Why does Mcnair get a free pass?

[braven]

let's just hope that we can carry that offensive momentum from the 4th quarter over to the SD game

[StingerNLG]

How about we get past SD and Denver with 2 W's? Or does the O have to put up 50 points and 500 yards before you will believe?

Ok Mob. We can go back and forth for the next week about everything else, so I'll answer this one straight out.

We were sold that Steve McNair would change this offense. Kyle Boller was THE problem, and therefore McNair would be the guy to make this an offensive juggernaut. So here is what I want:

1) I don't want go into halftime with only three points against a team like the Cleveland Browns.

2) I'd like to see the offense start getting into the redzone and actually scoring touchdowns since we bitched so much las year about only settling for field goals.

3) I'd like to see our MVP QB who was supposed to change the dynamic of this offense score more than 1 touchdown per game. '

4) I'd like to never again see this offense GO BACKWARDS on CONSECUTIVE DRIVES.

5) I'd like not to have to close my eyes and wonder if the wind is going to carry Matt Stover's field goal 52 yards downfield.

6) Here's a novel idea. I'd like to see our offense go downfield for a change. And if not, how about we stop throwing 3rd down passes short of the 1st down marker?

7) Yes, I'd like to see more than 143 and 148 yards in a game total passing. Aren't we right now right back to where we usually head towards in passing rank?

So let's just start with these. Because let me tell you guys, we have some TOUGH games ahead. San Diego, AT Denver, Carolina, and AT NO. If this offense doesn't pick it's game up, 3-0 can be 3-3 VERY quick.

And before anyone goes back to the whole "McNair has to learn the system", Drew Brees spent most of the offseason with a shoulder injury. And went to a new team. And a team that doesn't have the weapons on offense we do outside of Joe Horn and Reggie Bush (Deuce McAlister is NOT as good as Jamal when Jamal is 100%). Yet Drew seems to have that offense down pretty good. So why can't Steve?

[FHRaven]

What he said.

I'm still hopeful that McNair is working out the kinks in learning the offense and realizing that having Flynn at C means he needs to throw or start running when the ball is snapped!!

FHRaven

[Mobtown]

We were sold that Steve McNair would change this offense. Kyle Boller was THE problem, and therefore McNair would be the guy to make this an offensive juggernaut. So here is what I want:

I think this is where you made a mistake. I don't remember anyone saying that the Ravens offense would suddenly become a juggernaut when SM arrived. KB was the problem in that he was a horrible decision maker and had lost the respect of his offense. We are a grind it out, control the clock type of team...we always have been and bringing SM in wasn't and shouldn't change that.

As I said earlier, SM is a General and he rarely makes mistakes. He has only turned the ball over ONE time since being here and and has almost 600 passing yards in his first 3 games.

Most important, his team believes in him.

Look, I can understand fans wanting to have more TDs this year, I can completely agree with that, but our running game has been pretty poor so far and we ARE still a run first offense. My point being that if you need to blame someone for our lack of TDs, SM is the wrong guy to be pointing a finger at. Our RB crew, OL and OC need to figure out how to get the red zone running game working.

1) I don't want go into halftime with only three points against a team like the Cleveland Browns.

I agree, but to lay our poor red zone performance at SM's feet is silly. How about the terrible play calling from the OC and how about the lack of push from our OL?

2) I'd like to see the offense start getting into the redzone and actually scoring touchdowns since we bitched so much las year about only settling for field goals.

Again, I doubt SM is calling the plays. When passing SM has done a decent job of getting the ball to the open guy in the endzone. Heap x 2. It's Fassell who is the tard who keeps trying to jam Jamal through the guards at the goal line.

3) I'd like to see our MVP QB who was supposed to change the dynamic of this offense score more than 1 touchdown per game. '

Mac has changed the dynamic of this O by throwing for 200+ yards a game and not turning the ball over and not taking sacks. Last year I would have droolled over a 200+ yard passing game.

4) I'd like to never again see this offense GO BACKWARDS on CONSECUTIVE DRIVES.

Can't argue with that...but again, I think you are targeting the wrong guy.

5) I'd like not to have to close my eyes and wonder if the wind is going to carry Matt Stover's field goal 52 yards downfield.

Me too, but this is the NFL and that sort of shit WILL happen.

6) Here's a novel idea. I'd like to see our offense go downfield for a change. And if not, how about we stop throwing 3rd down passes short of the 1st down marker?

Mac is not a deep threat guy and he hasn't been for years. That is not what our 33mil was for. I do hope that we throw a few deep over the next few games if for no other reason than to keep the D guessing, but I do not expect that we will become a downfield type of team anytime soon. The short 3rd down passes bother me too, but again I am not sure you can blame Mac. Receivers have to know where the marker is and get there. I have yet to see a receiver come back accross the 1st down line to make a catch on an underthrown ball.

