McNair announces to teammates in meeting he's retiring

Necro · 04-17-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

The news that Steve McNair decided to retire Thursday came as a little bit of a surprise.

According to his agent, Bus Cook, McNair had only expressed a desire to retire in the past couple of days. He had been training hard during the offseason, doing a lot of weightlifting and running to help his legs. At the NFL owners meeting, new Ravens coach John Harbaugh praised McNair for his hard work and indicated he had lost about 10 pounds from last season.

On Wednesday, McNair and Cook discussed the retirement possibilities and the veteran quarterback said he was going to inform the team Thursday about retiring.

McNair announced his decision to teammates at a packed meeting prior to the Ravens' workouts Thursday morning.

"Steve is just really tired," Cook said. "He just didn't think he had the energy to keep it going."

A news conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday at the Ravens' headquarters in Owings Mills, Md. Harbaugh, general manager Ozzie Newsome and wide receiver Derrick Mason and cornerback Samari Rolle are expected to accompany McNair at the news conference.

The 35-year-old McNair guided the Ravens to a 13-3 record in 2006, his first season in Baltimore after 11 years in Tennessee. But he injured his groin during the season opener last season and never regained the form that enabled him to earn a berth in four Pro Bowls.

McNair developed back and shoulder injuries and played in only six games in 2007. He threw only two touchdown passes, was intercepted four times and lost seven fumbles before being placed on injured reserve in December, ending his most frustrating season in the NFL.

McNair spent 13 seasons in the NFL, and was named the co-Most Valuable Player in 2003.

Drafted by the then-Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1995 draft out of Division I-AA Alcorn State, McNair became a starter in his third season -- the franchise's first in Tennessee. He led the Titans to the Super Bowl XXXIV, where he led a comeback that fell one yard short of a game-tying touchdown as time expired in the St. Louis Rams' 23-16 win.

McNair was known as "Air McNair" in college, where he set NCAA records in Alcorn State's wide-open offense and won the 1994 Walter Payton Award as the best player in I-AA football. But he shed that nickname for a reputation for physical toughness in the NFL, where he often played through injuries.

In his 13-year career, McNair completed 2,733 of 4,544 passes for 31,304 yards and 174 touchdowns with 119 interceptions. He also carried for 3,590 yards.

In his first season with Baltimore, McNair played in all 16 games and finished the season with an invitation to play in his fourth Pro Bowl. He threw for 3,050 yards and 16 touchdowns, but was intercepted twice in the Ravens' 15-6 playoff loss to Indianapolis.

Last year, however, was a disaster. After McNair got off to a horrid start, then-coach Brian Billick held the quarterback out for two straight weeks before the team's bye on Oct. 28, hoping the rest would enable the veteran's ailing body to heal. But McNair was ineffective upon his return: He lost two fumbles and threw an interception in a 38-7 defeat at Pittsburgh, then threw for only 128 yards before being replaced in the fourth quarter of a 21-7 loss to Cincinnati.

It turned out to be the last game of his career.

McNair's retirement leaves the Ravens with two quarterbacks: Kyle Boller and Troy Smith. It also increases the probability that Baltimore will seek a quarterback in the NFL draft later this month.

was a little shocker to me, but then i realized he played 13 seasons.