Sports Then and Now

In the late 1990s, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart was a case of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” as his up-and-down play would often frustrate his teammates and fans, but a lot of times would still come away with the victory.

That was the case in the Steelers’ December 1997 game against the New England Patriots when Stewart bounced back from a pair of interceptions to lead his team to an overtime victory in Foxboro.

After spending two years as a quarterback/running back/wide receiver (thus earning the nickname “Slash”) Stewart was given the starting quarterback job by head coach Bill Cowher.

Stewart would be prone to making mistakes, yet show flashes of talent, sometimes in the same game.

An example would be in the Steelers’ fifth game of the season against the Baltimore Ravens when Stewart threw three interceptions in the 1st half as Pittsburgh fell behind 21-0, only to account for five touchdowns to lead his team back to a 42-34 win.

Pittsburgh entered their game with the Patriots with a 10-4 record and a chance to clinch the AFC Central Division title for the fourth straight year.

Meanwhile, the Patriots entered the game with a 9-5 record under first-year head coach Pete Carroll and in the hunt for the playoffs.

Carroll’s success benefited from having all-Pro quarterback Drew Bledsoe, running back Curtis Martin, and wide receiver Terry Glenn at his disposal. Read the rest of this entry →

Going into the 1994 NFL season, many pro football experts and Miami Dolphins fans were skeptical that legendary quarterback Dan Marino could return to his old brilliant self.

In the fifth game of the 1993 season, Marino tore his Achilles tendon on a play in which he was not even touched.

Marino missed the rest of the season as the Dolphins finished with a 9-7  record and failed to make the playoffs.

Even though the tendon was healed by the time training camp began for the 1994 season, it did not appear that Marino was ready.

Not only did Marino have to wear a special shoe for the foot in which he tore his Achilles tendon, his right calf was atrophied, further limiting his already lack of mobility.

To make things worse, Marino completed only four of 12 passes for 37 yards and threw two interceptions during his playing team in the Dolphins’ four preseason games.

While the future looked bleak for Marino, the sky was the limit for the Patriots’ quarterback, 22-year old Drew Bledsoe.

Bledsoe had been selected as the #1 overall pick of the 1993 NFL Draft by the Patriots and started 12 games in the 1993 season as he threw for 2494 yards and 15 touchdowns to comply a 5-7 record in the games he started. Read the rest of this entry →