Few people understand the history of the Tennessee Titans - Houston Oilers franchise than former coach Jeff Fisher. The club drafted quarterback Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2025, who came in with stylistic comparisons to legendary passer Steve McNair.
I asked Fisher what he made of those comparisons in an appearance on 104.5 The Zone's The Buck Reising Show recently.
Cam Ward has similar on-field characteristics to former NFL Co-MVP Steve McNair
Who better to ask about the player comp being made by many in the pre-draft process.
“What we did in the way we handled Steve was, we wanted to get him experienced in his first year," said Fisher. "Mind you, that's, well, come in and play if we're trailing by a lot and we'll mop up or if we're ahead or there's an injury. And so, he got valuable experience his first year. And then, we kind of moved into the second year. By the third year, people were asking me, how was he? I was like, well, I just watched. This guy's going to be pretty good.
"And even in year three, four and five, when he was really starting to come on the scene and winning games for us, people would ask, is he a top five quarterback? And at that point, I couldn't ask that question, but I certainly could say he's a top five football player. And that's what he was. He was a football player first. And then, as he moved in and really fine-tuned the quarterback position, then of course he's a co-MVP. But are there similarities between the two? Physically, I don't think you're gonna ever find anybody that matches Steve's physical characteristics, the toughness, the strength.”
Ward and McNair are both highly regarded for their competitive toughness, though the latter had higher-level traits at the position.
McNair, however, was a product of a different generation of quarterback development. He did not take the reigns as the full-time starter until his third year as a pro. Ward will not have that same luxury as the clear option for a franchise in desperate need of immediate impact.
While current Titans coach Brian Callahan has been firm on the idea of letting Ward earn the role through competition with embattled third-year quarterback Will Levis, Ward is the only real option moving forward.
Where Ward and McNair differ most
Comparisons are never exact.
Just as no two people in everyday life are created exactly equal, the same logic applies to athletes. While watching one prospect may remind you of a former great from years past, it is a fools errand to take those equivalencies to extremes. Fisher was keen to point out one area where the legendary McNair differs from the outspoken Ward.
"(McNair) was quiet," Fisher said. "He wasn't really outspoken. He wasn't that guy that would step in and call a team meeting or grab the team in the locker room, stuff like that. He was more of that quiet leader and people really respected. So, you know, when, when sometimes guys are going to yell and they're going to, you know, they're going to, you know, talk, talk trash and things like that. Steve spoke, spoke softly.
"And when he spoke, people bent over and listened to what he had to say.”
