| ATLANTA — Imagine that you go to a vending machine to
buy a Pepsi. You put your dollar bill in, hit the appropriate button and … nothing
comes out. So you mutter under your breath, hit a different button to get your money back
and … you get two dollars’ worth of quarters back. Jackpot. It’s not what
you had in mind, but overall you’ve come out of the transaction in pretty good shape.
That pretty much describes what the Titans are getting out of QB Steve McNair. As a
passer, he hasn’t exactly set the NFL on fire, but as a runner, he drives opposing
defenses stark raving crazy.
If the Titans are to upset the Rams in this year’s Super Bowl, McNair needs to
come up big. Not as Air McNair. As Steve McRun. Or Steve McFeet. Or Steve McHalfback.
The Titans are not going to win this game with McNair throwing for 300 yards. If he
throws for three bills, it means the Rams jumped out to a huge lead, because that’s
the only way McNair is going to fly the friendly skies.
If McNair has to throw the ball a lot, one suspects the Rams’ defense will lick
its chops and look at him like a great, big, juicy steak to be devoured. The road to the
winner’s circle for the Titans is for McNair to run the ball effectively.
Not exactly the standard game plan for a quarterback, you say. So what? McNair is not
exactly your standard quarterback.
"He’s almost like trying to tackle a running back with how hard he
runs," Rams star DE Kevin Carter said. "He’s very elusive, and it’s
tough to get a good shot on him, because he can run so well and is so athletic."
Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said, "We call plays where we ask him to run. There
is a mutual understanding where Steve takes off (and runs) in passing situations that we
encourage him to slide. There are also times when we call things by design. When we do
that and encourage him to slide, he gets mad because he feels he then turns into a running
back and he’s trying to score or get a first down. He’s a tough quarterback. I
don’t worry whatsoever about him being injured as far as impact or contact is
concerned."
This is no Dan Marino clone. A long run for the Dolphins’ future Hall of Fame
quarterback is when he takes a step to the side to avoid the rush. A long run for McNair
is … well, let’s let Titans RB Eddie George explain it.
"He has the ability to take it 70 or 60 yards on the run," George said.
Defenses that must defend this type of threat from a quarterback must feel like stodgy,
old newspapers trying to compete against the constantly evolving Internet. It’s
enough to give them a concussion from shaking their heads in disbelief.
It’s not bad enough that running backs and wide receivers are such a handful; now
they have to deal with quarterbacks who can go the distance on the ground? Good grief,
Charlie Brown!
"Having Steve back there and his ability to run, if I’m a defender and
standing back there, that scares me to death," Titans OG Bruce Matthews said.
Quite simply, McNair has become what the Steelers hoped they would ultimately enjoy
when Kordell Stewart first exploded on the scene as a quarterback. Alas, Stewart has
become too mistake-prone through the air and inexplicably is not as electrifying as
you’d expect these days on the ground. McNair, on the other hand, has learned to
avoid the big mistake with his arm and find the endzone with his feet. If he is not
changing the way the position will be played in the future, he is at the very least
showcasing an alternative style that can be maddening to defend.
"His running brings a different dimension to our team that no other team
has," Titans OT Brad Hopkins said. "He’s a big man back there, and
he’s changing the way a quarterback helps you win."
After McNair rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns (while throwing for a meager 112
yards) against the Jaguars in the AFC title game, Jacksonville head coach Tom Coughlin
said, "He’s a strong, strong, physical football player. We had guys with our
arms wrapped around him, and they couldn’t bring him down. He’s a tremendous
weapon when he’s running down the field."
That’s a quote that you’d expect to hear about Jerome Bettis or Natrone Means
or the Titans’ George. But a quarterback? What is the football world coming to?
Here’s what this Super Bowl is coming to. For the Titans to win the game, McNair
needs to give George a run for his money as the team’s leading ground gainer vs. the
Rams. Something in the neighborhood of 80 yards or more apiece.
First the Internet, now quarterbacks as scary threats on the ground. These are modern,
changing times we live in.
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