Saturday, June 8, 2019

Top 50 NFL Quarterbacks: #47 - Kordell Stewart


Kordell Stewart

Kordell Stewart was one of the most versatile players in history, playing every skill position at some point and even punting once in an emergency situation, and while his passing numbers were somewhat lacking at times, he was a strong runner who made defenses plan differently.

He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1995, but they were hoping that he would agree to play another position, as they had 3 other quarterbacks on the roster at the time. He did play multiple positions as a rookie, and was able to record touchdowns passing, rushing, and receiving that year. In his second year, he scored 2 rushing touchdowns in a playoff game during his regular spot duty.

In his third season, he was able to secure the starting quarterback job he coveted, and he led the Steelers to the AFC title game, with 21 passing touchdowns and 11 rushing touchdowns during the season, becoming the first QB ever to surpass 20 and 10 in a season.

The team was in turmoil for the next couple seasons, losing many of its starters and going through multiple offensive coordinators, and Stewart did not perform well, throwing more picks than touchdowns and losing his starting job. He opened the 2000 season on the bench, but was able to earn it back, and he rode that momentum to his best season as a passer in 2001.

That year, he made his only Pro Bowl appearance after throwing for a career-high 3109 yards and leading the Steelers to a 13-3 record, though they again fell short of the Super Bowl, and Stewart's TD:INT radio was a mediocre 14:11, and he would lose his starting job again the next year after being unable to reduce the turnovers.

He played for a few more years with the Bears and Ravens, but was never able to regain his form from his three good seasons. He threw more interceptions than touchdowns in his career, but he has the 4th-most rushing touchdowns of all time for a quarterback, behind only Cam Newton, Steve Young, and Jack Kemp. He made up for his shortcomings as a passer with his rushing ability, and though he never developed into the all-around quarterback most on this list did, he still deserves to be remembered as one of the best to play the game.




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