Stating McNair's Hall of Fame case
Aaron Wright is a Baltimore Sun reporting intern, a 2009 graduate of Hampton University, and a longtime Steve McNair supporter/homer/apologist. Wright states the case for McNair's inclusion in the NFL Hall of Fame.
In the wake of Steve McNair’s death the question of whether he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame was raised. To my outrage, the majority of sports writers answered with a resounding “no.” To my shock and outrage, the majority of writers polled responded that prior to his death, they never considered his career worthy of Canton. One unnamed Hall of Fame voter concluded that McNair belonged in the “hall of the very good,” with the likes of Boomer Esiason, Ken Anderson and Joe Theismann.
Eventually my outrage led to research, where I compared McNair’s career stats and accomplishments to several quarterbacks already in the Hall of Fame. According to this Sun article from last week, one of the biggest strikes against McNair was his lack of “elite career numbers.” The most telling stat they use is his completion percentage, a "pedestrian 60.1 percent." Pedestrian? You know who else had a 60 percent completion percentage? Jim Kelly (60.1) and Troy Aikman (61.5). Many of the quarterbacks used for this comparison failed to reach 60 percent for their career. Dan Fouts, Warren Moon, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Namath and Johnny Unitas all had career completion percentages under 60 percent.
The next stat discusses the all-important passer rating. McNair’s career passer rating was 82.8. Not the greatest, but far from average. In this department, McNair compares favorably with many enshrined quarterbacks. His career mark outshines many, but is short of Jim Kelly’s 84.4. None of the quarterbacks previously mentioned top 82 percent. Unitas (78.2), Namath (65.5) and Bradshaw (70.9) aren’t even in the 80s. In the article, McNair’s passer rating is compared to Jeff Garcia’s 87.5. Jeff Garcia is a good quarterback, but comparing him to McNair and attempting to show that Garcia superior is laughable.
Quarterbacks are also judged by touchdowns, interceptions and passing yards. This area is where McNair’s case is weakest, but it still bears mentioning. None of his career marks stack up to those of Elway, Marino, Young or Montana. His 174 career touchdown passes pales in comparison to Moon’s 291, Unitas’ 290 and Fouts’ 254. However, he did throw more touchdowns than Aikman (165) and Joe Namath (173). For passing yards, McNair’s career mark is 31,304. That mark is considerably lower than many quarterbacks in the HOF, but he does hold the edge over Namath (27,663) and Bradshaw (27,989). In the interception department, McNair stands alone, having thrown just 119 in his career -- which means he threw 55 more touchdowns than interceptions. Namath threw more interceptions than touchdowns. Bradshaw threw two more touchdowns than interceptions, while Aikman passed for 24 more scores than INTs.
While McNair’s passing yards may pale in comparison to some of the quarterbacks in the HOF, a case must be made for his 3,590 rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns. Warren Moon had 22 rushing touchdowns and Bradshaw comes close to McNair with 32. Unitas and Fouts had 13 apiece. The rest have less than 10.
The fact is, McNair owns some guys in the Hall of Fame from a statistical standpoint. The question is, are accomplishments like his three Pro Bowl selections and co-MVP honor in 2003 enough to put him in the Hall of Fame? McNair lost the only Super Bowl he played in, but for argument’s sake, Jim Kelly lost all four he appeared in for the Bills. Warren Moon didn’t win one and neither did Dan Fouts. So there must be something else. Namath’s career marks are below any other quarterback’s, but he is a Hall of Famer for guaranteeing and delivering victory over Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. What precedent can McNair claim? He will likely be the last quarterback taken in the first round to have attended an HBCU. For all the stats and accomplishments, it is important to remember McNair didn’t attend a premier college football program. Playing at Alcorn State is a far cry from attending Michigan, USC or Florida, but that shouldn’t matter. Sure, his surprising selection as a Heisman finalist shouldn’t be counted for his Hall of Fame case, but it is part of the whole that made his football career.
McNair does possess stats and accolades that should be good enough for the Hall of Fame. What he doesn’t have is a Super Bowl victory, but neither do many of the men enshrined in the halls of Canton. The memory of McNair deserves to be included among those men in the Hall of Fame.
Comments
I wholeheartedly agree. Air McNair may have had some skeletons dug out of his closet after his demise, but none of that should factor into his character on the field which was paramount amongst his fellow teammates and opponents. He was selected to multiple Pro bowls as well as a recipient of the MVP award (albeit he split it, but nevertheless). This man's legacy deserves to reside in the Hall.
