Steve Mcnair

INDIANAPOLIS -- Peyton Manning threw for three more touchdowns yesterday, Edgerrin James ran for two others, and the Indianapolis Colts returned a blocked field goal for another score in a 51-24 rout of Tennessee. Indianapolis became the third team in league history to score 40 or more points in four straight games, despite the Titans' attempts at playing keepaway -- three onside kicks in the first quarter and a fake punt attempt in the third quarter. It barely slowed the Colts (9-3)

The Tennessee Titans released Vince Young on Thursday, finally cutting ties with the quarterback they made the No. 3 pick overall in the 2006 draft. The move comes nearly eight months after owner Bud Adams said the team would trade or release Young. Young is 30-18 in five seasons, including a playoff loss, but just 13-14 against teams finishing a season at .500 or better. He's battled questions over his work ethic, leadership and injuries. He ended 2010 on injured reserve after suffering a season-ending thumb injury on his right, throwing hand Nov. 21. That was the day he tossed his...

HONOLULU -- Derrick Brooks and the NFC's solid defense gave the NFL's so-called inferior conference something to feel good about. Brooks returned an interception 59 yards for a touchdown, the AFC committed six of the Pro Bowl's 10 turnovers, and the NFC rallied for a sloppy 23-17 victory yesterday in a game that didn't turn out to be the offensive show most expected. Brooks, the Tampa Bay linebacker playing in his ninth straight Pro Bowl, was honored as the game's outstanding player.

NASHVILLE - Former NFL star Steve McNair was shot dead in his sleep last week by a 20-year-old girlfriend distraught about mounting financial problems and her belief that McNair was seeing someone else, police said yesterday. Sahel Kazemi “was spinning out of control’’ when she shot McNair four times as he dozed on a sofa early Saturday, then turned the gun on herself, Police Chief Ronal Serpas said. Interviews with friends revealed that she was making payments on two cars, her rent was doubling, and she suspected the married McNair was having a second affair with another young woman.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Vince Young is headed to the NFL. The Texas quarterback, who led the Longhorns to their first national championship in 36 years, announced yesterday he would make himself eligible for the April draft. Young maintained during the season that he would to return for his senior year, but said his Rose Bowl performance put him "over the top. " "Hard work has paid off a whole lot," he said. Young was spectacular in Texas's 41-38 Rose Bowl win over top-ranked Southern Cal last Wednesday, and he would have been a favorite to win the Heisman Trophy had he decided to return.

NASHVILLE -- He walks normally -- as normally as he can. He talks the same way, doing a good job of masking what is bothering him. And make no mistake: It's bothering him. Not just during games, when the world is watching. But in the locker room, in the trainer's room, and at home. "Pain?" said Titans quarterback Steve McNair with a smile yesterday as he finished up another session with the trainers in preparation for Saturday night's AFC divisional playoff game against the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

What was left of the Bengals held on for a win that hurt so good. With wounded players shuffling off the field in waves, Cincinnati pulled off the kind of victory last night that could set the tone for a season - that is, assuming no one else gets hurt. Carson Palmer threw his second touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, and a suspect defense made a goal-line stand in the closing seconds that preserved a 27-20 win over the visiting Baltimore Ravens. "We know it's going to be a hard-fought game when we play these guys - tough, physical," Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.

Steve McNair finally split with the Tennessee Titans and is heading for Baltimore. McNair, who led the Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, was finally dealt yesterday to a team that has been seeking a prime quarterback throughout its 10-year existence. He still had to pass a physical in Baltimore to finalize the deal, but the Ravens planned to introduce the man who shared the NFL's MVP award in 2003 as their new quarterback at a news conference today. The Titans swapped the face of their franchise and a fan favorite for what is believed to be a fourth-round pick in next...

DENVER -- A cold rain and two stingy defenses turned the Baltimore-Denver showdown into a kicking competition, and Jason Elam bested Matt Stover in the Broncos' 13-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens last night. The Broncos (3-1) intercepted three of Steve McNair's passes -- including a leaping end-zone pick by Champ Bailey just before halftime -- to hand the Ravens (4-1) their first loss. Deep in Ravens territory with a 6-3 lead and 1:55 remaining, Denver took a chance at the end zone, icing the game on Jake Plummer's 4-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith.

FOXBOROUGH -- Ninety percent of life is showing up. Words to live by. And words to remember this week as Saturday's AFC divisional playoff between the Patriots and Titans approaches and when referencing the teams' Oct. 5 meeting at Gillette Stadium, won by New England, 38-30. For starters, the fact that Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair has (pick an ailment) and running back Eddie George dislocated his left shoulder Saturday is lost on New England coach Bill Belichick. "They will be there," Belichick said.

