Bradshaw Defends Stewart,
Rips on Press & Fans
By Me, originally posted in Oct., 1998
 A frustrated Terry Bradshaw unloaded on the Pittsburgh press during the FOX network's pregame show during the '98 season. I was so fired up after listening to Bradshaw rally around Stewart that I had to take the time to transcribe Terry's comments:
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People are saying, "Kordell, you're not the savior that everyone thought you'd be."

Isn't it amazing? They [the Steelers] lose their offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey. He's now a head coach in Dallas. They bring in Ray Sherman, who's never been a coordinator before. He is now Kordell's number-one guy... the coordinator! They lose their fullback. They lose Yancey Thigpen, a wide receiver who had 1400 yards last year. They have Charles Johnson. He comes in, he only gets 49 yards receiving per game. They lose their left tackle John Jackson. I can go on and on with defense, and yet the Steelers don't go out and bring in somebody that Kordell Stewart can use to help him in the passing game.

Isn't it amazing how in one year you go from "Slash" to "Trash?" What happened? There's nothing wrong with Kordell Stewart. They're booing him, but there's nothing wrong with him. Get some players around him, and get an offense, and get him out of the pocket. Don't let him sit in that pocket.

You know, it ticks me off that all of the sudden, you've got a guy that's so good and so talented... and I've been there and I know what it's like... I know what it's like in Pittsburgh. They oughta get off his back and leave him alone and be thankful they have him.

I finally hear from reporters in Pittsburgh when he's doing bad. Isn't it amazing?

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All of this was said with characteristic Bradshaw enthusiasm, and of course, I can't portray that here. But let me say that I'm one of the many Steelers fans out there who has been becoming increasingly impatient with Stewart, and after hearing Bradshaw, I've decided to keep my wits about me and wait for things to start coming together for Kordell (my wife has been telling me that all along and wants to know why it took Bradshaw to convince me).

I've received e-mail from a few fans saying, "Don't you wish we'd kept O'Donnell?" NO WAY! O'Donnell can only hope to be an average QB at best. There is ZERO potential for greatness in Neil. Kordell, on the other hand, is oozing with potential. Whether or not he rises to it fully remains to be seen, but the potential is undeniably there, and I'd rather have a player like that any day.

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