Home >  Sports >  Columnists

Monday, September 04, 2000

It was insane strategy, the kind that can get a troubled coach fired.

How else do you describe the crazy stunt Bill Cowher pulled in the Steelers' 16-0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens yesterday?

Cowher's 16th loss in his past 22 games, by the way.

No, Cowher wasn't the primary villain. His miserable offense played that role. Again. The Steelers were shut out at home for the first time in 11 years.

But Cowher couldn't have scored any points with Dan Rooney and certainly didn't help his team score any against the Ravens with his bizarre decision to go with his goal-line offense midway through the fourth quarter. Out came Kent Graham, who, finally, after a long, frustrating afternoon, had made some plays and led the team on an 86-yard drive to a first-and-goal at the Ravens' 1. In went cold Kordell Stewart -- relatively speaking on this steamy day -- to play quarterback. All he had done to that point was play soft toss occasionally with Tee Martin.

So much for the Steelers' only decent drive.

Talk about allowing your ego as a coach to get in the way.

At the very least, talk about outsmarting yourself.

So much for the Steelers' one chance to make a game of it.

If Cowher had started Stewart against the Ravens, that would have been fine. Stewart's legs would have given the Steelers as much chance of winning as the immobile Graham's arm. Even at Three Rivers Stadium, where Stewart is doomed to be remembered as the most booed home player in the building's history.

If Cowher had switched to Stewart in the second quarter, that would have been fine, too. Graham completed two of his five passes for 7 yards in the first quarter and lost a fumble. When the Ravens took a 10-0 lead, you couldn't help but feel the game was over.

But why did Cowher go to Stewart after Graham finally got the Steelers moving?

"We practiced it all week with Kordell working the short-yardage situations," Cowher said. "It's a way to keep him involved in the game and possibly expand his role."

That's nonsense. If Cowher wants to get Stewart more involved, he should line him up at wide receiver and bring him around on a reverse. He should do it and give him a pass-run option. He should make him Slash again, for goodness sake.

But don't put Stewart in cold in a goal-line situation.

It's not as if he's had much familiarity with the end zone lately.

"I think his athletic ability gives us something that we're trying to utilize in that situation," Cowher said when pressed.

On first down at the 1, Stewart gave the ball to Jerome Bettis. The hand off wasn't clean and the play lost a yard.

On second down, Stewart rolled right and appeared to have the option to run or pass. Who knows for sure? The protection quickly broke down, and he was hit by defensive linemen Sam Adams and Michael McCrary. His weak pass for tight end Corey Geason in the end zone fell incomplete.

On third down, Stewart fumbled almost immediately after taking the snap from Dermontti Dawson. Graham said the ball accidentally was knocked loose by the left guard, Alan Faneca, who recovered at the Ravens' 2.

And the play call?

"It was going to be a running play to Jerome," Stewart said.

So much for taking advantage of Stewart's athletic ability.

If Cowher had so much faith in it, he wouldn't have sent Graham back in after a timeout for the fourth-down play. Graham's pass for Plaxico Burress in the end zone was high and wide.

"It's always tough when you see Kordell at the 2," Ravens defensive tackle Tony Siragusa said. "I don't think he's ever been stopped down there."

Obviously, Siragusa didn't watch much recent film of Stewart during his contract holdout this summer.

"I don't think it was a bad move at all," Ravens Coach Brian Billick said of Cowher's strategy.

What? You expected Billick to gloat after the way this Steelers mess turned out?

Graham also said he had no problem with being yanked.

"I understood going into the game that would be the situation."

You expected him to rip the boss?

The bottom line in both locker rooms? It was good strategy that just didn't work.

Cowher should hope Rooney saw it that way.

Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.