ittsburgh looks to next generation of Steelers
By ALAN ROBINSON
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH They never
were Tomczak's team, Bubby's
team or Neil O'Donnell's team. Per
sonalities, philosophies and person
nel changed, yet the Steelers
always stayed the Steelers.
Until now.
Welcome to the Pittsburgh Steel
ers, the next generation.
Oh, the square-jawed coach is
the same Bill Cowher is as stub
born, intense and committed to
winning as ever. And, no, the
Rooneys haven't sold one of the
few family-owned franchises in pro
sports to some overseas conglom
erate.
But the winds of change haven't
swept so stubbornly through the
Steelers from one season to the
next since Cowher replaced Chuck
Noll in 1992.
In the last eight months, the
Steelers have altered defensive
coordinators and quarterbacks,
remade much of the defense and
the receiving corps and, heavens
to Franco Harris, even their uni
forms.
The familiar steel logo on the
helmet remains, but the square
block numbers first seen in the
1950 s are gone, replaced by
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There's even a tiny little Steelers
logo on the front of the jerseys.
This is no Denver Broncoslike
makeover, but even a little trans
formation is a lot for a franchise so
conservative that it was the last to
switch from the single-wing to the
T-formation.
The biggest change is who. fills
those uniforms, most notably, the
man lined up behind All-Pro center
Dermontti Dawson and the rest of
perhaps the NFL's best offensive
line.
He is Kordell Stewart, the third
starting quarterback in as many
seasons, and he is expected to
inject the offense with a personali
ty and playmaking ability unseen
in Pittsburgh since Terry Brad
shaw played his last game.
They most assuredly are Stew
art's team, too, right down to the
new, Nike-provided swoosh on the
shoes. Cowher proved it by naming
him as the starter even before
training camp began, preventing
the disruptive and loyalty dividing
QB derby of last summer. He
proved it again by releasing Jim
Miller, last year's season-opening
starter, during the final roster cut.
Call them the Generation X
Steelers after all, Stewart wears
No. 10.
invites you to
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"I will be a Pro Bowl quarterback and I will go to the
Hall of Fame one day."
The Steelers, winners of four
AFC Central titles in Cowher's five
seasons and the favorites of many
to win a fifth, will not ask Stewart
to throw for 300 yards a game or
scramble on every other play. His
officially trademarked role of
Slash is past tense, too. Stewart
will not line up at wide receiver or
running back, except maybe on one
or two gadget plays.
"In this offense, I don't feel like I
have to make everything happen,"
Stewart said.
What will change is the disposi
tion of the NFL's most run-friendly
offense, one that has averaged a
league-high 131.1 yards a game
during Cowher's reign.
Jerome Bettis, who ran for 1,431
yars last season, will again be the
focal point of the offense, but Stew
art will be counted upon to add the
long-missing elements of unpre
dictability and big-play ability.
Maybe even a long pass or two.
"Some people say, 'Kordell, you
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Kordell Stewart
Steelers' starting quarterback
could have been a Pro Bowl wide
receiver,"' Stewart said. "I will be
a Pro Bowl quarterback and I will
go to the Hall of Fame one day. It's
just a matter of staying healthy,
keeping the offense going and
doing what I need to do."
Did somebody say Hall of Fame?
Bold words for a quarterback who
was 0-for-10 in his last appearance
in January's playoff loss to New
England, but they personify the
across-the-board confidence the
Steelers and their new quarterback
take into Sunday's season opener
against the Dallas Cowboys.
"We think we're going to be pret
ty good," Cowher said.
Different, but good.
Ten key players are gone from
last season's 10-6 team, including
All-Pro linebacker Chad Brown,
Pro Bowl defensive back Rod
Woodson, two other cornerbacks,
two former starting wide receivers
(Andre Hastings and Ernie Mills)
and the starting defensive ends
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from their Super Bowl team (Ray
Seals and Brentson Buckner). But,
as always, the Steelers declined to
panic even as free agency ripped
asunder what Cowher and director
of football operations Tom Dona
hoe had so carefully structured.
Gone is Woodson, the Steelers'
top player of the last decade but
one they felt was past his prime.
Former Pro Bowl cornerback Don
nell Woolford arrived. Cornerback
Willie Williams, who accompanied
Brown to Seattle, was replaced by
rookie Chad Scott. Greg Lloyd, who
missed most of last season with a
knee injury, reclaimed his old posi
tion.
Courtney Hawkins left Tampa
Bay to replace Hastings as the
third-down possession receiver.
Jim Haslett, who has aspirations of
being an NFL head coach, took
over for defensive coordinator
Dick Leßeau, who went back to
Cincinnati.
"People always overestimate
who you lose and underestimate
who you bring in," Donahoe said.
"There's been talk of devastation
since we got here. It's happening
again, but we're going to be fine.
We'll be better than fine. We're
going to be strong."
If that occurs, the Steelers won't
have changed at all.
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The Daily Collegian Wednesday, Aug. 27, 1997 —1
Dent, Eagles
work on deal
PHILADELPHIA (AP)
The Philadelphia Eagles
worked out veteran defen
sive end Richard Dent yes
terday and discussed a con
tract with the former Super
Bowl MVP.
Dent, 37, met with Eagles
coach Ray Rhodes, for whom
he played in Rhodes' final
season as defensive coordi
nator with the San Francisco
49ers in 1994. Afterward,
Dent sounded optimistic that
a deal could be worked out.
"There's nothing like get
ting a chance to work with
some people that you enjoy
working for," said Dent, who
was released by the Indi
anapolis Colts earlier this
year despite recording a
team-high 6 11 / 2 sacks last sea
son.
Dent, a 14-year pro, was
the MVP in the Super Bowl
following the 1985 season,
when he helped the Bears
beat the Patriots.
An Eagles spokesman said
the team had not reached an
agreement with Dent as of
last night.
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