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Tuesday, August 29, 2000
As of late yesterday, Kent Graham was set to be the starting and possibly only quarterback for the Steelers in their season opener Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. You might want to check back on that later today because these decisions have been known to change in a hurry.
Early yesterday, for example, it was widely believed that Graham and Kordell Stewart would split the job. Coach Bill Cowher had said as much following the team's final exhibition game last week.
That stance was a change from Cowher's perceived position of earlier last week when Stewart looked like the certain starter because he had started the first four exhibition games and was scheduled to start the fifth game and because of the enormous investment in terms of time and money the team has in him.
Stewart, by the way, didn't start that fifth game. Some time in the 48 hours before kickoff, Cowher changed his mind and switched to Graham.
Cowher, for all his outward show of steely resolve, is a flip-flopping man these days. He can't make up his mind about the quarterback job and, while that's somewhat understandable -- considering the exhibition performances of Stewart and Graham -- it would be nice to see a little more decisiveness from the head coach.
But flip-flopping on quarterbacks is nothing new for Cowher. Consider how he's handled the No. 3 quarterback slot.
When Cowher announced his roster at the end of the 1999 exhibition season, he kept Anthony Wright, an undrafted rookie who had been given almost no chance of making the team. At the time, this is what Cowher said about Wright:
"He's a tremendous athlete who can run, and he's got probably the strongest arm I've seen in a quarterback since I've been coaching. He's a smart kid, so I think he has a tremendous future."
Wright was cut this week.
Here's what Cowher said Sunday about Tee Martin, who was kept instead of Wright.
"He has a little bit of presence. He has a chance to be a good player in this league."
So he kept the quarterback who "has a little bit of presence" and "who has a chance to be a good player," and he cut the quarterback who is a "tremendous athlete," who has "got probably the strongest arm I've seen," and who "has a tremendous future."
Based on Cowher's comments, Wright figured, at long last, to be a quarterback who the team would keep around and develop as a starter.
Martin now becomes the Steelers' fourth quarterback of the future in four years. In 1997, it was Mike Quinn. He was the future until he was cut in favor of Pete Gonzalez in 1998. Gonzalez was the future until he fell behind Wright on the depth chart late last season and was released in the offseason. Now Wright is dispatched, despite his "tremendous future," without having thrown a pass in the National Football League.
The elevation of Graham over Stewart should not be taken to as a serious change in team policy. It is not necessarily an indication the team has veered from its commitment to Stewart. In fact, it might just be another method of bringing Stewart into the starting role.
Face it, with Graham's history of being a borderline talent and with the mediocre supporting cast the Steelers give him, it's unlikely he'll hold the job for a long period of time.
This might be nothing more than a chance for Stewart to approach the job differently. Instead of starting and hearing the thundering boos from the Three Rivers Stadium crowd after first incompletion, he's now in the role of the quarterback coming in to save the day.
The backup is traditionally the hero. Stewart isn't likely to fall into that role, but coming off the bench or starting in place of a quarterback who had played poorly will cast him in a different light. The Steelers have tried everything to get him to play better, why not try this?
Meanwhile, using two quarterbacks -- if that's what Cowher plans to do -- might help the Steelers. Certainly, the quarterbacking can't get much worse and, if Stewart is used as a change-up to Graham's conventional style -- that is, he's more allowed to utilize his athletic skills -- this could be an improvement.
It's not going to take the Steelers to the playoffs, but it might, over the short haul, make them a better team
That is, if the plan isn't changed by Sunday.
Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com.
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