartley on Apr 17, 2008 10:50 AM CDT up reply actions

Good By Stevie

Thanks for the memories.

It would be nice to see him retire as a Titan.

By the way when id Eddie going to retire?

by VY on Apr 17, 2008 10:06 AM CDT reply actions

Super Bowl Scramble

Hands down--when I think of #9, I think of the scramble.

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Apr 17, 2008 10:10 AM CDT reply actions

And the picture to prove it.

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Apr 17, 2008 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions

I am not sure

if my memory serves me correctly, but i believe it was 2001 against the Bucs. It was a fourth down in OT and McNair shook of a DLineman and proceeded to rumble down field about 30 yards setting up the game winning field goal. Like I said, all the details are a little fuzzy. I just remember at that moment I fell in love with the guy.

The Jassus Has Spoken

by The Nasty One Lives on Apr 17, 2008 10:49 AM CDT reply actions

Position Coach

Any chance he comes back here as an Asst. QB coach?

by Thunder Jones on Apr 17, 2008 10:52 AM CDT reply actions

that was the first thought I had too...

I could also understand if he wanted to take a few years off before getting into the coaching grind.

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Apr 17, 2008 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions

My favorite Mac moment(s)

outside of the super bowl, was the 2003 payoff run where we beat the Steelers, and the TV crew had that crazy diagram of all the injuries he was playing through... that was a friggin' inspiration.

This is closely followed by beating the Raven the next year: it's hard to describe how much it meant to see he and Eddie exorcise that demon and lift up a whole city.

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Apr 17, 2008 10:59 AM CDT reply actions

That Raven game was incredible

Maybe we can have a co-retirement ceremony this fall?

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Apr 17, 2008 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions

One of my favorite moments

was after one game of the 2002 season:
After he won another game for us, he is seen carrying the game ball in one arm and his little baby son in the other!
Fantastic scene!!!
Anyone remembers what game it was??
I think it was the Giants game, but I am not sure...

The biggest Titans fan in Brazil.

by brazilian fan on Apr 17, 2008 11:07 AM CDT reply actions

I remember when...

it was 1999 and we were playing the Ravens here and Tony Siragusa came in and wrapped up Mac. McNair did a dip and shake and flipped the Goose off the other side of him, regained his balance and ran for a first down. I thought, "My god, I don't believe what I just saw." Everybody at work was talking about that play the next day. He showed his strength on that play and no one else could have gotten loose like that but McNair.

I was wishing he'd get his championship when he went to the Ravens. I'd like to see him made a Titan for a day too and have him retire a Titan. At the very least I'd like to see his number retired.

by Titanfan on Apr 17, 2008 11:30 AM CDT reply actions

He is a Class Guy

I appreciate the way he did this I just hope the Titans will have some type of thing to honor his work with the team.

by VY on Apr 17, 2008 1:20 PM CDT reply actions

The Titans have to honor him.

Otherwise, his last moments with this team were spent in a fierce legal battle over whether or not he could practice, with the team on the wrong side. How do you lock your franchise QB out of the team training facility, to the point where he has to file a grievance to get in?

Offseason 2006 contained my worst moments as a Titans fan, to the point I almost gave up on the team. With the exception of draft day, I spent months angry at this team over their treatment of Steve McNair, and then the pre-season shenanigans with Billy Volek.

Bringing Steve back on a 1-day contract to retire a Titan, or having a jersey retirement ceremony, would do a lot to redeem the team's behavior in his exit from this frnachise.

by hartley on Apr 17, 2008 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Too many to pick one...

but if you held a gun to my head, it would be the away Pittsburgh game in either '02 or '03 where Steve got knocked out of the game after running headfirst in to an equipment locker (Titans fans will argue he was pushed out of bounds-defenses NEVER got called for roughing the passer when Steve was QB, I'm still pissed about this today). O'Donnel came in and did OK until he got hurt too. Steve came BACK IN TO THE GAME and proceeded to throw a last second TD pass to Kinney for the win.

The rest of the NFL was of course amazed. It was just another day for us Titans fans.

Steve should also be remembered for his great off the field work including the Katrina food drives, not to mention ask any valet in this town who the best tipper was from the Titans. It's not even a contest.

PLEASE let Bud give him a one day contract, that would help to make up for the crap they put Steve through in Nashville before he left.

