A timeline of Steve McNair's collegiate and NFL careers:

1994: In his senior season at Alcorn State, McNair throws for 4,863 yards with 44 TDs and 17 interceptions and also rushes for 936 yards and nine scores. Moreover, he plays through a separated right shoulder suffered in September and with a left hamstring injury suffered toward the end of the season. McNair comes away with the Walter Payton Award as Division I-AA's top player and finishes third in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

In Pro Football Weekly's "1995 Draft Preview," the late Joel Buchsbaum, while noting that McNair needs "a great deal of development and refinement on the next level," writes that "(a)lmost all of his negatives are correctable, and his potential is almost unlimited."

1995: Is drafted third overall by Houston Oilers. Starts a pair of games in place of starter Chris Chandler and wins both games for 7-9 Houston.

1997: Becomes the full-time starter and throws for 2,665 yards and 14 TDs in his first full season. Piles up 674 rushing yards, which, at the time, was the third-highest single-season total for an NFL QB.

1999: Misses five games early in the season with a back injury but still leads the Titans to the playoffs. Does not stand out in playoff wins vs. Buffalo (the "Music City Miracle" game) and at Indianapolis but steps it up in the AFC championship game vs. Jacksonville, rushing for 91 yards in a rout of the Jaguars. McNair is even better in Super Bowl XXXIV, throwing for 214 yards and rushing for 64 yards. However, the Titans' last-gasp attempt to tie the game ends on St. Louis' one-yard line as time expires in Rams' 23-16 victory.

2000: Leads the Titans to the AFC Central title and completes a then-career-high 62.6 percent of his passes. The Titans fall in the divisional round to Baltimore.

2002: After the Titans missed the playoffs in '01, McNair leads them back to the brink of the AFC title. He throws for 3,387 yards with 22 TDs, but Tennessee loses at Oakland in the AFC championship game.

2003: McNair has his finest individual season, throwing 24 TD passes and seven interceptions in leading Tennessee to the playoffs. He is voted the AFC's Pro Bowl starter. McNair plays through multiple injuries, the most serious being ankle and calf ailments, and shares NFL MVP honors with Peyton Manning. The Titans lose at New England in the divisional round, the last time he led them to the playoffs.

2006: Traded to Baltimore in June, McNair jump-starts his career - and the Ravens' offense - as Baltimore rolls to AFC North title before falling to Indianapolis in the divisional round.

2008: Announces his retirement a little more than a week before the NFL draft, capping a 13-year professional career.

Kickoff is coming! Be sure to buy copies of the Pro Football Weekly/Yahoo! Sports 2009 NFL preview magazine, as well as the Pro Football Weekly/Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football Guide 2009, both of which are, now available at bookstores, newsstands and retail outlets where magazines are sold. Or order your copies online at PFWStore.com.