Steelers Hall of Famer Jack Butler, 1927-2013

Former Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame cornerback and long time BLESTO Director Jack Butler has died after a long battle with a staph infection he received as the result of an artificial knee transplant.

Butler was 85, and is survived by his wife and 15 grand children, and 8 children, including his son Mike, who recently joined the Steelers scouting department.

Unknown to the last several generations of fans in Steelers Nation, Jack Butler was a star on the SOS squads “Same Old Steelers.” As the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1950’s struggled in mediocrity, Jack Butler was building a Hall of Fame resume as a cornerback.

According to the obituary published in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review by Bob Cohn, Butler intercepted 5 passes as a rookie.

The Steelers were on the road and losing 13-0 to the Washington Redskins and despite out rushing and out passing the Redskins all day, Butler had intercepted the legendary Eddie LeBaron 3 times.

As told by Tim Gleason in his classic, From Black to Gold, the Steelers scored a face-saving touchdown late in the 4th to make it 13-7. Butler intercepted LeBaron a still NFL record 4th time, returning the ball for a pick-six and leading the Steelers to victory.

Butler’s career was cut short in 1959 when he blew out a knee, which is a shame because he’d intercepted 19 passes in his final two seasons – an even more remarkable feat when you consider that Butler only played 12 game seasons in an era where a team that threw 20 passes a game was considered “pass happy.”

All told Butler played in four Pro Bowls, three All NFL teams and the NFL’s All Decade team for the 1950’s. As of May 2012, Butler stands tied for 15th on the NFL’s All Time career interception list, picking off legendary quarterbacks such as Sammy Baugh, Johnny Unitas, Otto Graham, Y.A. Tittle and Norm Van Brocklin.

Butler even saw spot duty at wide receiver, catching 7 passes and took four of them into the end zone for four touchdowns.

From Being the Talent on the Field to Finding the Talent to Field

After retiring from the game, Jack Butler first dabbled as an assistant coach and then join the BLESTO scouting combine, serving as its director from 1966 to 2006.

BLESTO stands for Bears Lions Eagles Steelers Talent Organization, and was formed when player data on NFL prospects was far from ubiquitous as it is today.

In his capacity as BLESTO scout, Butler hired and/or trained hundreds of NFL scouts, including former Pittsburgh Steelers Director of Football Operations Tom Donahoe and current Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert.

From his perch at BLESTO Butler also had a hand, at least indirectly, on the scouting reports that Chuck Noll used to select Joe Greene, Terry Bradshaw, Mel Blount, Jack Ham, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Franco Harris, Lynn Swann, Rod Woodson, and Dermontti Dawson – all of whom are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Jack Butler, Man of Class, Man of No Regrets

Injuries didn’t simply end Jack Butler’s NFL career, they impacted the rest of his life. He under went multiple surgeries, walked with a limp for over 50 years, and had both knees replaced – and it was the latter knee replacement which lead to the staph infection which cost him his life.

• Butler, however, had no regrets.

As Ed Bouchette recounted in the his obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, When asked by Art Rooney Jr. if given the constant pain he struggled with, Butler would do it again, the former Pro Bowl cornerback did not flinch, telling Rooney, “’He said, “Playing football was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. If I could go out today and suit up, I would do it.”'"

Butler was also a class act, drawing praise from Dan Rooney who said “He was an excellent person both on and off the field, and he played an integral role in the BLESTO scouting program and our entire draft process before his retirement.”

Art Rooney II followed suit, explaining that “Jack Butler was one of the all-time great Steelers. He devoted his entire life to the NFL and made contributions to many teams and many players through his work with BLESTO and player personnel matters.”

Kevin Colbert’s comments were perhaps the most effusive:

Jack was a great person and great friend who always placed his faith and family first. Beyond his great play on the field, he was a legendary personnel man who helped so many of us get established in our scouting careers. He will be missed, but never forgotten.

It is fair to say that a majority of Steelers fans who’ve rooted for their beloved Black and Gold without knowing who Jack Butler was, but they certainly are well acquainted with his legacy.

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Steelers Draft Needs: Cornerback

Unless injuries or some other unknown intervenes, the Steelers 2013 corner three-some should be Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen, and William Gay.

• Yes, the Steelers will miss Keenan Lewis there, but that’s not a bad first three corners.

Behind them they have Courtney Brown, Josh Victorian, DeMarcus Van Dyke, and Justin King, all of whom have some game experience. Isaiah Green is also on their roster.

• Nonetheless, the Steelers cannot ignore cornerback in the 2013 NFL Draft

Certainly the Steelers long and short term needs at corner are less severe than at other position areas. But Ike Taylor isn’t going to play forever, and last year injuries took the Steelers to the point where they were playing their 5th and 6th corners.

