Bus Cook Quotations

It's up to them if they want him. Steve wants to be there. They have a huge cap number right now. Maybe they can afford it.

There's no deadline. I don't know where that got started. The deadline will be whenever he decides he's ready.

There's only one Brett - thank goodness - but they have a lot of (the same) characteristics. They both played in college at small schools. They pretty much carried their teams on their shoulders. They overcame a lot of deficiencies that the teams might have had. They're both winners, competitors. Tough, smart. There are a lot of similarities.

We have to get some things resolved. I'm sure the Titans want to keep Steve, and I'm sure they will. Steve wants to stay, and we want to keep him in Tennessee.

What this amounts to is they decided to pay $1 million and not add three years to his contract, so this is his last year. At the end of this year, Steve will be a free agent.

I understand them feeling like (if) he is going to get hurt on their property they are going to have to pay him. But it's the same thing with every player on that roster. A $3 million player is going to get hurt just as easily as a $9 million player, and they have to pay him if he gets hurt.

He is a starter. Why would he want to mentor a young guy to take his place? He is not ready for the rocking chair. It doesn't make sense for Steve McNair to take a huge cut in pay ... to be a mentor for some young guy no matter who it is. It might be great for Tennessee, but it wouldn't be good for Steve.

I imagine he would have a hard time going back over there.

Once they don't exercise that option, their cap number is out the roof. If they want to carry that big number through free agency, that is their choice.

I don't think Steve's going to take a pay cut. He's scheduled to make $9 million, maybe $10 million this year. Why would you take less?