Ravens Will Soon Be Saying "Nevermore"

Last week, the Baltimore Ravens completed a trade for longtime Titans quarterback Steve McNair. Given the Ravens’ sorry quarterback situation over the last many years (see Tony Banks, Stoney Case, Elvis Grbac, Kyle Boller, and Anthony Wright), it’s hard to blame the Ravens’ player personnel department for thinking McNair is worth a shot. After all, he led Tennessee to a string of playoff victories during his tenure with the Titans, consistently posted 60%+ completion percentages, and regularly maintained strong touchdown-to-interception ratios. What makes the McNair acquisition seem a bit shaky, though, is the QB’s recent track record. In the last three years, he played in only 36 of the Titans’ 48 regular season games. Moreover, his rushing totals (which were once a testament to his great athletic ability) declined sharply. A few years back, my Green Bay Packers came to realize that the biggest mistake a team can make is to give an aging, recently injured player a big signing bonus. That lesson came in the form of DE Joe Johnson. Something tells me the Ravens might be in for a similar lesson.


Ravens, McNair, Quarterback