With the passing game evolved to what it is in today’s NFL, the Steelers can simply ill afford to ignore a quality corner, especially if one falls to them early in the draft, including the first round, however unlikely that may be.

There’s another reason to think long term here. Playing behind Taylor are two other thirty somethings, by the names of Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu.

The first ability that Father Time typically robs an NFL player of is his speed.

• Biological realities all but dictate that Ike Taylor will have “slowed a step” by 2015 if not by 2014.

If and moment arrives, and if by that time that Ryan Clark and/or Polamalu need to begin what Chuck Noll called “Life’s Work” then it is completely feasible that Taylor might still have enough speed to finish his career at safety, the way Rod Woodson did (and should have done in Pittsburgh, but that’s another story.)

And that’s why if fate allows a blue-chip corner to fall to the Steelers in the 2013 NFL Draft they’d be wise to take him.

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Steelers Nation to the Barricades! Vote for Joe Greene and Rod Woodson on ESPN

Future NFL Hall of Famer and long time Pittsburgh Steelers rival Ray Lewis has announced his retirement.

Let’s state clearly and unequivocally for the record that Ray Lewis deserves the praise headed his way. He’s a legit first ballot Hall of Famer, one of the greatest linebackers in his era, and a leader of what has been a perennial playoff contender.

• But Ray Lewis is not the greatest defender in NFL history.

That fact should seem self evident, but ESPN’s (Baltimore bred and based) James Hensley wasted little time in declaring Ray Lewis as the greatest defender in NFL history.

In doing so he discounted arguments in favor of the likes of Dick Butkus, Reggie White, Ronnie Lott, and Lawrence Taylor.

He of course conveniently avoided comparing Lewis to one player, one player who played in the division he covers, one who clearly must be ranked above Lewis.

• And that player is Joe Greene.

Joe Greene earned that distinction by serving as the foundation for four Super Bowl Championships. His selection signaled a sea change in the fortunes of a franchise that had done nothing but lose for 40 years. Teams routinely double blocked Greene, and Greene routinely got to the quarterback.

"Mean" Joe Greene personally paved the way for the Immaculate Reception, but going down to Houston and leading a Steelers team missing L.C. Greenwood, Jon Kolb, Gerry Mullins, Sam Davis, Dwight White, Steve Furness and Terry Bradshaw all either sat out the game or left due injury.

It turns out they didn’t need any of them. They had Joe Greene who:

• Sacked the quarterback 5 times
• Blocked a field goal
• Recovered a fumble that set up a field goal
• Forced another fumble that set up a field goal

That’s a nine point swing in a game that the Steelers needed to win and that they won 9-3.

Ray Lewis had a lot of great games for Baltimore. He was a dominate figure in many of them. But did he ever single handedly win a game? (Oh, and Joe Greene also had 3 more Super Bowl rings than Lewis….)

Steelers Nation:  To the Barricades!

So let’s give Ray Lewis his due. He’s not only a true great of the game, but he’s also one of the few greats in the post-Freeman McNeil era (that’s the court case that brought free agency to the NFL) that played his entire career with one game.

Good for Ray.

• But let’s keep things in perspective.

ESPN is currently (as of 1/05/13) running a poll asking fans to vote on who is the greatest NFL defender of all time.

Joe Greene trails Ray Lewis (as of 1/5/13) in this ESPN Poll

Currently Ray Lewis is leading that poll and leading by a wide margin.

It shouldn’t be that way and it doesn’t have to be that way fortunately, because you my fellow citizens of Steelers Nation, have a voice.

• You can go to ESPN's poll and vote now to correct this miscarriage of justice.

Click here now to vote to ensure that Joe Greene earns his rightful recognition as a better player than Ray Lewis. While you’re at it, cast a good vote for Rod Woodson, who was certainly better than Dieon Sanders.

Know that you can make a difference. Other Steelers sites are calling attention to this poll, and in the last week both Greene and Rod Woodson have crept up. So do your part.

Go to ESPN and vote.

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Dermontti Dawson, Jack Butler Round Out Chuck Noll's Hall of Fame Resume

In 1987, Joe Greene and John Henry Johnson entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame together. Happy happenstance allowed the first Super Steeler to share this individual honor with a star from Pittsburgh’s SOS (same old Steelers) era.

Greene and Johnson had little in common beyond having worn the Black and Gold.

Scribes in Steelers Nation might be tempted to say the same thing about this past weekend’s induction of Dermontti Dawson and Jack Butler, but they’d be mistaken because the two men share a deeper, if latent, connection that spans several generations of Steelers football.

