By turning the keys to his clunker of an offense over to Kordell Stewart this week, Bill Cowher will be getting a different driver.
Stewart is finished with trying to become a classic, drop-back quarterback and will do what he believes he does best -- running out of the pocket, play-action bootlegs and the like.
If he's going to go down in flames, it will be with his strengths.
"That's what I want to go back doing again, not try to sit in the pocket all day and try to throw passes," Stewart said yesterday. "Just try to go out and make things happen when they're not there, because my legs are in our favor."
While other quarterbacks such as Steve McNair, Mark Brunell and Steve Young were using their legs to move out of the pocket and either throw on the run or tuck it and run, Stewart took a different approach. He took his best and most dangerous asset and scrapped it, standing in the pocket and wasting his talent to improvise and run.
He somehow came to believe that a real quarterback passes, not runs.
"I'll just say when you go though growing pains or try to find out what your happy medium is, you try to find out what it is you can and can't do," Stewart explained. "Instead of sticking with things you've been doing all your career, all your life or the most part, you wind up hurting yourself.
"I think that's what I've done, gotten away from basically just getting out there and doing those little things that made me the quarterback I am. I guess once you go through different coordinators, you start trying to please certain guys and things of that nature."
No more Mr. Nice Guy?
"I know from here on out," Stewart said, "I'm just going to go out and play the best I can and try to make things happen and not try to please too many people but myself in a sense of how I play the game and my teammates around me, because we're the ones out there fighting hard."
Stewart's passer rating of 74.6 is higher than what he finished with the past two seasons -- 64.9 in 1999 and 62.9 in 1998. It is nearly equal to that of his 1997 season, when he had a 75.2 passer rating and an 11-5 record as a starter.
During that first season as their starting quarterback, Stewart ran for 11 touchdowns and threw for 21. In the succeeding two seasons, he ran for four touchdowns combined and threw for 17. In the final five games of last season he was moved to wide receiver in favor of Mike Tomczak at quarterback.
Stewart started the fourth and fifth games of this season, winning both on the road, but that happened when Kent Graham was hurt. He'll get his third start Sunday in Baltimore on merit, or on Graham's demerit.
Stewart has his job back for the first time in 11 months. It could be a new beginning for the quarterback the Steelers have so much time and money invested.
The NFL is not brimming with top-rate quarterbacks, and the Steelers most recent opponents, along with this week's, are mere examples. The quality on the horizon in college is not exceptional, either. It would not take much for Stewart to convince the Steelers that he beats any alternative plans they might have.
"It could be a lot of things," Stewart said. "It's an opportunity. The thing is just seizing the moment and having fun doing it, being relaxed and poised and going out and doing what I can."
Not playing gave him a chance to reflect and also to view things from a different angle.
"I have a different perspective on things in a sense of knowing you don't need to press in order to get things accomplished, just basically go out and have fun doing it, knowing your last play can truly be your last play and you just make the most of every opportunity you have.
"I'm not getting caught up into pressuring myself into doing things I cannot do. I'll do the best I can and try to put the team in the right position and not a bad position. Just try to get some field goals, touchdowns or just a victory.
"I don't care about nothing else but wins."
He and offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride see things the same way, Stewart said.
"He's going to call the play and try to put us in the best play. My responsibility is, basically, as quarterback and leader of the offense, is try to go out and try to make whatever it is I can happen and not try to do too much as far as throwing interceptions. If I don't see it, dump it to the back or scramble, and if nothing else is there, throw it away. That's what I've been doing lately, and I have to continue doing it."
Stewart has completed 36 of 61 passes (59 percent) for 361 yards, one touchdown and one interception that went in and out of the hands of Plaxico Burress. He also has run 24 times for 126 yards, a 5.3-yard per carry average.
On Sunday, he played nearly three quarters after replacing Graham four minutes into the second quarter, and the Steelers' lead grew from 3-0 when he entered to a 22-0 victory.
It was his most enjoyable time playing in Three Rivers Stadium in a while.
"The last time?" Stewart said, repeating a question. "The AFC championship game [after '97 season] probably, was the last time I really had some fun, enjoying myself.
"I had fun again [Sunday]. I'm just going back out, just being me, not worrying about anything else, how people feel, what they think or what they're saying.
"I want to come away with a 'W.' I don't care if we win by one point every single game. And taking us to the Super Bowl. That's what I want to do, go out and do the best I can and contribute, get a 'W.'"
Stewart raring to go with keys to offense 
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