7) Yes, I'd like to see more than 143 and 148 yards in a game total passing. Aren't we right now right back to where we usually head towards in passing rank?

/shrug I dont know...part of me agrees with you but part of me says that if our running game is working, then there is no reason to throw all day long. 150 yards or so should be good enough. In fact, for a run oriented team, huge passing numbers usually indicate that we are playing alot of come from behind ball...and that doesn't sound so good to me.

So let's just start with these. Because let me tell you guys, we have some TOUGH games ahead. San Diego, AT Denver, Carolina, and AT NO. If this offense doesn't pick it's game up, 3-0 can be 3-3 VERY quick.

Tough? Maybe...I am not particularly scared of any of those offenses. Especially NO and SD. NO has Horn and Brees and thats it. Their run game is highly overrated IMO. SD is completely untested having only played Oak and Ten. Carolina is still a question mark for me...which Carolina will show up at M&T? Traditionally we have owned Denver and I don't see that trend changing since Plummer is a turnover machine and their running game has been only so-so. Keep in mind that our D is playing with inspiration, so no..I am not scared.

Cinci and Pittsburgh on the other hand are going to be tough games. We still have a few more weeks to worry about them. Honestly, I see no reason why we couldn't be 6-0 or 7-0 based on this schedule.

And before anyone goes back to the whole "McNair has to learn the system", Drew Brees spent most of the offseason with a shoulder injury. And went to a new team. And a team that doesn't have the weapons on offense we do outside of Joe Horn and Reggie Bush (Deuce McAlister is NOT as good as Jamal when Jamal is 100%). Yet Drew seems to have that offense down pretty good. So why can't Steve?

I don't see "learing the system" as an excuse anymore either. Time for Fassell to open the playbook a little wider. Screens would be nice to see and more three step drops would both play to our strengths. Again I will point out that Mac is not the guy calling the plays and that this part of the discussion belongs in another thread.

Great post btw Stinger. It's nice chatting with someone who doesn't need to resort to name calling to get their point across.

[StingerNLG]

Mac has changed the dynamic of this O by throwing for 200+ yards a game and not turning the ball over and not taking sacks. Last year I would have droolled over a 200+ yard passing game.

No he hasn't. Other than Sunday, which was he had 181 and 143 yards respectively. He hasn't thrown for 200+ yards a game. And last year we had 4 200+ games and a 198 game.


Other than that, I think you're making a lot of excuses are being made for McNair. The same excuses no one wanted to make for Boller last 2 years when the same thing was happening to him. Well, when his OL didn't get him hurt last year. I was under the impression the QB was responsible for the offense. That's what we heard all of 2004-2005. Now all of a sudden we're targetting everyone else for the offensive woes?

Such the reversal of fortune.

[Art-Florida]

When all you Boller-haters finally stop knocking the kid, sanity might return. All the cretins who loudly proclaim what "would have happened" if this were true, and that were true, are just begging for people to respond in kind, from fairness, if no other reason.

If you persist in this vindicative crusade against a nice kid who is not even playing, I predict you will start to see anti-McNair statements, and I'm not talking about valid ones, like weak, arm, old age, and accuracy. I mean nasty, venomous, stupid ones like we have seen regarding Boller for years now.

You won't see any of those those from me, please let me add. Steve McNair is a helluva nice guy, and a warrior. He does not deserve that kind of vilification, but neither does Kyle Boller.

But they're coming, mark my words. Go to YBR, with their semi-literate children of all ages punching out poison to see what I'm talking about. To the haters who have been bleating, "let it go", I say follow your own suggestion.

[FHRaven]

Look, I can understand fans wanting to have more TDs this year, I can completely agree with that, but our running game has been pretty poor so far and we ARE still a run first offense. My point being that if you need to blame someone for our lack of TDs, SM is the wrong guy to be pointing a finger at. Our RB crew, OL and OC need to figure out how to get the red zone running game working.

Mobtown, why are all of these reasons to exclude McNair from blame when none of them were allowed in defense of Kyle?

We were told that McNair was going to solve ALL of the offensive woes because ALL of the problems were because of Kyle. I've probably heard 100 people say the OLine would be better with a better QB among other things. After 3 games I just don't see it or any other real improvement.

The real schedule starts Sunday. I hope I am wrong and McNair leads an offensive charge that helps win the game!!!!!

FHRaven

[Mista T]

NO has Horn and Brees and thats it. Their run game is highly overrated IMO.

Bush and Deuce McAlister overated?

The way things stand right now, we could be a TD underdog going into the Superdome on Halloween.