Dermontti Dawson – Succeeding a Legend

Men who follow legends generally fail, at least by comparison. Frank Pollard took Franco Harris’ place in Pittsburgh backfield, and while he did finish his career with a better yards-per carry average, Pollard’s sin was to be merely good instead of great.

Dermontti Dawson followed legendary Pittsburgh center Mike Webster, and in a very literal sense of the word, he succeeded his predecessor.

Success on offense starts with the offensive line but, in an ironic twist of fate, few metrics exist to evaluate offensive lineman. They accumulate no yards, score no points, make no splash plays. Instead, their efforts empower others to make plays.

Dermontti Dawson claims his share of success in this regard, because Dawson:

• Opened holes for 1000 yard rushers Jerome Bettis and Barry Foster
• Did road grading that allowed the troika of Erric Pegram, Bam Morris, and John L. Williams to help Pittsburgh to Super Bowl XXX
• Blocked and pulled open the door to Merril Hoge’s cult-hero status

“Pulling” is perhaps Dawson’s greatest legacy. Prior to Dawson, only guards pulled.

Outside of quarterback, the center has the most difficult job on the offense.

He’s got to keep one hand on the ball, pay attention to shifts by linebackers and lineman, release the ball backwards, get the snap count exactly right, snap the ball backwards and then, in a split second, shift his attention to one or two 300 pound tackles with blood in their eyes.

• Dawson was able to do all that, then move outside to take on linebackers and defensive backs.

A single play suffices to illustrate Dawson’s excellence at pulling.

In January 1998 the Pittsburgh Steelers were hosting a playoff game vs. the New England Patriots. The two teams had fought a neck-and-neck battle that the Steelers won in OT after never leading in regulation.

The game was a pure chess match, and Dawson made the pivotal move.

Early in the game Kordell Stewart rolled out. It was meant to look like a pass, but it was in fact a designed run. After snapping the ball, Dawson pulled out wide to the strong side, and as Kordell began his advance up field, Dawson obliterated the closing defender.

• 40 yards later Kordell was in the end zone on a day when the final score was 7-6.

"Dermonti Dawson" doesn’t appear in the box score, but his ability to pull and then deliver a decisive block carried the day.

The Butler Did It

Jack Butler came from an era where the Steelers played third fiddle behind the Pirates and Pitt. He became a Steeler because Fr. Silas, St. Bonaventure’s athletic director, was Art Rooney Sr.’s brother.

Butler joined the Steelers in 1952, playing it wide out and the defensive end. Then, as a testament to how times have changed, a defensive back got hurt and Joe Michelosen put him in the game.

As Ed Bouchette detailed, in his second game, Butler took his first NFL interception to the house and never looked back.

In fact, Butler hauled in 52 interceptions – an incredible sum during an era when seasons lasted 12 games and a 200 yard passing game was considered exceptional.  When Butler retired he held the number 2 spot on the all-time interceptions list. Over 50 years later, he’s still 14 on the list.

BLESTO, Butler, Noll and Dawson

Canton is honoring Butler for his achievements on the field, but he easily could have earned induction for his accomplishments off of it. From 1963 to 2007, Jack Butler directed BLESTO (Bears Lions Eagles, Steelers Talent Organization), the league’s first scouting combine.

Obviously, the Steelers were not the only team to benefit from Butler’s prowess as a scout.

• But four generations of Pittsburgh Steeler rosters can’t help but bear his figure prints. 

And of course, the Pittsburgh Steelers won a few games during that time.

The key to winning those games, was of course the players. From 1969 to 1991 one man had the final word on draft day, and his name was Charles Henry Noll.

• Noll’s run of Hall of Famers selections in the 1970’s remains unprecedented. 

But Noll’s drafting record slipped in the late 70’s, a tendency that worsened in the ‘80’s.

Many reasons those draft misfires, but a big factor was Noll’s inability to get along with effectively with Art Rooney Jr. (to better understand Pittsburgh’s drafting woes in the 80’s, click here to read the article Chuck Noll vs. Bill Walsh – Talent Evaluators.)

Tensions got so great in 1986 the Dan Rooney was forced to make a choice, and he fired his younger brother.

Ed Bouchette chronicled the move in his classic, Dawn of a New Steel Age, and concluded that Dan’s difficult decision failed to pay dividends.

The record suggests Bouchtte is mistaken.

• In his first post Rooney Jr. draft, Chuck Noll drafted Hall of Famer Rod Woodson
  A year later he picked Dermontti Dawson 

Even in his twilight of his reign The Emperor retained an uncanny ability to transform raw data from the scouts like Butler into draft day home runs.

And that’s what makes Jack Butler and Dermontti Dawson’s simultaneous induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame just a little extra special for Steelers Nation.

