Football - McNair Will Play Baltimore

Quarterback Steve McNair is forecast to have fully recovered from a concussion and neck sprain sustained Sunday. Therefore he will be ready to be on the starting roster against Baltimore for the next game.

This week, the Ravens have a bye allowing McNair to have additional time to fully recover from the injuries he received in a 23-21 loss to Carolina. He was brought off the field after being sacked in the first quarter by Mike Rucker and Chris Draft. According to coach Billick, the player is in good shape and performs well at the practice.

The injured quaterback was replaced on Sunday’s game by Kyle Boller. The latter started for three seasons but was relegated to the bench when Baltimore obtained McNair in an off-season deal with Tennessee. On Sunday’s game he was playing for the first time since serving mop-up duty in the season opener. Boller went 17-for-31 for 226 yards and had three touchdowns.

As Boller was directing the roster, the Ravens managed to record more points than in the previous two weeks combined. With a quarterback rating of 0.97, Boller is really superior to of McNair, who has thrown seven interceptions against five touchdowns and has a rating of 64.1. However the Ravens did not acquire McNair, a three-time Pro Bowler, to let him sit on the bench. They preferred to have him on the field

Even though McNair helped the Ravens (4-2) win their first four games, the quarterback has been inconsistent over the last season. He has been intercepted three times in a loss to Denver, and the last of his four passes against Carolina was picked off by Colin Branch. But before these games, McNair led two blowout wins against Tampa Bay and Oakland and brought the Ravens back in late wins over Cleveland and San Diego.

With the two-week break, McNair will be able to recover from the aftermaths of the concussion and also further acclimate himself to the Baltimore offense. His teammates could probably use a breather, too. The Ravens remain on top the AFC North division, but their confidence has been shaken over the past two weeks. If McNair is able to be back on the field part of this confidence will be recovered according to Billick.