I knew Steve McNair was going to have a fantastic season (I had him ranked higher than any other Fanball editor coming into the season), but I didn’t see this.
I didn’t see 812 passing yards over the last two games.
I didn’t see a league-leading 13 total touchdowns.
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I didn’t see a league-leading 1,601 passing yards.
I didn’t see an AFC-leading passer rating of 108.5.
I didn’t see him completing nearly two out of every three passes. NFL Tickets
But I didn’t see Eddie George slamming into the veteran wall like a crash-test dummy, either. More on George in a second, as this piece is about McNasty.
It’s a close race between McNair and Peyton Manning for best quarterback in the AFC right now, but you have to give the nod to Tennessee’s stud. Manning has 1,593 passing yards and 12 touchdown passes on the season, falling just shy of McNair in both categories.
McNair may be the AFC's best quarterback in reality as well as fantasy football. But knowing how lame Pro Bowl voting is, McNair probably still needs an injury to Mark Brunell to get to Honolulu in February.
Coming off a career-best 421 passing yards against the Texans, the league is buzzing about McNair.
“I've never seen him better. He just picked us apart,” offered Texans’ defensive tackle Gary Walker told The Tennessean. “I don't think we've seen the best of Steve McNair yet. You can see him getting better as a field general. That's the biggest difference I see. It's his team now.” NFL Tickets
“This is the best I've seen him play,” Texans head coach Dom Capers said after McNair’s massacre. “His experience is really paying off. Early in his career, he was much quicker to take the ball down and run with it. Now he can do more things with the ball.”
“We are used to it now,” said wideout Derrick Mason, who also had a career day with six catches for 177 yards and three touchdowns. “There is nothing he does out there on the field that amazes me.”
You want to talk amazing?
At his current pace, McNair would finish the season with 4,272 passing yards, 29 touchdown passes, and five rushing scores. His previous career highs are 3,387 passing yards and 22 TD passes, established last year. Those galactic numbers would qualify McNair for Fantasy Player of the Year as well as NFL MVP. (He was third in the MVP voting last season.) NFL Tickets
The only drag about McNair is the fact that his rushing yards are way down. With 51 rushing yards in six games, McNair is on pace for 136—the lowest total since his rookie season.
Speaking of low rushing totals, George is on pace for a career-low 816 yards this season. Wait. It gets worse. With one touchdown through six games, George is on pace for three. Three! He had 14 last season.
I’d love to tell you now is the time to buy-low with George, but I fear the end is here.
Hey, there’s nothing to worry about according to backup tailback Robert Holcombe, who is willing to hitch his wagon to McNair.
“I feel like he is the best player in the NFL and I wouldn't want anyone else back there taking the snaps from center,” said Holcombe after Sunday’s masterpiece.
McNasty’s fantasy owners feel the same way. NFL Tickets
Short-Verbiage Situations If you ask me, it’s no coincidence that Jay Fiedler had his worst game of the season in Brian Griese’s first game as the backup quarterback. Fiedler threw for 147 yards and no touchdowns against the Jaguars, who came into the game allowing the most touchdown passes in football. Dave Wannstedt came out Tuesday defending Fiedler, which is not a good sign. All I know is this: If Fiedler struggles against the Patriots this week, the soft rumors may morph into hard news. … I can explain why Ashley Lelie had one catch for five yards last week. For whatever reason, whether it’s lack of trust or respect or both, Steve Beuerlein does not like throwing to the second-year stud. After receiving 16 looks from Jake Plummer in weeks four and five, Lelie was targeted just three times by Beuerlein against the Steelers. Rod Smith was the apple of Beuerlein’s eye, as he caught four of eight passes that came his way for 7! 0 yards and his first touchdown of the year. As of Wednesday's wire, Plummer will miss this week's game against the Vikings with a foot injury (what about the shoulder?), so look for more of Smith and less of Lelie. … It was only a matter of time before William Green started tearing up the NFL again. The guy’s a stud. The NFL wasn’t going to keep him down all season. After rushing for 260 yards on 4.4 per carry over the past two games, Green now ranks sixth in the league with 494 rushing yards. The schedule stays nice until week 12, when Green meets the Steelers again. You might want to trade Green before that game, as he gets the Broncos in week 15 and the Ravens in week 16. That is a brutal stretch during the fantasy playoffs.