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Understanding the Rise, Fall, Resurrection and Ultimate Undoing of Kordell Stewart

Kordell Stewart has officially retired as a Pittsburgh Steeler. That’s a strange thing to say for someone who threw his last pass for the Steelers in December 2002 and left the NFL in 2005.

Yet this is a fitting ending.

Few, if any Steelers had as long and strange of a trip as Kordell Stewart. Steel Curtain Rising takes this opportunity to offer a look back at the oft entertaining, always controversial quarterback who made “Slash” a household word in Steelers Nation.

Click on the links below to either relive a moment of Kordell’s glory or look back at this times of struggles.

1995: “Slash” Fuels Rally to Super Bowl XXX
1996: Warning Signs or Just a Sophomore Slump for Kordell?
1997: Kordell Stewart Defies Gravity, Rises to Glory
1998 and 1999: "My Buddy's the Cop who..." - Steelers Nation Shows its Ugly Side
2000 and 2001: Kordell Follows the Flight of the Phoenix
2002: Understanding Kordell's Undoing
2012:Slashes Don’t Die, They Just Fade Away….

1995: “Slash” Fuels Rally to Super Bowl XXX"

Pittsburghselected Kordell Stewart in the 2^nd round of the 1995 NFL draft. With Neil O’Donnell, Mike Tomczak, and Jim Miller ahead of him everyone expected Stewart simply stand in street clothes clipboard in hand on the sideline.

Steelers lost Rod Woodson and Neil O’Donnell in the 1995 opener. By mid-season back to back losses to the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals had sent the Steelers reeling.

Bill Cowher made changes. John L. Williams and John Jacksonreturned to the lineup. Carnell Lake shifted from safety to corner. Erric Pegram started in place of Bam Morris.

And, on a third and long situation, Kordell Stewart lined up under center. 16 yards later he’d converted a key third down, and a Steelers rally began that only ended in Super Bowl XXX.

Stewart’s role grew. Already used as a decoy in multiple receiver sets, during the next week vs. Chicagohe got his first catch – for 27 yards.

A week later, he zig zagged through the backfield throwing his first pass, a 2 yard touchdown to Ernie Mills vs. the Cleveland Browns.

The next week he tore through the Cincinnati secondary for an amazing 71 yard touchdown vs. the Bengals that put the Steelers ahead for good. How impressive was this catch? Take a look (available as of 5/2/12):

And so went 1995 for the Steelers. Kordell Stewart only ran 15 times, only caught 14 balls, only threw 7 passes with one touchdown in each category.

• Modest but sufficient stats for Kordell Stewart and the “Slash” phenomena take Steelers Nation in force. 

He could do no wrong. But that would change….

1996: Warning Signs or Just a Sophomore Slump for Kordell?

Many expected Kordell Stewart to size the reigns in the 3 way quarterback derby Bill Cowher convened at Latrobe in the summer of ‘96.

Kordell failed to distinguish himself and after quickly benching Jim Miller, Cowher turned to Mike Tomczak. Stewart remained “Slash” and if he improved at receiver, he often seemed hesitant and tentative under center where he’d previously been cocky and confident.

After stabilizing the team during early and mid-season, Mike Tomczak began to find the limits of his abilities. As injuries mounted and the playoffs loomed Cowher sought for a weapon to compensate.

• The weapon’s name was Kordell Stewart and the season finale vs. Carolinawas instructive.

With the Steleers behind late in the first half Kordell came into the game and immediately put the team ahead with an electrifying 80 touchdown scramble.

Kordell stayed in, but couldn’t complete passes. Any passes, unless you count 2 interceptions. The defense kept it close, and on the final drive Kordell found his rhythm and was an end zone drop away from a successful comeback.

Cowher employed a similar strategy for the playoffs. Vs. New England in Fog Bowl II he was an utter disaster throwing 10 passes with no completions…..

1997: Kordell Stewart Defies Gravity, Rises to Glory

Bill Cowher named Kordell Stewart his starter for the 1997 season and the roller coaster ride was on.

Statistically Kordell’s play in 1997 failed to impress. But he did something more important than put up pretty stats – he won, often in dramatic fashion.

Week 5 vs. Baltimoregave an early example. I sat in the stands at Memorial Stadium and Kordell looked cluelessly threw three interceptions, one worse then the next. With the Baltimore up 24-7 at the half, Ravens fans joked that “Kordell is our most valuable player.”

• But a different Kordell rallied Pittsburgh to victory in the second half, throwing three touchdown passes and scoring another on a 70 yard scramble.

Week 15 vs. the Broncos told a similar tale.

