Kordell Stewart on time with Steelers: ‘It was me against my organization’

Kordell Stewart could do it all for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but his incredible play-making abilities were a bit ahead of his time for the NFL to get a firm grasp of.

Though Kordell Stewart is best known as “Slash” from his days starring in the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, how he was used back in the day remains a bit controversial.

In Gerry Dulac’s feature for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Stewart reflects on how his elite dual-threat playmaking abilities had him at odds with the Steelers organization in the end.

"“My hands and my ability became my nemesis,” said Stewart over the phone in his Atlanta home. “They became my enemy. It was me against me. It wasn’t me against the opponent. It was me against my own organization. My ability was what it was, but it was to the point where it was, ‘Where do we best put him?’ In the minds of many at that time, it wasn’t working. It makes you look at today’s game and makes you appreciate what was done back then.”"

Stewart had a howitzer coming out of Colorado in the 1995 NFL Draft. Though he was initially fourth on the Steelers’ quarterbacking depth chart, the franchise opted to use him as a wide receiver at first just to get him on the field. To this day, Stewart is the only player in NFL history to have 75 career touchdown passes, 35 rushing touchdowns and five touchdown receptions.

Had Stewart entered the league today, he would have been a top-five pick, just like Steve McNair was coming out of Alcorn State in the same 1995 NFL Draft.

So much has changed for the better when it comes to black quarterbacks, but the fans missed out on what an unencumbered Stewart could have looked like in Pittsburgh.

Kordell Stewart felt at odds with Pittsburgh Steelers organization during career

Stewart may have been a 2001 Pro Bowler at the peak of his eight-year run with the Steelers. After his play regressed the following year, he was replaced initially by Tommy Maddox and then permanently by Ben Roethlisberger beginning in 2004. Stewart spent 2003 quarterbacking the Chicago Bears prior to serving as a backup with the Baltimore Ravens before retiring in 2006.

Ultimately, Stewart’s success in the league paved the ways for guys like Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson to be viewed strictly as quarterbacks at the professional level. Vick certainly had his critics and it has not always been easy for Jackson. However, Stewart’s NFL career was a bridge from Randall Cunningham to Vick to now Jackson and then to whoever becomes the league’s next star.

Stewart’s Steelers run may have been tumultuous, but he made a big impact on quarterback play.