THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 12, 1995 TAG: 9508120181
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: KNOXVILLE, TENN. LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
First, there's a quarterback's pass drop. Three, five, or seven steps? How's his footwork? Does he get away from the center quickly? Is he precise enough with where he goes to allow his tackles to hold off defensive ends behind him to form a pocket? Does he stand in there like a man or does he have ``happy feet''?
Then, there's his reads. Does he see what the free safety is doing? How does he react? What was his first option? Did he give the play time to work or did he panic and move to something less productive?
And there's the throw itself. Did he zing it when he should have used a feathery touch, or vice-versa? Did he lead his receiver enough on the deep pass and keep it low and tight to his body on the across-the-middle routes?
How's his demeanor. The quarterback's got to take charge in the huddle, even if it's his first day on the job. He's got to handle a hypercritical media that glorifies him one day, vilifies him the next.
And the fans? They're the worst. One bad game, maybe even one lousy throw at the wrong time, and they can devour a player.
No sir, playing quarterback isn't easy. Short of a UFO kidnapping Chris Chandler, Virginia Tech alum Will Furrer, and Lee Williamson, Steve ``Air'' McNair's much-awaited rookie year with the Houston Oilers is going to be more whimper than bang.
He already has doubters - critics who wonder if McNair can overcome his more humble college roots at Division I-AA Alcorn State, despite the fact that he shattered NCAA records for passing efficiency (57.4 percent) and average yards per game (527.18) and was third in his conference in rushing with 936 yards.
``We've got to get him through this year and let him learn and watch what's going on,'' Oilers offensive coordinator Jerry Rhome said after seeing the most heralded black quarterback since Doug Williams do as much harm as good during practice against the Washington Redskins. ``He's not going to be thrown into a situation where he's got to play - unless everybody goes down. Teach and teach and teach. That's what's ahead of us.''
Rhome, who weaned Redskins quarterbacks Jay Schroeder and Mark Rypien when he was an assistant under Joe Gibbs, doesn't say it bitterly. It's all part of the process of ``developing a quarterback,'' a misplaced art in the NFL since the advent of the salary cap.
Lesson No. 1 was last week against the Arizona Cardinals. McNair, the third pick in the '95 draft, completed 2 of 5 passes for 37 yards in mop-up duty. But Cards' coach Buddy Ryan blitzed him down after down and McNair was dumped four times, fumbled in the end zone and was tackled for a safety.
The next lesson is tonight's 8 p.m. exhibition against the Redskins at Neyland Stadium.
``I've got to feel comfortable with what I'm doing and not be so nervous,'' McNair said. ``It was my first NFL preseason game and that's what's expected out of a rookie.
``I'm feeling more comfortable every day and I'm going through a learning process. I'm learning everything I need to be the quarterback the Houston Oilers want.''
``Comfortable'' and ``learning'' are the most frequent words used by McNair and Oilers coaches when talking about last season's top Division I-AA player and third-place finisher in the Heisman voting.
Rhome hoped the rookie would be more comfortable and more learned by this point, but McNair became embroiled in a contract dispute and missed the beginning of training camp. He also was absent for some of Houston's minicamp and Rhome describes his status as ``learning on the run.''
``It was a little irritating,'' McNair said of his holdout, during which he was home in Mississippi working out with his brother Tim. ``As a rookie, you want to go through the motions of what everybody else is doing. Holding out hurts you in the long run and those couple of days really got me behind.''
Everyone sees McNair's perfect build - 6-foot-2, 224 pounds - his bullwhip of an arm that snaps the ball 50 yards downfield with the flick of his wrist, and the halfback-type speed and agility. He has it all.
``He can throw the football,'' Redskins coach Norv Turner said. ``He's an excellent athlete and I think he's going to be an outstanding player.''
But there are obstacles to overcome.
``It's the process of learning not only your offense, your personnel, but learning what other teams do, when they do 'em, and why they do 'em,'' Turner continued. ``All those become key issues.''
Rhome described McNair as ``low-key, coachable,'' but said he's also been plagued by an inconsistency common among rookie passers.
``Right now, he's really struggling,'' he said. ``He doesn't know what we're doing. He picks up a little thing here and a little thing there and every once in a while he does it. Then he goes back and he doesn't know it again. It takes time.''
McNair calls the prospect of watching his first NFL season from the bench ``a sacrifice I have to make.''
``I'm not putting pressure on me,'' he adds. ``I'm not putting any timetable on myself. When the coaches say, `Steve, it's time to go,' I'll be ready.''
Which could mean the ``Air'' Show won't get off the ground until '96. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
Houston Oilers rookie quarterback Steve McNair still has much to
learn.
by CNB