From Kordell Stewart to Julian Peterson, Natalie Miller identifies five players from the past who could succeed wildly in today’s NFL.
It’s too often that we see intriguing players come out of college with unique skillsets that were failed to be maximized at the next level in this league. Or they were good players, but could have been even better in a league with an emphasis on creative play calling, gadget plays, and versatility. In the past players were seen as ‘tweeners’ or their ability was too different from what the league demanded at the time.
Today we look at five players, who if entering the league as a rookie this season, could have thoroughly dominated with the creative minds in the modern NFL.
Given a sneak peek, Kordell Stewart was in awe of Colorado’s new uniforms
The Colorado Buffaloes football team is undergoing a massive overhaul led by new head coach Deion Sanders. This team went 1-11 last year, but is suddenly attracting eyeballs across the nation after a flurry of moves this offseason.
Former Buffs quarterback and ex-Pittsburgh Steeler Kordell Stewart was at spring practice on Wednesday, and he was given a sneak peek (h/t Thee Pregame Show) of new CU uniforms that we presume will be worn this season. Stewart seemed in awe of the Buffs’ new uniforms, and he and Coach Prime exchanged some stories with one another.
Moreover, Stewart is one of a long list of former Buffs who will be at the spring game on Saturday signing autographs for fans as a new era of Colorado football kicks off at Folsom Field.
Stewart, commonly known as Slash, is one of the greatest Colorado quarterbacks of all time and he went on to have an impressive NFL career with the Steelers.
The Buffs’ spring game is sold out, and season tickets are also sold out, so excitement around the program is finally back in Boulder.
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Every opening day starting quarterback at Colorado over the last 30 years
As we hit 13 days until the 2022 football season begins for the Colorado Buffaloes, it seemed a good time to take a page out of our friends (enemies?) book over at Huskers Wire.
The Buffs have a rich tradition when it comes to the men who have led the team from the most important position in all of football, the quarterback. Colorado has had QBs who’ve relied on their feet to make plays, some who’ve had the arm talent to pick apart defenses from the pocket and a few who were deadly with both.
Let’s highlight every opening day starting quarterback at Colorado over the last 30 years:
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson moves past Kordell Stewart 12th all-time on QB rushing yards list.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson continues to show his rushing ability, passing Kordell Stewart for 12th place on the all-time quarterback rushing yards list.
Jackson came into Week 17 with 2,809 rushing yards, needing 66 yards to move up. He passed Stewart in the third quarter on a six-yard run against the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson just moved into 13th place in Week 16 after passing Jim Harbaugh.
Perhaps more impressive than the feat itself is just how quickly Jackson is rising up the list, doing so in his 37th career start. Stewart played for three teams in the NFL from 1995-2005 where he rushed for 2,874 rushing yards, including two seasons with the Ravens in 2004 and 2005. It took Stewart 87 career starts / 125 career games to reach his own spot on the rushing list.
The top five all-time rushing quarterbacks in NFL history include Michael Vick (6,109 yards), Cam Newton (5,257 yards), Randall Cunningham (4,928 yards), Russell Wilson (4,416 yards), and Steve Young (4,239 yards). Jackson would pass Vick before the end of 2024 (he’d be just 27 years old and in his seventh season) if he continues to average 62.4 yards-per-game.
Coming off a sensational season in 2019, Jackson surpassed Michael Vick’s record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season by Week 15. Jackson would finish the season with 1,206 rushing yards. While Jackson’s rushing numbers are not compared to what they were a season ago, he still manages to break free from defenders and run for big gains more often than not.
Expect Jackson to continue pounding the ball and maybe one season hold the record for most rushes and rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson moves past Jim Harbaugh for 13th all-time rushing yards by a QB.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson’s legacy continues to grow after passing Jim Harbaugh for 13th place on the all-time quarterback rushing yards list. Jackson came into Week 16 with 2,729 rushing yards needing 59 yards to move up, passing Harbaugh in the second quarter on a 20-yard run against the New York Giants.