We have a murderous schedule coming up against the AFC West and NFC South. Four contenders. If we continued offensive performance such as the past couple weeks, we could be looking at 3-4. We have to step it up!

[Mobtown]

Other than that, I think you're making a lot of excuses are being made for McNair. The same excuses no one wanted to make for Boller last 2 years when the same thing was happening to him. Well, when his OL didn't get him hurt last year. I was under the impression the QB was responsible for the offense. That's what we heard all of 2004-2005. Now all of a sudden we're targetting everyone else for the offensive woes?

Mobtown, why are all of these reasons to exclude McNair from blame when none of them were allowed in defense of Kyle?

We were told that McNair was going to solve ALL of the offensive woes because ALL of the problems were because of Kyle. I've probably heard 100 people say the OLine would be better with a better QB among other things. After 3 games I just don't see it or any other real improvement.

Holy crap! It's like listening to a broken record with you guys! I swear that some of you are blinded by your involvement in the Hater/Hugger "debate". Let me say it plain for those who seem to care:

I WAS NOT ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO WAS TEARING BOLLER DOWN. I HAVE BEEN A SUPPORTER OF KYLE BOLLER SINCE BEFORE HE WAS DRAFTED.

FFS the guy was the QB of my Alma Mater and for that reason alone I will support him regardless of what he does and regardless of what people say about him.

My major issue with Boller's play as a Raven's QB was tendancy to make unforced errors and bad decisions. That doesn't make me a hugger OR a hater.

So far, I haven't seen that sort of play from Mac. In fact he pulled our asses out of the fire last week after our vaunted D gave up two TDs against the Browns!

If you believed the 100 (where ever you pulled that # from FH) people who told you that Mac was going to light up the sky and turn us into the #1 O in the league...well, I am sorry for you and all I can say is that you should have had more realistic expectations and maybe even have done some research on your own instead of believing a bunch of Monday QBs (myself included) on a message board. I certainly don't remember the coaching staff or FO saying any such thing.

[Raven31]

he pulled our asses out of the fire last week after our vaunted D gave up two TDs against the Browns!

I believe C-Mac and Stover had something to do with it as well. Without C-Mac's INT in the endzone, McNair never even gets the opportunity to get us in FG range. And THANK GOD for Matt Stover being one of the most reliable, accurate kickers in the league.

[StingerNLG]

If you believed the 100 (where ever you pulled that # from FH) people who told you that Mac was going to light up the sky and turn us into the #1 O in the league...well, I am sorry for you and all I can say is that you should have had more realistic expectations and maybe even have done some research on your own instead of believing a bunch of Monday QBs (myself included) on a message board. I certainly don't remember the coaching staff or FO saying any such thing.

You missed what he was saying. What FH said was 100% true. We were told the following:

1) McNair would make the OL look and play better. Hasn't happened.

2) With McNair on the field, gone would be the days of 8 men in the box. Hasn't happened.

3) Under McNair, we would finally finish drives with touchdowns instead of having to settle for field goals. Definitely hasn't happened.

Mob, if you want to believe this offense is so radically different that it's the reason we're 3-0, and not because of our defense, that's ok. But yesterday's and last Sunday's performance will NOT win us games in the next 4 weeks. It just won't.

And for all this talk of McNair elevating the play of the OL, which is what we were told, Pashos and Vincent are still good for a drive killing penalty every game. Mike Flynn still can't lock down the middle. And we still can't give receivers time to get open and go downfield.

I don't care if they all jump up and down in the huddle because Steve McNair is sharing the same air as they are. It hasn't changed their play very much.

And for the last time, Matt Stover pulled our ass out of the fire with an out-of-the-normal-range field goal. Perhaps if 2nd and 3rd down weren't incomplete passes, maybe Stover would only have had to kick a 35-40 yarder instead of a monster 52 yarder.

Sorry, I refuse to bury my head in the sand and pretend this offense has gotten better simply because we're 3-0 against teams with a combined 0-8 record. If we were playing NO last night, they would have torn us apart. If we were playing Seattle Sunday it would have been over by halftime.

You don't exite me and prove to me this offense has turned around by scoring 3 points in the first half.

[highwater]

Go to YBR, with their semi-literate children of all ages punching out poison to see what I'm talking about. To the haters who have been bleating, "let it go", I say follow your own suggestion.

Art, I couldn't have said it better myself (and how I hate to admit that).

Even on this board, there are people who insist on continuing to talk about a QB who hasn't thrown a single pass and has hardly seen the field at all. Like Art said, follow you own advice and let it go.

As far as McNair goes, I haven't seen anything here that amounts to a character assassination, just honest observations about his performance. I am pretty sure that is allowed.