Stewart Slashes Way To Top Steelers’ Rookie From Colorado Makes Name On Versatility

When Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart went on the town Monday night, he ran into Cowboys cornerback Deion Sanders. Slash introduced himself to Flash.

“I went up to him and told him it was a privilege to meet him,” Stewart said Tuesday at Super Bowl media day. “Like everyone else, I had an opinion about him because of his image, but he wasn’t like I thought he was going to be. He was friendly and nice and not arrogant at all. I’m glad we met.”

When the Steelers play the Cowboys at Sun Devil Stadium on Sunday, there is a good chance Slash and Flash will clash.

“I may be Slash, but he’s still Prime Time,” Stewart said with a touch of awe. “He’s cool, and he’s got just about everything a player could want.”

Stewart, the rookie quarterback who was Pittsburgh’s second-round pick from Colorado, has gained of notoriety because of his versatility. When coach Bill Cowher suggested offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt find a way to utilize Stewart’s ability, he because Slash - a quarterback/running back/receiver.

“When I first saw what they were doing with Kordell in practice, I thought it was a joke,” Steelers free safety Darren Perry said. “Then he started to make plays, and he kept on making plays, and we started to take him seriously.

“It was only a matter of time before everyone else did, too.”

Opponents learned long ago that Stewart is no longer a novelty. The secret has been out, and Erhardt tries to come up with wrinkles every week to take advantage of his versatility.

“I consider myself as a quarterback, and that’s where my future is,” Stewart said. “I’m doing this because the coaches wanted to utilize me in different ways.

“I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance if (receiver) Johnny Barnes hadn’t been hurt during the season, and they moved me to receiver out of necessity.”

Starting quarterback Neil O’Donnell was impressed immediately with Stewart.

“When Kordell came to us, we knew he could run,” O’Donnell said. “The thing that’s surprised me the most is how soft his hands are. He catches the ball extremely well, and he finds ways to get open.

“Not many people are coaching him. They’re just letting him get open on his own. He’s been such a big boost to our offense, and I sure hope it continues.”

Stewart’s performance this season could start a trend for rookie quarterbacks who are not ready to play that position in their first season. Nebraska’s Tommy Tommie Frazier is mentioned most often as someone who might benefit from Stewart’s success.

“It may have opened some doors for young athletes,” Stewart said. “It just depends on what people want.

“I think Frazier’s a great quarterback, but he’s been playing in an option offense.”

Stewart doesn’t mind the nickname of Slash, but he doesn’t want to be stereotyped. If O’Donnell, an unrestricted free agent, signs with another team in the off-season, Stewart would like to remove the slashes from his job description.

“The nickname will probably always stay with me,” he said, “but I’d like to be a full-time quarterback. That’s why I was drafted. I showed enough athletic ability to give them an idea about using me in other ways, and it’s worked so far. I’m very grateful for that.

“I’d like an opportunity to play quarterback even if Neil stays. I want to control my destiny. I think I’ll get that chance. When just depends on how I adapt. I’ve come a long way so far, physically and mentally. I can’t believe I’ve been fortunate enough as a rookie to reach every player’s goal of playing in the Super Bowl.”

The Steelers’ coaches have every intention of playing Stewart at quarterback in the future, but they didn’t want to waste an opportunity to take advantage of what he has to offer now.

“He’s got a lot to learn at quarterback,” Erhardt said. “What we saw in him was his running ability and the way he handled the option in practice. Then, we saw his outstanding hands when he caught the ball for the other quarterbacks.

“We wanted to get him involved in the attack, and when we had a couple of injuries, we put him in. He’s done a tremendous job. We always had a four-receiver package, but because of Kordell, we were able to implement a five-receiver formation.”

If the Cowboys are going to win their third Super Bowl in four years, chances are they will have to contain Stewart in his multidimensional role.

“We’d rather see him at receiver because we know what he’s going to do,” Cowboys linebackers coach Jim Eddy said. “When he’s at quarterback, especially when he lines up under center, he presents such a difficult problem for the defense because he can throw, run the option, run the ball, run a sneak or a reverse.

“When he’s at quarterback, we have to get ready for the total package. We have a special defense structured as it relates to him. In that situation, he can change the momentum of the game because he can hurt you in so many different ways.”

The coaches can draw it up perfectly on the board, but the players have to carry out the plan. The Cowboys are aware of what Stewart is capable of doing. By the time the game starts, they should be sick of hearing about the damage Slash can do to them.

“We haven’t faced anybody like him,” Cowboys linebacker Dixon Edwards said. “He’s a dangerous weapon we have to be aware of every time he steps on the field.”

“He can do everything,” safety Brock Marion said. “When he comes in a game, you have to keep an eye on him because you’re not sure what he’s going to do.”

Stewart’s teammates don’t envy opponents who have to try to stop him.

“The defense never knows what he’s going to do,” Pittsburgh receiver Yancey Thigpen said. “A guy like that can be utilized so many ways. We keep the defense wondering what he’s going to do next. Any time they can’t get a read on a guy or predict what he’s going to do, it definitely helps us.”

The Cowboys tried to make an issue out of Stewart having a radio helmet, but the NFL refused to remove it. Under league rules, only quarterbacks are supposed to have the radio in their helmet so they can hear the plays.

“I serve on the competition committee, and we never intended in any way for any player other than a quarterback to be having any communication with the sideline,” Dallas owner Jerry Jones said. “If it doesn’t make any difference, why can’t we put them in our receivers’ helmets?

“When we brought it up to the league, we thought that maybe he should take it out when he lines up at a position other than quarterback. We got turned down rather promptly by the commissioner (Paul Tagliabue).”