Steve McNair, former quarter back of the Titans and Ravens, is dead.
The words are both final and unexplainable. He was shot to death, along with a companion, in Nashville today. He was just 36 years old.
McNair was often the bane of Colts fans. He lead the Titans into Indianapolis in January of 2000, and came out with a hard fought victory.
His final pass in Super Bowl XXXIV came up just one foot short.
From 2002-2005 he helped the Colts and Titans establish busing and bitter rivalry, that only subsided when he left for Baltimore.
In 2003, he inexplicably shared the MVP award with Peyton Manning in a vote that still boggles the mind.
In 2006, he appeared to be the missing piece the Ravens were seeking, until he was flummoxed by the Colts defense in the playoffs, evening the score of upset playoffs wins with Peyton Manning at one apiece.
He was a warrior and a smart player. He developed on the job and help turn the Titans into a team no one wanted to play for half a decade. The franchise’s biggest mistake was not allowing him to stay in Nashville to tutor a young Vince Young. They unceremoniously forced him out the door, not even allowing him to work out in the team’s facilities while still under contract. Now Young, instead of being the second coming of McNair, is close to being the second coming of Akili Smith.
It is crass and wrong to write a litany of football moments to define the life of a man taken too soon I’m sure his family and friends will remember him better and more honestly than I will.
I’m going to resist the urge to sermonize. The news is sad and sick. Moralizing and finger pointing will not bring the man back.
Steve McNair, a young man, is dead.
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