Commentary
Colbert’s actions will probably speak louder than his words PITTSBURGH – Kevin Colbert, the Steelers’ director of football operations, recently said he’s fine with the team’s secondary.
That probably raised some eyebrows but it shouldn’t have. What else is he going to say?
He can’t very well say that he’d like to upgrade at all four positions. If he’s not able to get new personnel, he’s set himself up for trouble by saying the holdovers aren’t adequate.
Colbert played it the way he should have – publicly say everything is fine but work like a madman in private to improve an area that was a major concern last year.
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You may have missed it but the Pirates will allow fans to carry in larger containers this season.
The size limit is now 16 inches by 16 inches by eight inches. Fans are also allowed to bring in sealed bottles of water and food. Bags are subject to gate inspection, as they were at Three Rivers Stadium.
This is the way things should have been from the time the park opened in 2001. Instead, the Pirates did themselves millions of dollars worth of PR damage and were forced to relent to some degree.
Then Major League Baseball took them off the hook by banning all bags after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The new policy isn’t as liberal as it was at Three Rivers Stadium but it’s a step in the right direction.
As noted before, the number of people who bring food and drink isn’t that great. It’s mostly done by families who have kids and don’t want to run up a tab at the outrageously-priced concession stands.
If they’d paid attention to their customers instead of being arrogant, the Pirates could have spared themselves a lot of ill will.
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E-mailer Stanley checks in:
“I just wanted to remind you of the time in 2001 that I suggested that Kordell Stewart get benched in favor of Tommy Maddox. You said that at that time, I was probably the only person that you know who would want a change at quarterback during a winning streak.
“My response to you then was that the Steelers were winning because of their running game and defense – NOT because of their quarterback.
“Maddox has now broken quite a few Steeler records (most passing yards ever in a regular season game, most passing yards ever in a post season game, highest completion percentage over a season).
“It’s all going down as I foresaw it. Kordell Stewart is about to get his one way ticket out of Pittsburgh.
“I knew that if Tommy Maddox would get his chance to show what he could do, he would take that starting job away from Kordell Stewart. I doubt that he would have gotten that chance if Stewart didn’t get hurt in the preseason.
“If Maddox didn’t get to start in that preseason game against Detroit, Stewart would probably
still be the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. People would still be saying that Maddox has looked good, ‘but that was only against backups.”
Reply: Maddox’s broken records notwithstanding, the Steelers didn’t get as far in 2002 as they did in 2001, so did the bottom line improve?
It’s possible the Steelers are set at quarterback for years to come with Maddox. It’s also possible that midway through next season, Steelers fans are going to be screaming for someone else to be the quarterback.
Remember that defensive coordinators around the league will be preparing for the Steelers with Maddox at quarterback. The element of the unknown is gone.
Quarterbacks are on a slippery slope in the NFL. Brian Griese was the next big thing a couple of years ago. Now the Denver Broncos seem to be inclined to release him. Keep in mind that Stewart’s release from the Steelers was a salary cap issue. They didn’t have a choice. With Maddox as the starter, they couldn’t afford to keep Stewart’s contract on the books.
Now that Kordell Stewart is gone, will that make the Steelers a better team?
Doubtful. But it will force everyone to find someone else to blame every time they don’t win the Super Bowl.
Sports correspondent John Mehno can be reached online at: johnmehno@lycos.com.