Volek to start at QB for Titans' ailing McNair
By Len PasquarelliThe back stiffness that has dogged Steve McNair and kept him out of practice this week will keep him out of the lineup as well Sunday. The Tennessee Titans will start backup Billy Volek instead.
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A sixth-year veteran, Volek is no stranger to the starting lineup or to getting a late notice that he will replace McNair as the starter. Regarded as one of the NFL's premier No. 2 quarterbacks, Volek started eight games in 2004 while McNair was sidelined, and Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals will be his 10th career start.
Sunday will mark the 11th game that McNair has missed because of injury since the start of the 2003 season. He did not make the trip to Arizona with the team.
In his nine previous starts, Volek is 3-6. He completed 227-of-361 passes in those games for 2,590 yards, with 20 touchdown passes and seven interceptions and an impressive passer rating of 94.8. In 20 career appearances, Volek, 29, has completed 262-of-430 passes for 3,031 yards, 22 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and an 87.7 efficiency rating.
In consecutive starts last season, Volek threw for 400-plus yards. He has three times thrown three or more touchdown passes in starting assignments, completed 25 or more passes in four of those games and has a solid feel for the offense installed this spring by new coordinator Norm Chow. Volek has been sought by several teams in the past in trade talks.
"He knows the drill," tight end Erron Kinney said. "He's done this before, so it won't be a big deal for him."
Coach Jeff Fisher did not completely rule out the possibility that McNair could assume a backup role Sunday, but the likelihood is that Matt Mauck, who has never played in a regular-season game, will be Volek's primary backup. The Titans, who began the season with only two quarterbacks on the roster, signed Mauck, who spent last year on Denver's practice squad, a week into the campaign.
Despite his back problems, McNair played last week in a loss to Cincinnati but has not been able to get back on the field since that game. Volek has run the first-team offense all week while McNair received treatment and visited with back specialists. Fisher said that the news on McNair's back was actually better than anticipated and that there has been improvement in his condition but offered no timetable on his return to the lineup.
McNair is still officially listed as "questionable" on the injury report, which also notes that he has a sore ankle.
"Steve is struggling [physically] right now," Volek said. "He is banged up. He didn't think that in Week 7 he would be in this condition, and I know that is frustrating for him. I am just going to go out there and play my game and try to get a win."
Volek will be without the Titans' top wide receiver. Drew Bennett is sidelined because of thumb surgery. His absence leaves Tennessee with a young wide receiver corps, one long on potential but woefully shy of experience.
"But I'm confident in those guys," Volek said. "We're going to go out and have fun."
Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. To check out Len's chat archive, click here 
. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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