Kordell Stewart Announces Retirement...?

If he was a square peg, they alternated the holes between square, circle, and triangle (Gailey, Gilbride, Sherman). When they built the offense around him, they were incredible and he'd go to Hawaii. When they tried to make him run Dan Marino's offense, he became less consistent with his arm and less dangerous with his legs. It seemed so obvious, even at the time, and they still never really learned their lesson 100%. Even though it got better with Mularkey, it's embarrassing how long it took them to work towards that. They never should have tried it in the first place.

Remember, this was pre-Vick/Newton. These were the days when Donovan McNabb was criticized for running with the ball, because it relegated him to being merely a black quarterback instead of a real white one. It was bad enough the Steelers were too stupid to see the light. The worst part was that Kordell bought into it himself.

 

Exactly if he would have been in a zone read O ,we might be talking about the best QB in Steeler history....Imagine years just like Cam had last year every year from Stewart with the rest of our Team and great Defense....

 

From his own 27 to about 1 yard deep in the end zone is about 74 yards, plus the distance it traveled to the side, maybe 8-10 yards. Any geometry majors remember how to find a hypotenuse? Or if that's the right word? I'm guessing that ball went at least 77 yards in the air, maybe more.

 

glad to see these guys want to retire steelers. thaks for your time kordell.

 

Kordell should have stayed as a slash player. He had unique skills. Great change of pace QB, good on timing patterns, great with his feet, but struggled when he had to go through his progressions. As many have said, probably due to the revolving door of coordinators he had to deal with. Can't help but think of how much more successful those years would have been with a different QB and Kordell playing WR/QB.

 

Would have had a much better career if he would of just stayed "slash".

 

we also didn't have a QB coach at that time. not until after kordell did that come into being. not sure how that would have helped alot of guys progressions.

 

Uh? It's 72 yds anyway you look at it.

 

Some of you with this slash stuff are just wrong. When I look at the QB's today like Vick, and Cam, I think of stewart. If only the NFL was ready for him he would have been a beast. The only real problem was that the Steelers tryed to make him something he wasn't, a pocket QB like Dan Moreno. He was not that type of QB. His game was get on your horse buddy at get it done, and athlete. RG III will be that type of QB. The philosophy with Kordell should have been, when in doubt, RUN! That is what they should do with RG III, when in doubt RUN!

Let an athlete do his thing, don't handcuff him and try to make him a system player. Now Andrew Luck can be a system player, stay in the pocket and throw the ball, only run when he apsolutely has to. Kordell could make plays with his feet and should have did it to his full capability, however the Steelers tryed to handcuff him into a system player. What a waste on their part.

My hat goes off to Kordell. I respect him and wish him well. A lot of good memories that could have been even better.

 

you guys keep blaming the coaches but it was korkie who wanted to be the pocket passer. he wasnt smart enough to read defenses and refused to be a threat the way he could have been.

 

Thanks for the memories. Its nice to see guys retire as steelers.

 

I think there's a number of ways to look at it. Some people would say it was only 64 yards because that's how long the play was officially. I was talking about how far he threw the ball. It went 74 yards upfield, but it also traveled sideways a bit. So obviously if he'd thrown it in a straight line it would have gone a little farther.

I don't see how it's 72 in any way though.

 

Good for him.

It's pretty eye-opening how divisive the fan base is on Kordell's tenure in Pittsburgh. Chalk me up in the "he could've been something special" court.

 

Ok... I know I should probably stay out of this, since I have been drinking a bit before posting, , but , that`s never stopped me before...
First off...
Who did he play for, after he left us?.. I honestly don`t remember.
Secondly...
I think it is cool that SOME ex-Steelers could get a one year(day), contract, just to officially retire as a Steeler.
Thirdly....
I agree, that I think he would have been better as strictly a receiver, than a qb, but at the time, who would have been throwing him the ball?
I think I am blanking out bad times, but he came along a couple years after the traitor that threw 2 int`s to Dallas, in the Bowl, and wanted more money....right?
It was so much misery after Bradshaw left, that I forget the order of ineptitude...
"Slash" took over for.. ?...
Was Maddox here, yet?
I think Brister had been gone, for a while...
OMG... It might have been Tomczak...
Or... OUCH!!! :o
I just don`t wanna think about who we had between Bradshaw and Ben, anymore!!!
So...
Lastly...
I will give Kordell his due, for doing the best he could.
And I will also agree with the "square peg in a round hole", crowd, that thinks we just didn`t use him to his full potential.
I believe we also, handcuffed Ben, early in his career, when he still could scramble down the field for a first down, when he had to.
Obviously, he was never the runner Kordell was, but, he used to know how to pick up a third down with his feet, when he had to!
That part of his game has not been seen in years.
Because of injuries lately, I believe, but also, because the coaches, told him not to, at the beginning.
As for Kordell, we have had much worse qb`s, and I think we could have used his skills better.
Why he would "announce" his retirement now, is beyond me, but I have no hard feelings towards him.
GO STEELERS!!!

