The two best quarterbacks in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers are Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Bradshaw. Who represents the best of the rest though? If you were to ask fans, you might receive a bevy of different answers. Neil O’Donnell took the team to a Super Bowl once upon a time. Bobby Layne played fairly well in Pittsburgh, even if he’s more well-known for cursing the Lions. However, Kordell Stewart certainly has a very strong case himself, which could have been made even stronger had he played in a different era.
Stewart played eight seasons in Pittsburgh, throwing for 13,338 yards, 70 touchdowns, and 72 interceptions while also making one Pro Bowl in 2001. Those numbers may seem paltry, but stats don’t tell the whole tale with Stewart, who was just as effective running and catching the football as he was throwing it. He was a dual threat ahead of his time, which unfortunately meant that offenses weren’t ready to harness his skill set to its fullest potential.
In fact, many considered Stewart a better wide receiver than quarterback, having the debate about Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson long before Jackson set foot on an NFL football field. In a recent appearance on ESPN radio show Cofield & Co., Stewart spoke about opinions on what position he should have played.
“My time derived around, ‘He’s a better receiver than he is quarterback,’ but I was the first quarterback in the history of the [Steelers] organization, dating back to 1933, to ever complete over 60% of his passes, but I was considered as a receiver,” Stewart ardently said of the criticism thrown his way during his playing days. “So if I was a receiver completing over 60% of my passes and the first to ever do it, what were those guys before me that played the position? What were they? How good were they? What position should they have played?”
Ifs and buts in the NFL can be talked about until the end of time, but Stewart’s story is still an incredibly interesting one. With mobile quarterbacks becoming more and more common in the league today, it’s curious to think about how Stewart would be treated by fans and analysts now. In today’s NFL, would you rather have Neil O’Donnell or Kordell Stewart?
Whatever the case, Stewart’s passion and fire about the idea that he should have played wide receiver instead of quarterback are completely valid. While Stewart isn’t as gifted or talented as Jackson, their struggles are the same, but Jackson is lucky enough to play in a league that is much more accepting and open to different styles of play.
Even then, that question about whether he was a quarterback or receiver still caused Jackson to almost slip out of the first round of the draft. If the roles were reversed, maybe Stewart would be sitting at home with two NFL MVP trophies. Although Stewart being more heavily embraced as a quarterback could have also led to the Steelers never selecting Ben Roethlisberger, so maybe the series of events transpired just as they should have.