As John Elway was toasting Donnell Wolford, Kordell was erratic and threw an interception that Denverquickly turned into a touchdown. A side line reporter revealed that Bill Cowher told Mike Tomzack and Mike Quinn to “talk to Kordell and get him to calm down.”

• Kordell didn’t calm down.

Instead he exploded to throw to touchdown strikes to Yancey Thigpen and rushing for two more as the Steelers won.

A week later in New England, Kordell was at it again.

A late Drew Beldsoe interception gave the Steelers a chance to tie a game they’d never led. Kordell helped convert a 4^th down on this drive, threw a touchdown and then completed a pass for a successful 2 point conversion which tied the game. Pittsburghwon, and secured a bye in the playoffs.

Although the 1997 playoffs ended with the Kordell’s 3 interception loss vs. the Broncos in the AFC Championship, the sky seemed to be the limit for Kordell. 1998 and 1999 revealed Kordell’s limits to be much closer to the ground….

1998 and 1999: "My Buddy's the Cop who..." - Steelers Nation Shows its Ugly Side

1998 and 1999 were dark times for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While the Steelers wisely refused to overpay to free agents Yancey Thigpen, John Jackson, and Carnell Lake, their draft picks and free agent replacements proved woefully inadequate.

• The line couldn’t block for Jerome Bettis
• Receivers couldn’t get open
• The secondary became a sieve (anyone remember Travis Davis?)

Below this lay a simmering feud between Bill Cowher and Tom Donahoe.

Most of this was lost, however, on Steelers Nation.

• For many, the Steelers problems boiled down to two words:  Kordell Stewart.

Stewart indeed struggled mightily.

Ray Sherman was clueless when it came to using Kordell’s athleticism, and Kevin Gilbride sought to transform him into a pure pocket passer.

At times Kordell looked beyond lost. The long ball, which had been his specialty, disappeared completely. Check down passes of 6 or 7 yards routinely landed at players ankles.

Stewart resisted taking responsibility. He got benched in Tampa. He cried. He finished 1999 as a wide receiver, with Cowher banning him from quarterbacks meetings.

Things got ugly.

• Kordell received death threats
• Fans poured beer on him
• He began playing better on the road than at Three Rivers Stadium
• Racist comments circulated
• Rumors about his personal life surfaced

No shortage existed of people ready to assure you “My buddy’s the cop” who found Kordell in some supposedly unsavory and illegal situation.

Further complicating the situation was the huge contract that the Steelers, in a show of confidence, had given Kordell following the 1998 season.

Salary cap realities tied the Steelers to Stewart.

2000 and 2001: Kordell Follows the Flight of the Phoenix

With the 8^th pick in the 2000 draft the Steelers had their choice of quarterbacks. Yet Kevin Colbert and Bill Cowher optedagainst selecting Chad Pennington.

Instead they brought in Kent Graham who won the job in preseason. The Steelers nonetheless started the 2000 season 0-3 and things seemed to go from bad to worse when Graham injured himself on a late Friday afternoon.

The Steelers were heading to Jacksonville, where once again Kordell would rise from the ashes.

• With their backs to the wall, Kordell led the team to victory in a game that set the tone for the entire decade. 

Kordell did it again the next week vs. New York and two weeks later replaced an ineffective Kent Graham. He led comeback victories vs. Cincinnatiand came off the injury cart a week later to rally the team vs. Oakland.

The Steelers were eliminated on tie breakers during the season’s final week that year, but had recovered their mojo. Many players can claim credit for that, but perhaps none more than Kordell.

The 2001 Steelers took the NFL by surprise, finishing 13-3. Kordell had a Pro Bowl year and was voted team MVP, having picked up the slack when Bettis fell injured late in the season.

The Steelers made it to another AFC Championship and they lost again with Kordell throwing another 3 interceptions.

But the loss was not his fault. The Patriots offense shredded the Steelers defense in the first half, while their defense stuffed the Steelers running game. Steelers special teams gave up two touchdowns and that simply proved to be too much for Stewart to overcome.

2002: Understanding Kordell's Undoing

Kordell Stewart’s first and second passes of the 2002 season were intercepted and quickly converted into points by the New England Patriots in what would become known as the “Dread the Spread” game.

The next week vs. Oakland Kordell played better but was still unable to lead a comeback.

The following week Stewart again struggled as Pittsburgh found itself locked must win situation vs. the Cleveland Browns. Late in the 4^thquarter Cowher needed a spark and sent in Tommy Maddox and the Steelers won.

• After the game Cowher seemed to indicate that Stewart would start the next week, but he shifted course, naming Maddox as “the starter.”