 

Anytime you try to change a player and don't have a position coach working with him, you're asking to trouble.

I'll always remember him takinhg off on the sideline and trucking a DB once he was out of bounds then the guy getting up all pissed about it!

Face it the guy never missed a game and he took a beating as well. The third down 4-5 wide sets started to become the norm for the Steelers in that era too.

 

I don't know whose idea it was to make Kordell a traditional pocket passer, his own or Cowher's. But the fact that Stewart was a square peg being pushed into a round hole was what doomed him. Some here say he should have stayed at WR. Well, he would have had O'Donnell not been an idiot and sign with the Jets following SB XXX. (In fact, had O'Donnell stayed, the Steelers could have been SERIOUS contenders in 1996 and 97.) After Kordell got puched into action, it should have been clear to everyone that he could have revolutionized the QB position (this was long before Vick arrived). He was the most athletic QB in NFL history, up to that point. He had incredible instincts and footwork. Only Chan Gailey really knew how to work with him and that lasted just one season.

 

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Well, they were serious contenders in '97 and '01. They reached the AFCCG in each of those seasons. They lost by a field goal I believe in '97, and lost by 7 in '01 in a game where they gave up 17 points on special teams. People still pin that loss on Kordell, because he failed to lead them to a comeback victory at the end.

Vick might have been a hair quicker and faster, but Kordell was sure as hell bigger and stronger. When it came to contact with a defender, he was more like a running back where Vick was more like a receiver. And even if he wasn't as fast as Vick, he was still possibly the fastest guy in the league, and pretty much always the fastest guy on the field.

It's true he would have made an outstanding receiver. But he would have made a more outstanding quarterback -- which has a way bigger impact -- and he was, when used properly. But like I said I'm not taking all the blame off of him, because he bought into the concept of changing his style of play that I believe was being fed to him by Gilbride and Cowher. He should have said, "What are you guys ----ing NUTS???" but he didn't.

 

I couldn`t agree more, with the part in blue.
What a lethal combination, that could have been, but since the guy decided to leave for greener pastures, after giving us our only(at that time) Superbowl loss, I have tried really, really hard, to forget his name...

 

I am and always will be a Kordell fan....he got caught up in a regime turnover in Pitt....he had what...4 different OC's in 5 years.....Ben was upset after switching from BA to Haley.

I would say Kordell was the 3 best QB in the franchises modern history! (post AFL/NFL merger 1970)

Ben, Terry, and Kordell......O'donnell would probably be the 4th on the Mount Rushmore of Steeler QB's


HACK

 

I get sooooo tired of reading/hearing things like this.

A (Stewart, Vick, Newton, Tebow, RG3) running quarterback IS NOT and NEVER WILL revolutionize the position. The position is what it is...throw the damn ball first. If you can run with it when things break down, then great. Bonus. We've been hearing this "revolutionize the QB position" (or some derivative of it) around the NFL since Kordell Stewart was drafted in 1995. Thats 17 years and we're still waiting for this revolution. Any day now. Its going to happen. Just you watch. It will.

And when it doesn't its always the same old excuse: they didn't build a system around "player X" thats why he failed.

Isn't it time we move on and recognize the running quarterback for what he is, a sideshow with a short shelf life?

Quarterbacking in the NFL always was and always will be about throwing the ball.

 

I thought Warren Moon and Randall Cunningham both had decent careers. I don't recall either one being a side show with a short shelf life.

 

If it hasn't come back to you, he went to Chicago, then to Baltimore (though he never actually played there).

He was drafted in 1995, and was in the superbowl game, but as a WR.

As a regular starter, I guess you would say he took over from O'Donnell, though while he was here Jim Miller, Tomczak and Kent Graham were all named as the starting QBs, and he beat them out. He lost the job to Tommy Maddox, after Maddox wrote to the Steelers asking if he could play for them or something.