Kordell Stewart said he's not worried about massaging some bruised feelings. He said he just wants to win.
Kent Graham was in need of a massage after he bruised his right hip and ribs in the fourth quarter. That, though, might have contributed to the Steelers loss.
"I was ticked off," Graham said. "I was like, I have to get up and figure out a way to get this done. But I couldn't."
Graham had to come out with 1:10 remaining after he dumped a pass to Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala that gained 20 yards and moved the ball to the Steelers 46. Graham was hit on the play by Tennessee defensive end Kenny Holmes and landed on his right hip and shoulder.
Enter Stewart, who came into the game at the start of the fourth quarter and needed just one snap in the goal-line offense to produce a touchdown -- a 1-yard quarterback leap over the middle of the Titans defense.
He had just watched Steve McNair come in cold from the Tennessee bench to rescue the Titans when Neil O'Donnell was knocked from the game. Now he hoping to duplicate the performance.
"It gave me something to think about," Stewart said. "And I felt like I had an opportunity, which I did."
But, like Kris Brown's 50-yard field goal attempt with 25 seconds remaining, he came up short.
Stewart was able to move the ball to the Tennessee 32, thanks to a 16-yard scramble on second down and a 6-yard pass to wide receiver Bobby Shaw two plays later. But he could not conjure the same magic that McNair did in the final two minutes in leading the Titans to a 23-20 victory at Three Rivers Stadium.
And he wasn't happy.
"We're coming so close," Stewart said. "That's the one thing that drains you more than anything. But however we need to do it, whether it's making things easier or calling just two or three plays, let's call those two or three plays and let's go out and try to win some games because I hate losing. Especially sitting on the sideline, I hate losing. Trust me.
"If I'm in there and I'm not getting it done, and I get pulled out and you go to next guy, I understand. But sitting on the sideline, watching, it's not a good feeling seeing things happening the way it's happening, being so close. We have the good game plan. We have the good players. It's just a matter of seizing the moment."
Stewart might get a chance to seize the moment next Sunday at Jacksonville if Graham's hip isn't any better. However, Graham said he thinks he should be able to play if the swelling in his hip goes down.
"We'll just wait a couple days," Graham said. "Right now it's kind of tough to walk because I have so much swelling in my hip."
Graham has been getting more productive each week, and yesterday he completed 18 of 33 passes for 254 yards. For the third game in a row, he did not throw an interception. But, for the third game in a row, he also did not throw a touchdown pass.
Actually, he probably should have been credited with one -- an 18-yarder to Hines Ward at the end of the third quarter -- but the officials ruled that Ward was down inside the Tennessee 1, even though television replays indicated otherwise. Coach Bill Cowher challenged the call, but it was not overturned. Graham had to settle for a 17-yard completion ... and still no touchdown pass.
"I was competing hard out there," Graham said. "I was trying to do whatever it took to win and put ourselves in a position to have a chance to win. I want to be smart with the football. Knowing that these guys are a tough defense, we were able to run the ball as well as keep them off-balance throwing it and making some big plays."
The pass to Ward was one of Graham's biggest, but he didn't get to finish off the series. Because the ball was at the 1, Stewart came into the game to run the goal-line offense, something he did in the season opener against Baltimore. That maneuver, though, backfired against the Ravens, and the Steelers failed to score on four plays from the 2.
This time, Stewart did not try any rollouts or handoffs. He took the first snap, leaped over the middle of the line and stretched the ball across the goal-line for a touchdown, tying the score, 13-13.
Stewart was asked if the score was retribution for the boos he received when he ran out on the field.
"I'm not trying win the fans back," Stewart said. "I'm trying to win games."
Later, he said: "I've been down, after all the stuff that's going on. You hear it. It's kind of hard to not think about it. When you come out and be successful, that's one in your corner. Maybe more than one -- six."
Win would massage Steelers' bruised egos 
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