BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair has made the transformation from player to fan for tonight's Rose Bowl.

"I'm here for Vince Young,'' said McNair, who on Tuesday evening picked up his game passes for tonight's national championship game between Texas and Southern Cal. "Vince is a guy I've been mentoring the last six or seven years.''

McNair is part of an informal group of advisors helping the junior Texas quarterback decide whether to enter this year's NFL draft.

"Who knows? I don't know if he's coming out or staying in,'' McNair said. "I just want to say I was here at the Rose Bowl to see him in his last game or to win the Rose Bowl. He wanted me to come see him play.''

Young's father, Vincent Young Sr., is serving a 16-year sentence for burglary in a Texas correctional facility in Richmond, Texas. He has not been a part of his son's life for years.

Whenever Young decides to skip his senior season, McNair said he doesn't expect the transition to be too difficult.

"I think it's not going to be a tough adjustment,'' McNair said. "He'll have to adjust to the NFL, and they'll have to adjust to him and put him in position to make plays.

"It's about him being comfortable and they (coaches) letting him do what he's capable of doing, and that's moving around in the pocket and making plays on his own.''

McNair, the third overall selection in the 1995 NFL draft, didn't take over as the Tennessee Oilers (now Titans) full-time starting quarterback until his third year in the NFL.

Young, McNair believes, would have a more-immediate impact in the NFL because of the way the playing style has changed in the league.

"At that time (1995) there weren't too many running quarterbacks,'' McNair said. "Now, you have more athletic guys playing quarterback.

"That's what this league has come to. The defense dictates the style of quarterback; it's no longer just pure drop-back quarterbacks. You have the escapability to get outside the pocket and escape the defensive linemen and make plays.''

McNair, who set school records at Alcorn State with 11,024 yards in total offense and 75 scoring passes, said Young's talents exceed his in many areas.

"He does a lot of things better than me right now,'' McNair said. "His overall speed and his ability to make things happen is a lot greater than I had.''

While Young was the NCAA's leader in passing efficiency at the end of the regular season, he has yet to show McNair's arm strength or accuracy.

Tonight's national championship game provides Young the perfect stage to showcase his skills — for McNair, and any other NFL players or coaches who surely will be watching.

The Titans, perhaps not so coincidentally, have the third overall pick in this year's draft and are reportedly interested in drafting a quarterback.