Posted by: Tadd Moore | July 15, 2009 7:11 PM
Great take on McNair's career. His career; that is what we're talking about aren't we? When McNair was under center, all of his team member and fans felt and knew that something special could happen at any moment, (his opponents knew it too) and it usually manifested itself in a positive manner. There are plenty of Halls for McNair; local and state HS Athletics, the NCAA and Canton. If the truth will be told, he'll get it across the board. By the way, good research Mr Wright; keep that up and you may find yourself in a comparatively great Hall yourself.
Posted by: Al Johnson | July 15, 2009 10:42 PM
You're comparing McNair to a lot of qb's from a far different era. Weren't passing statistics in general lower at the time of Unitas, Namath, and Bradshaw et al? Is just being one of the best rushing qb's, three pro bowls and one co-MVP good enough to get McNair into the Hall when the rest of his stats, compared to the players of his own generation, were only good, not great? At least P. Manning, Brady, and Favre are better, maybe Warner and McNabb; how many qb's from one era should get in? I tend to agree McNair belongs in the hall of very good.
Posted by: Brian | July 15, 2009 11:04 PM
Can you say 'Thurman Munson?'
So I date myself, but he was a very good catcher for the Yankees whose career was cut short by death. (In his case a plane crash.) The calls for Hall of Fame induction were fueled in large part by sympathy. He was a very good catcher for a seven or eight years. That is not a Hall of Fame career.
Similarly, McNair's candidacy is boosted now by sympathy ,but the the sheer numbers and body of work isn't there...
Posted by: WildBillFan | July 15, 2009 11:39 PM
Let's not get carried away... McNair isn't even among the top 5 qb's of the past decade, let alone a hall of famer... just because he played hurt and was a good team leader doesn't make him deserving... Unitas revolutionized the position.... Kelly and Fouts put up ridiculous passing numbers... McNair was very good, but he wasn't great... The hall should be reserved for greatness...
Posted by: James | July 16, 2009 1:22 AM
Besides being way off point as a matter of common sense, your article contradicts itself. You foolishly attempt to include McNair in the class of guys like Aikman, Kelly, and Moon because some of his numbers are similar. Putting aside the fact that this assertion couldn't possibly be taken seriously by anybody who knows anything about football, you then say that it's "laughable" to compare Jeff Garcia to McNair - even though Garcia has a better QB rating. So why is it laughable to compare Garcia to McNair when Garcia's stats were just as good (I won't bother to look up his other stats, but you concede that he was the higher rated passer)?
If it's really "laughable," I would point out that this is exactly what you are doing in making your argument that McNair belongs in the Hall of Fame alongside quarterbacks that were (at least according to the opinion of nearly everyone but you) far superior, simply because some of his numbers stack up. You're not smarter than everyone else. There's a reason almost nobody thinks McNair belongs in the Hall of Fame. And thankfully, he won't be there.
Posted by: David | July 16, 2009 2:28 AM
no possible way mcnair belongs in the hall of fame. he was a good quarterback, not great. keeny stabler was a better qb than mcnair no way mcnair is in the class of unitas, stauback, len dawson, bradshaw, marino, montana, young or a host of others.
Posted by: fkterp | July 16, 2009 6:18 AM
McNair is not a hall of fame caliber qb.
Posted by: leon | July 16, 2009 12:42 PM
While I'm not sure whether McNair is HOF-worthy, I think his 2006 season with the Ravens speaks in his favor. His takeover as starting QB was the X-factor that took the team from a 6-10 record in 2005 to a 13-3 record in 2006.
Posted by: On The Fence | July 16, 2009 4:08 PM
I'd say Jeff Garcia far exceeds McNair in all aspects of the game. Sorry to burst your bubble. You sound a little too sensitive in your article. You do know that it's not a personal shot again you?
Try writing articles on things you do know such as: Perfume, Housekeeping and Soap operas.
Posted by: Bill | July 17, 2009 11:20 AM
Look up Kenny Anderson. Until he gets in, MacNair has no shot. No pun intended!
Posted by: ItIsMe | July 19, 2009 3:58 PM
I know I'm weighing in late, but I'd take the field with McNair (All-Scramble Team Pres.) any day of the week. Yeah, the other concussed quaterbacks McNair is being compared to ALWAYS had a stellar arsenal of offensive weapons that did the majority of the work for them (Montana/Rice; Young/Rice; Aikman/Irvin). So, I'm discounting some of the "ridiculous passing numbers put up by" some of our more popular qbs b/c the quarterback position is so much more than that. With the all day grind-it-out toughness, leadership, and a tenacious respect for the game McNair displayed on the field EVERY outing, it is an absurdity not to include this man in consideration for the HOF.
Posted by: Chris Emerson | July 24, 2009 4:12 PM