We will miss you Air McNair, thanks for the memories!

by TmanInTennessee on Apr 17, 2008 2:08 PM CDT reply actions

Correction-

The game I'm thinking of was September 24, 2000 versus the Steelers. Steve was out with that nasty bruised sternum injury, and O'Donnell started. O'Donnell got hurt and Steve came in for him and then threw the game winner to Kinney.

The equipment locker thing was against the Cowboys.

So many, they all just kinda run together.

by TmanInTennessee on Apr 17, 2008 2:40 PM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, that was my favorite moment too...

Outside of the Superbowl "Shake Off" of course. (Just think, one more yard and McNair's near sack and subsequent completion beats Manning's impossible play by 8 years...just a thought)

Anyway, do you remember that Eddie PICKED O'DONNELL UP OFF THE GROUND AND HELPED HIM TO THE SIDELINE so we didn't have to burn a time out (And Fisher didn't have to debate about whether O'Donnell was hurt that bad). Then McNair comes in and promptly throws a strike to Kinney in the corner of the end zone.

I used to think McNair wasn't a good passer until that pass.

by Houston Titan on Apr 17, 2008 8:16 PM CDT up reply actions

I will never forget Mike Keith's call

"Steve McNair is scurrying around on the sideline looking for his helmet."

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles

by Jimmy on Apr 17, 2008 8:55 PM CDT up reply actions

Great minds think alike!

I was typing my thoughts about Steve's exit from the Titans at the same time you were typing yours.

And as a former valet, I can confirm that Mr. McNair was, indeed, quite the generous tipper, though Yancey Thigpen wasn't bad, either.

by hartley on Apr 17, 2008 2:51 PM CDT up reply actions

Ahhh... back when it all started

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Apr 17, 2008 2:24 PM CDT reply actions

Definitely an old one...

...it looks like Eddie hadn't started shaving his eyebrows yet.

by hartley on Apr 17, 2008 2:53 PM CDT up reply actions

Why?

Why should Steve retire as a Titan, especially after the team locked him out of the weight room? Let him retire as a Raven - this was a team that actually appreciated him.

by Jen on Apr 17, 2008 4:07 PM CDT reply actions

that was business

and business gets ugly, but he still visits Nashville and we still love him, so why not come back and retire with the team he spent his glory years with?

Lest we forget, the Titans organization was rightfully bashed like crazy for how they did Steve (and called racist my NFL analysts on multiple occasions), but I'd say going to the Ravens, BY FAR our most hated rival, was decent payback.

Wez even in my book.

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Apr 17, 2008 4:58 PM CDT up reply actions

edit: ... called racist by NFL analysts...

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Apr 17, 2008 4:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Why should he retire a Titan.....

because he played 9 years there

because they were patient with him and the coaches help make him what he was

because there are fans in Houston, Memphis, Nashville, and everywhere else that cheered for McNair, supported him, and loved him for an overwhelming majority of his career.

because although management did not handle the situation well, McNair's agent really didn't either.

because when people think of him, it will be as a Titans.

because I hate the stinking Ravens and everything their classless coach represented in the early 2000s.

I am disappointed that he doesn't want to retire as a Titan. It honestly was painful when I read "Ravens QB McNair Retires"

Now I haven't seen the news conference or anything, but I really hope he talked about his time in Tennessee. To me it is kind of like when a loved one gets sick. You want to remember them in the good days, not the bad...the past couple of years have been bad. I'm either getting deep or stupid, but I wish he were a Titan.

by gotitans27 on Apr 17, 2008 6:56 PM CDT up reply actions

11 years

not 9...sorry

by gotitans27 on Apr 17, 2008 6:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Seriously?

You just wasted finger energy typing that?

Fool.

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Apr 17, 2008 10:40 PM CDT up reply actions

That was a response to "Jen"

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Apr 17, 2008 10:40 PM CDT up reply actions

Ravens

Thanx steve, for giving us a great run 2 yrs ago. I think the ravens will suck now that we dont have a QB!

by bigbillwwe on Apr 17, 2008 4:59 PM CDT reply actions

love it if he came back

as a coach to mentor vince (lots of similarities obviously). he is definitely one of the first titan icons and it was a shame how things were handled when he left. honestly i don't know if we ever draft vince if air mcnair didn't pave the road. i wish vince would be half as tough as mcnair was.

by rolypoly32 on Apr 17, 2008 7:48 PM CDT reply actions