After watching the Tennessee Titans celebrate a wacky 13-10 win over the even more hapless Houston Texans on a cold, blustery Sunday afternoon in Nashville, I was reminded of how this team has fallen so far, so fast. Only 23 months ago, the Titans franchise was in the midst of their fourth playoff berth in five years. The names on that team were a collection of outstanding talents (Jevon Kearse, Eddie George, Steve McNair) , solid NFL veterans (Derrick Mason, Lance Schulters, Kevin Carter, Frank Wycheck, Brad Hopkins), and emerging young talents (Drew Bennett, Justin McCareins, Albert Haynesworth, Keith Bulluck). Now, the only guys that remain out of those lists are McNair, Hopkins, Bulluck, Haynesworth, and Bennett. Each of those remaining guys, sans the underrated Bulluck, have dealt with either injury, or in Hopkins' case, suspension this year. That goes a long way to explaining the Titans' dismal 4-9 record to this point. Trust me, Coach Jeff Fisher has not become a dummy overnight (he's still one of the 6-8 best coaches in the game), he's just going to a gunfight with one of those pocket knives you can no longer get through airport security with. This, my friends, is the NFL's salary cap at work. Pete Rozelle's dream of every team having a chance is in one of its cycles and the Titans are on tumble dry. This leads to the headline of this blog.......What do the Titans do with the aging, but still pretty good, Steve McNair after this season. McNair, 33, is due an absurd $50 million roster bonus on March 1. McNair, his agent Bus Cook, and GM Floyd Reese all know that can not be paid out and both sides have agreed to sit down and talk after the season. The decision on whether or not a new contract can be worked out will probably come down to McNair's desire to continue to play. This Titans team is still about two years away from being a viable AFC championship contender and Steve is not getting any younger. He had sternum reconstruction last offseason and has had lower back trouble all season long. You just have to wonder if all of these factors will conspire to make McNair seriously consider retiring. The Titans are set up to have a high draft pick and have a fairly capable, yet brittle Billy Volek waiting in the wings. With the franchise in full rebuilding mode, I bet there is a segment of the decision makers on Great Circle Road who hope McNair retires so they can build a new nucleus. With intriguing prospects like Matt Leinart, Omar Jacobs, hometown hero Jay Cutler,and possible junior entries like Brady Quinn and Vince Young, this may be prime time to select an heir apparent. The problem with this is that  McNair still loves to compete and you just have to wonder if this is going to be one of those odd divorces where the old veteran shows up next year in a weird uniform like Emmitt in Arizona, Eddie in Dallas, and Joe in Kansas City. Even a Steve McNair that is injury prone and not quite as mobile is still better than the QB's that over half of the league's teams wheel out there every Sunday (yeah, I'm talking about you if your name is Kyle). A team like Chicago, Detroit, or Arizona would be crazy not to give him a call if he is let go. I hope this doesn't happen, because Steve McNair is the Tennessee Titans. A tough grinder whose substance outweighs his style and whose stat line rarely tells the entire story. He's been the face of a franchise through a messy move from Houston to Nashville and lost the most heartbreaking Super Bowl in history. If he departs this way, it will just give those Music Row songwriters yet another sad song to produce!