A few weeks later when the Steelers played the Colts and the game was broadcast on ESPN Deportes reporter Raul Allegre dropped a bomb, telling his Latin American audience:

Hablé con Bill Cowher sobre Kordell Stewart, y él me dijo que no quisiera cambiar a su mariscal, pero sentí que tendría que hacerlo, porque Kordell Stewart había perdido la confianza del resto de los miembros del equipo.

In a nutshell, Cowher told Allegre that he didn’t want tobench Kordell but felt he had to because Kordell had lost the confidence of the rest of the locker room.

• And therein lies the key to the rise and fall of Kordell Stewart:  Confidence.

Success in the NFL at quarterback involves many factors, but none are perhaps more important than confidence and mental toughness.

Ben Roethlisberger once remarked that the true test of toughess for a quarterback was the ability to shrug off throwing 3 interceptions in a playoff game and comeback to play well enough to give your team a chance to win.

Kordell Stewart lost whatever swagger he had as a swashbuckling Slash that allowed him to lead numerous comebacks.

To tap an overused metaphor on this site, when Kordell could rely on instinct and athleticism, he defied gravity with a uncanny cartoon character like ability. 

• But twin sets of triplet interception AFC Championship performances forced Stewart to look down. And like the Road Runner, Kordell fell.

Most quarterbacks are finished when they lose their confidence.

Kordell, after enduring a particularly cruel two-year purgatory, rebuilt his confidence and earned a second chance to knock on heaven’s door, only to fall short a second time.

Bill Cowher couldn’t afford to give him a third chance because the only thing that allowed Kordell to return to relying on instinct, was removal of the pressure of the starting job.

If you want proof, consider that when Tommy Maddox got injured in 2002, Kordell Stewart played some of his best football ever, nearly rallying the team to victory in Tennessee, and going 22-26-236-0-1 with another forty yards rushing the next week vs. Cincinnati.

• Those were arguable his best two games as a passer.

He followed a similar pattern in Chicago, playing his best when coming off the bench.

Slashes Don’t Die, They Just Fade Away….

As someone whose heart was rooting for Kordell even when his head said he was done, I wished him success after Pittsburgh, and thought he’d enjoy a successful run as a backup.

That was not to be. Kordell held a clipboard for two years in Baltimore, but threw no passes. As late as 2009 or 2010 Steelers Digest reported that Stewart held out hope that his phone might ring.

• It never did.

So he decided to seek closure in the place where his long, strange NFL odyssey began, and by his account he found it. Good for you Kordell. Good luck and Godspeed in retirement.

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Steelers Sign Ta’amu, Rainey, Clemons

My how times have changed. The 2012 NFL Draft was nary two weeks ago, yet the Steelers have already agreed to terms with three of their draft picks.

Over the weekend the Steelers signed 4th roundpick Alameda Ta’amu and 5^th round pick Chris Rainey to four year deals. Ta’amu’s was reported to be worth close to 2.5 million.

The Steelers inked Toney Clemons today, the first of four 7thround picks from the 2012 NFL Draft.

Suffice to say, things were decidedly different in yesteryear. It was common for NFL draft picks to hold out well into training camp. Rod Woodson held out for the entire first half of his rookie year, although that didn’t stop him from nabbing an interception for a touchdown in his fourth NFLgame.

In 1990, Eric Green, Neil O’Donnell, and Craig Veasey, the Steelers 1^st, 3a and 3b picks from that spring’s draft missed over 22 days of training camp. Chuck Noll was furious, lambasting the rookiesclaiming that they missed so much camp they’d might as well not even bother signing.

O’Donnell, incidentally, signed his contract the next day, although he denied Noll’s badgering had anything to do with it.

The last mid round pick to hold out for any noteworthy amount of time was recently departed Aaron Smith, who missed the first two days of his rookie training camp in 1999.

The reasons for the change in standard operating procedure are twofold. Prior to the 1993 Collective Bargaining Agreement, rookie held out because without free agency it was for many the only time they held any leverage in contract negotiations.

The 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement took that a step further by establishing a rookie wage scale, giving agents and teams very little to negotiate about.

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Containing Kerry Collins the Steelers Key to Victory Over the Colts?

Quick name an NFL quarterback who has:

• Fended off Chad Brown’s pass rush to toss a TD with Rod Woodson in the secondary
• Victoriously stared down a front seven featuring the likes of Aaron Smith, Kevin Henry, Earl Holmes, Kimo von Oelhoffen, Joey Porter, Levon Kirkland, and Jason Gildon
• Schooled a number 1 defense headlined by playes like James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley, and Troy Polamalu
• Given scare to a similar version of that defense, reinforced by presence of players like Lawrence Timmons and Ziggy Hood

That quarterback is of course none other than Kerry Collins.

The Pittsburgh Steelers seek their fist road win tonight against the Peyton Manningless Indianapolis Colts.

