A funny thing happened to the Steelers' offense two weeks ago. Even though they didn't produce a point and had just four first downs and 81 yards passing through three quarters, the Steelers might have settled on a quarterback.
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| Steelers QB Kent Graham tries to avoid the Ravens' rush during the Sept. 3 shutout loss to Baltimore. (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette) | |
His name is Kent Graham, and he did so many things right against the Baltimore Ravens that the Steelers are encouraged they might start getting some production from their passing game, beginning tomorrow against the Cleveland Browns.
It doesn't mean that Kordell Stewart won't play quarterback again this season. It doesn't mean that Coach Bill Cowher, who said he will play whoever has the hot hand, has decided to toss the keys to the offense to Graham and have him bring it back when he's finished. But the short leash on which Graham appeared to be operating has gotten a little longer.
"With all of Baltimore's exotic blitzes, we didn't have one instance where he had a breakdown," said offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. "He did a great job."
The Steelers had another big immobile quarterback who was a liability in the pocket but rarely made mistakes. His name was Neil O'Donnell, and he took them to the Super Bowl.
Granted, Graham doesn't have the supporting cast O'Donnell did in 1995. But he has the same assuredness, the same understanding of the offense, the same aversion to making mistakes.
"He's only been with us six weeks now," Gilbride said. "He's got a presence about him that impresses his teammates -- that he's prepared and he works hard."
Each day, the Steelers grow a little more enamored with Graham. After watching him get two weeks of practice with the first-team offense, something Graham didn't get to do playing behind Stewart in the preseason, the Steelers are convinced he gives them the best chance of orchestrating Gilbride's intricate offense.
Against the Browns, they believe Graham will be much improved over his performance against the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener, when he finished with 199 yards passing on 17 of 38 attempts. This, despite banging his thumb and forefinger on Jason Gildon's helmet in practice four days ago.
"I think as a unit, when we get in sync, you'll see him do great things here," said right guard Rich Tylski.
"He doesn't have too many highs and lows, and, as a quarterback, that's really important," said running back Jerome Bettis. "If you get too up and too down, you get sporadic at times, and he's pretty consistent. That will help us in the long run."
The Steelers, though, might need some help quicker than that. If they lose to the Browns, the Steelers could possibly be looking at an 0-5 start because they play homes games against division favorites Jacksonville and Tennessee the following two weeks, then travel to New York to face the Jets.
That, as much as anything, was a good enough excuse for the Steelers to spend the past two weeks getting their offensive players accustomed to each other. Because of injuries to running backs Richard Huntley and Bettis and center Dermontti Dawson, Graham didn't work with some of the key components of the offense until the game against the Ravens.
His only setback came Tuesday afternoon -- a day the players normally have off -- on the next-to-last play of practice. As he was following through on a pass, Graham's hand hit the top of Gildon's helmet, bruising the knuckle on his forefinger and causing his thumb to swell. When blood formed under the thumbnail, trainer John Norwig relieved the pressure by poking holes in the skin. Graham, though, never missed a snap the next three days in practice and expects to have no difficulty throwing against the Browns.
"I haven't had a whole lot of time with Plaxico [Burress] and Troy [Edwards], and Dermontti and Jerome haven't been out there throughout all of training camp and preseason," Graham said. "It's not just the receivers and quarterbacks, it's other guys who fit into the puzzle as well."
This is not to suggest that hotel reservations for the Super Bowl should be made before the leaves turn. After all, Graham is 15-19 as an NFL starter and has already played for five teams in nine pro seasons. What's more, there was little about the opener against the Ravens, statistically, to inspire visions of a 3,000-yard passer.
But, in order for the Steelers to have a chance to effectively run their offense, they need a quarterback who can read the entire field and go quickly through his progressions. Not only that, he needs to be able to recognize what the wide receivers are reading, too -- another intricate aspect of Gilbride's offense. That's what the coaches saw Graham do against the Ravens, and they continue to see it in practice.
"He's a quarterback who has a lot of poise and is a great leader," Tylski said. "He's been around. He knows the little things. He's a steady veteran."
Steelers' Graham buys time with solid opener 
