Cannon Firing Line
Kordell's Fate
By Ellis G. Cannon
PSR Publisher & ESPN Radio 1250 Talk Show Host

Let's clear a couple things up before we get too deep. This column is not about Kordell vs. Tommy. We are not endeavoring to send Kordell Stewart to the Hall of Fame. Tommy Maddox is a nice guy.

Such caveats are necessary whenever the subject of Kordell Stewart is raised. Otherwise, those believing Tommy is under attack won't hear or see a thing. They'll shut down.

With that said, let's get right to it: It's time for Stewart to leave town.

This is not one of those diatribes chasing Stewart out of town for all the standard reasons. The bottom line is Kordell's not going to win here. Not "win" as in the number of points scored or victories, but the fan game. The votes are in; no matter what Stewart achieves, he's not going to get redemption.

It's over.

The Steelers, of course, may have designs on doing that anyway. Stewart has a heavy salary cap number. The Steelers appear ready to hand the ball to Maddox or keep Charlie Batch and open up a competition to include him. Either way, the writing's on the wall for Stewart.

Stewart's competitiveness may urge him to continue the battle for the hearts, if not minds, of Steeler fans. Perhaps he's resigned himself to the reality of the situation, but he'd love to prove to you, his head coach and most of the city's media he was right and they were wrong.

Stewart's biggest flaw, which Maddox will presumably find out, is he plays quarterback in Pittsburgh. Lee Flower spoke for many fans when he said "this city was built on defense". Fans view the defense differently than offense and the quarterback even moreso. To them, the quarterback is the lightning rod for what's wrong with the Steelers.

That's not news considering each quarterback since Terry Bradshaw has shared this fate. Stewart is simply the latest in that long line. Some of the post-Bradshaw quarterbacks didn't deserve to win this city over. Neil O'Donnell had a shot, but left town in the nick of time. After those Super Bowl picks, he was cooked.

So is Stewart.

Why is being the Steelers' quarterback such a problem? Many fans believe they have an entitlement to the Super Bowl and it's the quarterback who prevents that from happening more times than not. Somewhere along the way, Super Bowls became birthrights. Stewart, as with most of his predecessors, is seen as the biggest obstacle to people getting what they "deserve". The jury has decided Stewart won't bring them what they are entitled to so that's the end of the story.

Of course, despite his largely winning ways, it's not always been pretty with Stewart on the field. He's been erratic, struggled with consistency from year to year and given reasonable cause for concern about his ability to lift a team when those around him are average. These factors go more to the merit of the situation as opposed to fulfilling fans' dreams and ambitions.

There is also race. The howls can be heard as you read this, screaming in protest that this city has embraced African-Americans and, as mentioned above, had a fair degree of criticism of white players. All true.

But face this fact and quit running away from it: you may not dislike Stewart because he's black but to many it enters the equation once they decide to not like him. Giving the benefit of the doubt for a moment, it can be argued race is not at the essence of the dislike, but more on the edge. Still, it's there.

You hear it, I hear it, we all hear it. If you don't hear it, you're kidding yourself. Ditto if you hear it and act like it's not a factor. Stop kidding yourself.

Face it, too many "fans" are way past dislike with Stewart. They're at the hate level. "Yeah, but..." they say, even when you get wins in relief this year. "Yeah, but..." it was Cincy, or the receivers or the defense. There's always a "Yeah, but". That's on a good day, before the liquor. Then it gets worse.

If you don't hate Stewart, you know someone who does. If you don't wear a shirt to a Steelers' game, with a message like "Kordell Stinks" on it, you know someone who does. If you're not the type of "fan" who would rather have the Steelers lose with Kordell than win, you know someone who does.

Nobody wins in that environment. If it's on the merits, fine. If it's because you believe he's killed you in AFC Championship Games and barred you from your predetermined destiny of "winning" a Super Bowl, you need help. If it's because of more sinister reasons, please go away.

Which is what Kordell should do. He's only 30, but he's done here. He'll have opportunities this offseason, but this isn't about winning elsewhere. It's about much more, at times about much worse. Who knows if he'll have success in another city. That's not what this is about. He may even lose.

But that may be better than trying to win here.

Ellis Cannon is also a regular panelist on KDKA-TV's "#1 Cochran Sports Showdown" aired Sundays at 11:35 p.m.