NASHVILLE - Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, 36, was shot multiple times, including once in the head, and a pistol was discovered near the body of the 20-year-old woman found dead with him yesterday in a downtown Nashville condominium, police said. Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron identified the woman as 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, whom he called a “friend’’ of McNair’s. She had a single gunshot wound to the head. Police said McNair was found on the sofa in the living room, and Kazemi was very close to him on the floor.

NEW YORK - Peyton Manning took a different approach to earning a record-tying third Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback got hurt, struggled when he came back, then lost a bunch of games. Hardly vintage Manning. But when he rediscovered the touch that has made him one of football's dominant players for a decade, Manning and the Colts were virtually unstoppable. Now Manning can tell Brett Favre to move over and make room for him atop the roster of MVPs.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Steve McNair intended to complete the final three years of his contract with the Baltimore Ravens. He worked hard during the offseason and arrived at minicamp ready to assume his role as the starting quarterback. His body had other plans. McNair announced his retirement yesterday, ending a 13-year career in which he was selected co-MVP, led the Tennessee Titans to the Super Bowl, and orchestrated the most successful regular season in Ravens history. He received a standing ovation from his teammates after revealing his decision, then contained his emotions...

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair missed his second consecutive day of practice yesterday with a stiff back, and the team will make a decision before kickoff tomorrow whether he will play against St. Louis. Backup quarterback Kyle Boller took all the snaps again with the starting offense. McNair missed the second game of the season with a groin pull that has hampered him since the season opener in Cincinnati. "It's just tightened up," Ravens coach Brian Billick said of McNair's back.

CLEVELAND - Picked on for years, the Cleveland Browns finally gave a black eye to one of the NFL's biggest bullies. Derek Anderson threw two touchdown passes, Jamal Lewis ran for one against his former team, and the Browns, considered the 98-pound weaklings of the rugged AFC North, surprised the Baltimore Ravens, 27-13, yesterday. With their second win over a division opponent this month, the Browns (2-2) looked nothing like the inept team that was embarrassed, 34-7, in their home opener three weeks ago by Pittsburgh.

What was left of the Bengals held on for a win that hurt so good. With wounded players shuffling off the field in waves, Cincinnati pulled off the kind of victory last night that could set the tone for a season - that is, assuming no one else gets hurt. Carson Palmer threw his second touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, and a suspect defense made a goal-line stand in the closing seconds that preserved a 27-20 win over the visiting Baltimore Ravens. "We know it's going to be a hard-fought game when we play these guys - tough, physical," Bengals coach Marvin...

NASHVILLE - Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, 36, was shot multiple times, including once in the head, and a pistol was discovered near the body of the 20-year-old woman found dead with him yesterday in a downtown Nashville condominium, police said. Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron identified the woman as 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, whom he called a “friend’’ of McNair’s. She had a single gunshot wound to the head. Police said McNair was found on the sofa in the living room, and Kazemi was very close to him on the floor.

HOUSTON -- And that , ladies and gentlemen, is why a couple of billion people around the globe are hooked on sport. Hype doesn't matter. Prognostications don't matter. Talk doesn't matter. When the game starts, performance is all that matters, and the two teams playing in Super Bowl XXXVIII gave everything they could possibly summon, sometimes from who-knows-where, to produce what may very well go down in history as the greatest of all Super Bowls. Even Bill Belichick took note.

FOXBOROUGH -- The quarterback admits he was a little starstruck. Amid all the celebrities and the glitz of the ESPY Awards in July, Tom Brady was coming over to talk to him. Tom Brady, Super Bowl winner. Super Bowl MVP. "I didn't even know he was there until he approached me," said Vince Young in a conference call yesterday. "Then when I saw him I was a little shocked and excited to stand there and talk to The Man to me, a guy that does whatever it takes to win ballgames, and also continues to get better and better each year.

DENVER -- A cold rain and two stingy defenses turned the Baltimore-Denver showdown into a kicking competition, and Jason Elam bested Matt Stover in the Broncos' 13-3 win over the Baltimore Ravens last night. The Broncos (3-1) intercepted three of Steve McNair's passes -- including a leaping end-zone pick by Champ Bailey just before halftime -- to hand the Ravens (4-1) their first loss. Deep in Ravens territory with a 6-3 lead and 1:55 remaining, Denver took a chance at the end zone, icing the game on Jake Plummer's 4-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith.