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Tuesday, November 13, 2001

Are the Rooneys delivering or what? Before the season, they were under pressure to be the anti-Pirates, to put a winner in Heinz Field, their new palace, the one built largely with taxpayer dollars and personal-seat licensing money, the one they insisted they needed to be competitive. Their team hadn't made the playoffs in three years. There was an uneasiness around town about their coach, certainly about their quarterback. A fourth season without the playoffs seemed more likely than not.

But the Steelers are 6-2. They're not just in first place at the season's halfway point. They look like the best team in the AFC.

Yes, the Rooneys are delivering.

They're even allowing all of the WPIAL championship games to be played at Heinz Field!

Speaking of delivering ...

Do you think Bill Cowher is having himself a year?

He, too, was under great pressure. Because of the past three seasons. Because his power struggle with Tom Donahoe was still fresh. Because he signed a three-year extension at $3 million-and-change per year. And because he sided with his quarterback one more time and fired another offensive coordinator.

But after Cowher fired Kevin Gilbride, he turned around and built the best staff he has had. He promoted Mike Mularkey, who has been terrific, a few questionable calls Sunday against the Cleveland Browns aside. He hired Tom Clements to coach the quarterbacks, Kenny Jackson to coach the wide receivers and Russ Grimm to coach the offensive linemen. Of all the Steelers' off-season moves, bringing in Grimm was the best.

On the field, Cowher's passion for the game is back, better than ever. You saw it again Sunday in Cleveland when he all but took off after Browns cornerback Corey Fuller. His players feed off that emotion. Certainly, he has them believing they are the best team in the AFC. Don't underestimate that mind-set.

Yes, Cowher is having a wonderful season.

All of a sudden, so is Kordell Stewart.

Do you think maybe he's silencing some of his critics?

I know one he's silencing.

Me.

Stewart was under the most extraordinary pressure of all. How many more chances was he going to get? How many more coordinators would he be allowed to chase off?

But Stewart clearly has something good going with Mularkey and Clements. Mularkey has him doing what he does best. Their version of the old Statue-of-Liberty play? The one in which Stewart pump fakes a pass to the left, spins and runs around right end? Mularkey pulls it out every game. No one has stopped it yet. It went for gains of 40 and 10 yards against the Browns and helped set up the winning field goal.

But Stewart isn't just helping the Steelers win by running. He's making better decisions. He's throwing with more accuracy than he ever has. He's not throwing interceptions -- none in six of the eight games, only four total.

Stewart has looked like a different quarterback the past three games.

His numbers in those games -- 53 completions in 91 attempts for 656 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions -- would have been a lot better if he had gotten a little more help from his teammates.

You can't blame Stewart for the Steelers' failure to score a touchdown in Cleveland despite five possessions inside the Browns' 20 and a sixth at their 20.

"It's like there's an invisible shield when we get inside the red zone," Mularkey said, shaking his head.

Actually, stone hands have been the problem.

Plaxico Burress dropped what should have been an easy 22-yard touchdown pass. Amos Zereoue tripped over his own feet at the Cleveland 2 on what should have been a 64-yard touchdown pass. Troy Edwards failed to make a big catch inside the Cleveland 10. Mark Bruener had a drop. Even Hines Ward, who is as dependable as they come, dropped one.

"We can't drop the ball in the end zone the way we're struggling in the red zone," Ward said. "We're professionals. We're paid to make those catches."

Ward paused.

"But we're 6-2 without really scoring any touchdowns. Think about what's going to happen when we finally do start getting in the end zone. It's encouraging, real encouraging."

It's nice to think the receivers will start catching the ball, that Jerome Bettis will continue to have an MVP-type season, that the No. 1 defense in the NFL will continue to play lights out.

Most of all, it's nice to think Stewart will continue to play this well. If he does, there's absolutely no reason the Steelers can't make the Super Bowl.

No, not even that would silence all of Stewart's critics in this town.

But you know what?

That will be their problem, not his.

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