Observers near and far have argued that no NFL franchise has seen its fortunes revolve around one player more than the Colt’s have revolved around Manning. Joe Bendel of the Steelers Digest went as far as to claim that taking Manning from the Colts is akin to taking Bruce Springsteen from the E-Street Band.

Thus far the Colts 0-2 lack luster start lends credibility to those dire predictions.

A friend, who is not a Steelers fan, even observed that, “Collins suddenly looks very old.”

There’s a fine line between “old,” and “seasoned pro.” Collins has only had a limited amount of time to learn the Colts offense, get to know his receivers, and feel comfortable in their system.

The process figured to take awhile, and the bitter taste of two defeats added to the adrenaline of playing in prime time at home can serve to speed up the learning curve.

And it is not as if Kerry Collins is any stranger to the Steelers. He’s played the many times before. In 1996 it was with the Carolina Panthers. In 2000 it was with the NFC Champions New York Giants. In 2008, 2009, and 2010 it was with the Tennessee Titans.

Collins record as a starter in those games is 3-1. In both the season opening loss in 2009 and the second game of the 2010 season where Collins came off the bench he pressed the Steelers to the wire.

Is then, Kerry Collins the key to the Steelers-Colts game?

In a manner of speaking yes.

By himself, Collins cannot beat the Steelers. But the Steelers will lose if they allow Collins to get into any kind of rhythm. Unlike his predecessor, Collins is a game managing quarterback as opposed to a franchise quarterback.

If Peyton Manning has been the field general that led the Colts from the front lines, then this field general has had some very talented foot soldiers standing behind him.

Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Dwight Freeney cannot beat the Steelers on their own. They need something from Collins. Against the Steelers Colllins has completed a composite total of 64% of his passes, and has thrown for six touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Collins history suggests that he can give them that “something.”

The Steelers need not walk into this game “fearing” Collins the way they would a Tom Brady, Drew Brees, or Aaron Rodgers. But they had give him the respect he deserves.

If they Steelers can contain Collins on defense and keep Ben Roethlisberger upright on offense then they should conclude the night with their first road win under their belts.

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Steelers Sign Troy Polamalu to 4 Year Extension

Troy Polamalu has a knack for saving games at the 11th Hour. The Steelers it seems, are about to repay him in kind.

The Post-Gazette, as well as numerous other sources are reporting that the Steelers have reached an agreement to extend Troy Polamalu’s contract through the 2014 season. Steelers Digest confirmed the report, indicating the Polamalu signed the extension prior to boarding the team's charter for Baltimore.

Change of Heart?

When news broke that the two sides were negotiating, Steel Curtain Rising weighed in against making the move now, simply because it seemed questionable to commit big, guaranteed dollars to a player with mounting injuries.

Moreover, the Steelers had given indications that the “vault was closed” after having dished out hefty signing bonuses to stars such as Ike Taylor, Willie Colon, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons. It made more financial sense to wait.

Obviously Art Rooney II, Omar Khan, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin thought differently.

Reversal of History?

As everyone knows, the Steelers didn’t draft Dan Marino who went to Miami, and it took 20 years and a kid from Miami, Ohio to live down that mistake.

The back story of rumors about Marino’s involvement with drugs along with contradicting confirmations and rejections by Chuck Noll and Art Rooney Jr. are also well known.

But the back story runs deeper.

After the Steelers selected Gabe Rivera in the first round of the 1983 draft, John Clayton, then writing for the Pittsburgh Press, suggested to Dan Rooney that the Steelers get Marino trade back into the first round by packaging Cliff Stoudt and some picks for Miami’s first.

Word is that Chuck Noll and the other Steelers coaches embraced the idea, until Rooney mentioned its source, which killed the deal before it even got started.

Jim Wexell, of both Steelers Digest and Steel City Insider has suggested several times this off season that the Steelers dare not make the same mistake with Polamalu that they made with Rod Woodson.

Did someone on the South Side lend their ear to Wexell?

I have no inside information that this is the case, but it is an interesting enough possibility to throw out there.

Good Football Move

How the Steelers arrived at the decision to resign Troy Polamalu is less important than why they resigned him.

And that reason is simple.

Every generation boasts a handful of players who possess the rare combination of athleticism, skill, dedication, and “on the field presence” that allows them to change the course of games with a single play.

The Steelers of the 70’s had at least a half dozen – something you’ll never see again. Rod Woodson was one such player.

And so is Troy Polamalu

Although I questioned the wisdom of when the Steelers should resign Polamalu, it was always a question of when and not if.

Troy Polamalu is truly a special player and the Steelers have just taken steps to ensure he plays his entire NFL career in Pittsburgh.

