Pittsburgh! I was out of town for a mere 36 hours, and while I was gone, an old quarterback controversy got stirred up. I'm talking, of course, about the re-signing and retirement of Kordell Stewart - Slash.
I was always a fan of Stewart - for one thing, it was the first time I could get a legitimate Steeler jersey with my own name on it. But it was also the first time that I suspected that there was trouble in River City/offensive and quarterback coaching department.Why did such an obviously talented athlete have such a roller coaster career - or "ebb and flow" as he called it?
One factor - and that factor remains an issue for Big Ben - was lack of protection from the offensive line. Like Ben, Kordell got hit. A lot. According to Sportometry.com, Stewart lost a total of 902 yards in his career with the Steelers, an average of 7.9 yards per game - and some years were much worse than average.
Stewart took a lot of criticism. That's another occupational hazard of quarterbacking for the Steelers. Happily, Wednesday's retirement was a class act on the part of the Steelers, Stewart, and the fans.
Stewart's mobility helped redefine the role of the quarterback in the NFL. Welcome home, Kousin Kordell. We'll even forgive that stint with the Purple Browns.
Often ponder if Kordell's career would have been as storied as Ward's if Stewart would have stayed "Slash" instead of a pocket passer.
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