In what felt like an instant, all of the fears and concerns about quarterback Steve McNair washed away.
In his home preseason debut Friday night, the supposedly aging and injury-plagued field general, showed Pro Bowl form in guiding the Ravens to a score in a 17-16 loss to the New York Giants.
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McNair was near perfect, connecting on four of five passes for 45 yards and capped off his lone series with a seven-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
“I told everybody when I came here, this is my style of play,” McNair said. “I play to win. Regardless if it?s preseason or a regular season game, I play to win, and I do whatever it takes to win.”
The game?s end result was a mere afterthought for the 70,249 fans at M&T Bank Stadium. McNair, acquired in a trade during the offseason from the Tennessee Titans, sent the crowd into frenzy when he leaped across the end zone for his score.
When his image was shown on the team?s large end zone screens minutes after the touchdown, the crowd roared.
Baltimore had embraced its new, daring leader.
“We did not design Steve?s scramble for the touchdown,” offensive coordinator Jim Fassel said at halftime. “It was all him. A little scary, but all him.”
The team had said this week that McNair was still trying to master the language of the offense. Those concerns faded once he took the field.
“Steve did a nice job, he had a couple of checks in there, which was good to hear him verbalize that,” Ravens head coach Brian Billick said.
Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce said: “That wasn?t the way we wanted to start the preseason in giving up seven points on the first series of the game.”
The Ravens had hoped to avoid injuries, but lost receiver Derrick Mason to a mild concussion in the first half.
The Ravens first team defense was as aggressive as ever, with safety Ed Reed providing a jarring hit on Giants tight end Wade Fletcher. Giants? quarterback Eli Manning looked frazzled by Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan?s schemes.
Manning did, however, gain his confidence in the second quarter. He guided his team down the field on a seven-play, 80-yard drive against the Ravens second and third teamers.
Running back Musa Smith, third on the depth chart, continued what has been an impressive preseason, rushing for 61 yards. Smith picked up the majority of those yards on a 37-yard scamper down the right sideline in the second quarter.
Smith had spent the majority of the last two seasons on the Injured Reserve due to a broken leg.
Linebacker Ray Lewis, who appeared healthy throughout training camp, did not suit up for the game. He was scratched as a starter less than an hour before game time. It was called a “coach?s decision” by the team.
The man who replaced Lewis, Mike Smith, suffered a contusion of the left knee during the game and did not return to action during the second half.
