Warren Moon Remembers Steve McNair

It was during Steve McNair's rookie season in 1995 with the Houston Oilers when the comparisons initially surfaced. While their NFL paths crossed just once on the field, Pro Football Hall of Fame member Warren Moon had heard enough, saw enough and talked enough with McNair over the years to realize he was indeed a special player with special talents.

"A lot of the players with the Oilers were calling me his rookie season and saying, 'Man, this guy Steve McNair we just drafted reminds us so much of you,' " Moon told FanHouse Thursday morning.

"His temperament, his personality, he's real soft-spoken. But when he gets on the field, he's a tough guy and he's a hard worker. Steve reminded me a little of myself in the beginning. There were a lot of comparisons between Steve and I in the beginning."

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Tragically, McNair's life ended last Saturday when he was murdered by his young mistress. A memorial service is set for Thursday night in Nashville, with the funeral Saturday in his native Mississippi. The Tennessee Titans opened LP Field Wednesday for fans to watch video highlights of McNair's 13-year NFL career and look at photos of the quarterback.

Moon, who played 10 of his 17 NFL seasons with the Houston Oilers (1984-93) and remains close to many Tennessee Titans team officials, including owner Bud Adams, is hopeful fans remember McNair for the good things he accomplished on and off the field.

"I think he was a Man of the Year candidate for the league, he was a MVP of the league, he had a winning record as a quarterback," Moon said.

"He was very, very involved with the community, too. Honestly, his toughness and competitiveness, I don't think can be overmatched by anybody in the league at any position. Hopefully people will remember that and not this final part of how tragically his life ended. That will always be in peoples' minds in what a tragic way to leave this place. But it's what he did while he was here and hopefully that's what people will remember him by."

Moon, 52, who in 2006 became the first African-American quarterback inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, first talked to McNair following McNair's rookie season. McNair, out of tiny Alcorn State, was a backup to Chris Chandler his first two years. The only time Moon and McNair saw each other on the field was in 1995, when Moon, in his second season in Minnesota, helped the Vikings beat Chandler and the visiting Oilers.

"After that season we caught up with each other and I talked to him about what it takes to be successful in the league," Moon said.

"He was a little impatient because he wanted to play a little bit more and I told him they were bringing him along slow, but just make sure he was prepared and ready when his time did come because it would come sooner than he thought. He got a chance to play a little bit the last part of his rookie year because Chris Chandler got hurt and he got on the field a little bit.

"I knew what [Houston head coach] Jeff [Fisher] was trying to do, he was making sure he wasn't rushing him into anything too quickly, just the fact he was coming from a small school and the competition he played against he just wanted to break him slow. I thought it was great the way he was able to handle that."

Moon is hopeful that McNair's path to the NFL -- he was selected third overall out of Alcorn State, an FCS school (then called Division I-AA) -- serves as inspiration to young African-American quarterbacks looking to chase their football dreams, much like Doug Williams did during his incredible journey from Grambling State to the pinnacle of the NFL as the only African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl in 1988.

Teams inclined not to make an African-American quarterback the centerpiece of a franchise easily could have focused on the uncertainty regarding whether McNair's ability would translate to the NFL. McNair's talent and potential made the Oilers overlook his skin and a college career that easily could have been waved off as a product of inferior competition. McNair still holds the FCS record for career passing yards (14,496) and total offense (16,823).

Moon also credits Adams and the Oilers/Titans for making African-American quarterbacks the centerpiece of their franchise over the years. In 2006, the Titans selected Vince Young with the third overall selection after they traded McNair to the Baltimore Ravens. Also, keep in mind that Moon wasn't drafted by the NFL out of the University of Washington. He spent six years in the Canadian Football League before he signed the richest contract at the time with Adams and the Houston Oilers.

"The fact that Doug Williams did so well from a small school, taking a team and winning the Super Bowl, that kind of paved the way for Steve, but that was huge for [the Oilers] to take a guy in Steve from such a small school," Moon said.

"I think that, the Doug Williams accomplishment and the fact the Houston Oilers, not only did they take a chance on me, an African-American, but they drafted Steve and they also drafted Vince Young very high. So, they were a team that was willing to take a chance on African-Americans more so than other teams in the league. That's something I have to give Bud Adams a lot of credit for."

McNair earned plenty of accolades in the NFL, sharing the league's MVP in 2003 with Peyton Manning, finishing third in MVP voting in 2002 and being named to the Pro Bowl four times in his 13-year career. He finished with 31,304 yards passing and 174 touchdowns before Injuries finally led to his retirement after the 2007 season.

While McNair wasn't actively involved with The Field Generals -- a non-profit organization founded by and composed of NFL greats such as Moon who are dedicated to teaching and preserving the history of the African-American quarterback -- Moon said McNair "asked us to keep him abreast of what was going on since he really believed in what we are doing because he knew where his opportunities came from. He was a good guy that way."

Of course, there's already been talk among fans whether McNair did enough to merit a spot in the Hall of Fame.

"That's hard for me to say because I am not a voter," Moon said.

"He didn't have huge numbers, which is something that's important in getting into Hall of Fame. Of course, he did go to a Super Bowl, which was big, and he was picked for four Pro Bowls. I think he's right on the cusp. I think the thing he's really known for is playing through a lot of pain and being a great competitor. I think if he would have been able to play more games -- he missed a lot games because of injury -- maybe that would have helped his stats a little bit more over the course of his career."

While Houston players often compared McNair's style to Moon's, Moon said he learned a valuable lesson early in his career.

"I ran the ball some in the beginning but I got smart and figured out I better stop running the football or I won't last very long," Moon said.

"That's one of the things I used to tell Steve that he had to make sure he took care of his body and quit taking so many chances running the football because it's a tough league and he paid the price."