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Watch Tower: Bouchette Exaggerates the Impact of Kicking Off From the 35 Yard Line

One of the new NFL rules adopted this year is the decision to move kickoff from the 30 to the 35 yard line in the name of safety.



The more correct way to describe the rule is return the kickoff spot to the 35 yard line.



It would be difficult for younger NFL fans to know that based on the coverage the rule change got. Most writers simply praised or criticized the move and, in one tone or another, discussed how safety was bringing another change to the game.



Few bothered to remind readers that kickoffs had been made from the 35 yard line for generations, and even fewer bothered to talk about what impact the previous rule change had had.



The reaction to the rule changed seemed exaggerated then.



Fans who cut their teeth watching the game in the ‘80’s and early ‘90’s and share memories of dramatic kickoff returns changing the course of pivotal games. Indeed, Rod Woodson’s 84 kickoff return for a touchdown against San Diego not only sparked a comeback victory by the 1989 Steelers but arguably their remarkable playoff run.



During the first Joe Gibbs era Redskins return man Mike Nelms might not have been as popular as Theismann, Riggins, or “the Hogs” but even young Steelers Nation members growing up in exile in the DC area such as yours knew who he was.



Fans from that era certainly remember names like Detroit’s Mel Grey, Indy’s Clarence Verdin, or Philly’s Vai “You can’t hope to stop him you can only hope to contain him” Sikahema.



Much To Do About A Lot Less



The NFL preseason brings the first test of the new kickoff rules, and veteran Steelers scribe Ed Bouchette wasted little time in assessing the impact:

The kickoffs, moved from the 30 to the 35, worked well. They were moved to help avoid injury and they did that last night. All but one were touchbacks. They should have just removed the kickoffs all together and have the offense start at the 20 after each score. Save time. As it stands now, it's a charade. [Emphasis added.]

Such an attitude from someone born in the ‘80’s or ‘90’s would be easy to understand. But coming from someone who has covered the NFL since the early 1970’s?



That peeked my interest, and prompted me to do some research into the actual impact of the original movement of the ball from the 35 to the 30 yard line.



For points of reference, I looked into kick return data from 1993 and 1994, the years before and after the last rule change. To get a basis for how things had been from before then, I went back through 1989, 1985, 1981, and 1977 that’s four seasons at separated by four years. Likewise, I did the same, moving forward, taking data from 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010.



The results were interesting:

From this snap shot, we can draw a couple of quick conclusions:

• We’ll see fewer long runs now that the kickoff is back at the 35 yard line





• Touchbacks will be more common, as more balls were returned after the kickoff was moved to the 30 yard line





• Overall impact on field position, however, will not be greatly impacted





• Steelers fans can expect to see the Steelers score about half as many touchdowns on kick returns





• Steelers fans can expect to see far fewer touchdowns cored against the Steelers

The Steelers, playing in the AFC Central/AFC North and with a Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde nature to their special teams performance, should not be considered representative of the NFL.



To draw a more representative sample, data from the same years was collected for the Cowboys, 49ers and Giants. Those three teams were chosen because they provided a good mixture of Super Bowl contenders/champions as well as bottom feeders at various points during the survey.



Those results are a little more thought provoking:

If you’ve read this far, you almost certainly ask “How does this affect the Steelers” when you hear of a new rule change. Let’s see:

• Prior the moving kickoffs back, the Steelers were right on average in terms of balls returned against them, return average, and both touchdowns scored for and against





• Since kickoffs were moved back, the Steelers have had fewer kicks returned against them – this could perhaps be a function of them being scored on less





• Individual long returns for the Steelers have been well above the league average





• Opponents have scored touchdowns against the Steelers with relative ease





• The Steelers return averaged in at about the norm

As for kick off returns in general, these four teams did score touchdowns on kickoff returns about 40% more of the time and there were 20% more returned kicks following the movement of the kickoff spot. Likewise, the average “long” return increased 16%. However, return yardage only increased by about 6%.



At the end of the day, we can say that this mini-set of data indicates that returning the kickoff spot to the 35 yard line will impact the game at the expense of fewer touchdowns and shorter “long” kick off returns.



But does that mean that the return game will now become a “charade?” as Bouchette argues?



It may be counter-intuitive, but I’d argue for the opposite. If anything, I’d argue that the return to the old kickoff spot rule gives a greater advantage to the team that can consistently open holes for a return man who is a treat to “go all the way.”



I don’t mean to criticize Ed Bouchette for expressing the opposite opinion, nor would it be fair to single him out for ignoring the fact that kickoffs used to be spotted at the 35 as he is far from alone. He could have, however, backed up his argument with a little bit of research however….

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