Kordell Stewart

Kordell Stewart (born October 16, 1972 in Marrero, Louisiana) is an American NFL quarterback who most recently played for the Baltimore Ravens. Stewart attended the University of Colorado, and was drafted 60th in the 1995 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was as a Steeler that coach Bill Cowher gave Stewart the nickname "Slash", due to his abilities as a utility player willing to play other positions such as running back/wide receiver/punter. In his role as Slash, Stewart helped revitalize a struggling Steelers team with a 3-4 record. Thanks to his many talents, the offense began to diversify and make the big plays that led them all the way to the Super Bowl. He also threw a hail mary pass to beat the University of Michigan 27-26 known as "The miracle in Michigan" in 1994.

After playing him in many novelty and utility roles during the 1995 season, the Steelers gave Stewart the opportunity to be their starting quarterback in 1996. After a preseason battle, Bill Cowher named Jim Miller as the Steelers starting quarterback and kept Stewart in his Slash role. Miller struggled mightily at Jacksonville on opening day and was replaced by Mike Tomczak for the rest of the season.

Stewart got his chance to start at quarterback in 1997. In his first season as a starting quarterback in the NFL, he lead the Steelers to an 11-5 record including many thrilling come from behind victories in places like Baltimore, Arizona and New England and at home against Jacksonville. Stewart also had a huge game at home against Denver as the Steelers easily defeated the Broncos 35-21 in the regular season and eventually helped lead the Steelers all the way to the AFC Championship game in what was thought to be a rebuilding year after the team lost players like Rod Woodson to free agency in the prior off season and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

1997 AFC Championship

Still, he proved to be rather inconsistent; although a potent and mobile quarterback with many ways to score on the field, Stewart was prone to mistakes, often throwing interceptions at inopportune times. One of those times happened to be during the rematch with the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game at the end of the 1997 season. He threw one crucial interception in the end zone and also fumbled another time deep in Denver territory.

Despite struggling for most of the game, Stewart led the Steelers to within 24-21 by going 6-6 for 54 yards and a touchdown to Charles Johnson on Pittsburgh's final drive. With the clock winding down, Denver pinned inside their own ten yard line by the ensuing kickoff, and the Three Rivers Stadium crowd going wild, the game had the look of all the other thrilling come from behind victories Stewart had led that season. But alas, it was not to be. Hall of fame opposing quarterback John Elway converted a late down long situation by hitting tight end Shannon Sharpe in man to man coverage on linebacker Jason Gildon, and Denver ran out the clock on another Stewart comeback and the Steelers season and also went on to win the Super Bowl against Green Bay.

1998 and 1999 seasons

By mid season in 1998, Stewart had lost sixty percent of his starting offensive line from the 1997 AFC championship game. Starting left tackle John Jackson left via free agency, and center Dermontti Dawson and right tackle Justin Strzelczyk were injured. Stewart's leading receiver and Pro Bowler Yancey Thigpen also left via free agency after the 1997 season. Not surprisingly, Stewart and the Steelers offense struggled. Stewart also lost favor with the Pittsburgh fans after he was seen crying on the sidelines after being benched in the middle of a 1998 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The low point in his Steelers career had to have come in 1999 when he was booed at home games during season. With the team still struggling to build an offensive line around him and first round draft pick Troy Edwards, taken thirteen overall, not nearly making up for the loss of Thigpen, Stewart and the Steelers offense plummeted into an miserable abyss of futility that was difficult to watch at times. Partially incited by local newpapers that constantly questioned Stewart's ability to be an NFL quarterback, the fans vented their wrath on Stewart. At one point, the home fans actually doused him with beer.

Nevertheless, he continued with the Steelers as their starting quarterback, and in 2001 Pittsburgh rode a dominant defense and strong running attack to a 13-3 regular-season record and the top seed in the AFC playoffs. The Steelers easily defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs. The eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots proved to be more of a challenge in the AFC Championship Game. As Stewart collapsed, throwing no touchdowns and three interceptions in 42 pass attempts, along with a special teams unit that allowed two touchdowns and a blocked field goal, the favored Steelers lost 24-17. The Stewart led offense actually outscored the Tom Brady/Drew Bledsoe led Patriot offense 17-10, but Stewart was not able to overcome the special teams mistakes that plagued the Steelers all post season long and threw two interceptions in the final minutes trying to bring the team from behind.

After his widely publicized implosion, Stewart still began the 2002 season as the Steelers' starting quarterback, but after a disappointing start to the season and throwing an interception into double coverage in the end zone at home against Cleveland, he was replaced by increasingly popular backup Tommy Maddox. Maddox was fairly successful in a starting role, and, unsurprisingly, Stewart was released at the end of the season. Stewart did, however, keep the team's playoff hopes alive in his final season by winning couple of key games as a starter after Maddux was temporarily paralyzed at Tennessee, the team that eliminated Pittsburgh from the playoffs that year in a thrilling overtime victory.

He went on to start with the Chicago Bears. After several poor performances in 2003, he was replaced by rookie Rex Grossman, and released again at the end of the season. Stewart was signed in 2004 by the Ravens, to play a backup role to Kyle Boller as a replacement for the injured Anthony Wright, and did not throw a pass (though he was unexpectedly successful as an emergency replacement for punter Dave Zastudil). He was released following the 2004 season, but due to an injury to starting Quarterback Kyle Boller during week 1 of the 2005 season, the Ravens have once again signed Stewart to be a backup to Anthony Wright.

Following Boller's reactivation on Wednesday, November 9, the Ravens cut Stewart instead of keeping him as a third-string player, activating running back Musa Smith instead. Stewart had no comment to make following the low-key announcement of his removal.