Perhaps more impressive than the feat itself is just how quickly Jackson is rising up the list, doing so in his 36th career start. Harbaugh played for five teams in the NFL from 1987-2001 where he rushed for 2,787 rushing yards, including a season with the Ravens in 1998. It took Harbaugh 140 career starts / 177 career games to reach his own spot on the rushing list.
Jackson could still move into 12th all-time for rushing yards by a quarterback before the season ends. Kordell Stewart currently sits in the 12th spot with 2,874 rushing yards over 87 career starts/125 career games.
The top five all-time rushing quarterbacks in NFL history include Michael Vick (6,109 yards), Cam Newton (5,257 yards), Randall Cunningham (4,928 yards), Russell Wilson (4,416 yards), and Steve Young (4,239 yards). Jackson would pass Vick before the end of 2024 (he’d be just 27 years old and in his seventh season) if he continues to average 62 yards-per-game.
Coming off a sensational season in 2019, Jackson surpassed Michael Vick’s record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season by Week 15. Jackson would finish the season with 1,206 rushing yards. While Jackson’s rushing numbers are not compared to what they were a season ago, he still manages to break free from defenders and run for big gains more often than not.
Expect Jackson to continue pounding the ball and maybe one season hold the record for most rushes and rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson on pace to move to 13th all-time for rushing yards by a QB in NFL history.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is no stranger to breaking records and is considered one of the best rushing quarterbacks ever in the NFL, despite being in just his third season in the league. But with yet another notch on the rushing-quarterbacks list within reach, Jackson’s legacy is set to grow once again.
Jackson has rushed for 2,694 yards so far this season, which ranks 14th all-time for career rushing yards among quarterbacks in NFL history. Jackson is now on pace to pass Jim Harbaugh’s 2,787 rushing yards mark (13th all-time) this season, and could do so as early as this Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After rushing for 124 yards and two touchdowns in little more than three quarters of play last week, the 95-yard difference between Harbaugh and Jackson looks like child’s play.
Harbaugh played for five teams in the NFL from 1987-2001, including a season with the Baltimore Ravens in 1998. He had his best rushing season in 1991 with the Chicago Bears, rushing for 338 yards in that season. In comparison, Jackson has 793 rushing yards entering Week 15, surpassing Harbaugh’s 338 by Week 6.
Jackson could also move into 12th all-time for rushing yards by a quarterback before the season ends. Kordell Stewart currently sits 12th all-time with 2,874 rushing yards by a quarterback (180 yards above Jackson). Stewart played for three teams in the NFL from 1995-2005 including two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens in 2004 and 2005. He had his best rushing season in 2001 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, rushing for 537 yards that season — A mark Jackson surpassed in Week 11 this season.
The top five all-time rushing quarterbacks in NFL history include Michael Vick (6,109 yards), Cam Newton (5,257 yards), Randall Cunningham (4,928 yards), Russell Wilson (4,416 yards), and Steve Young (4,239 yards). Jackson would pass Vick before the end of 2024 (he’d be just 27 years old and in his seventh season) if he continues to average 62.7 yards per game.
Coming off a sensational season in 2019, Jackson surpassed Michael Vick’s record for rushing yards by a quarterback in a season by Week 15. Jackson would finish the season with 1,206 rushing yards. While Jackson’s rushing numbers are not compared to what they were a season ago, he still manages to break free from defenders and run for big gains more often than not.
All Jackson’s carries are not designed but they are a major part of the Ravens’ offense that has helped them win games over the last two seasons. Expect Jackson to continue pounding the ball and maybe one season hold the record for most rushes and rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history.
A weekly series that examines the history of the Steelers versus their 2020 opponents.
This is the fourth in a 13-part weekly series examing the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers versus their 2020 opponents.
The fourth matchup on the Steelers schedule is versus the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Oct. 4, at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. The last time these two powerhouses met was on Nov. 16, 2017, when the Steelers routed the Titans 40-17 at home.
Since then, the Steelers have most notably lost wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. The Titans are now without quarterback Marcus Mariota, wide receiver Rishard Matthews, and running back DeMarco Murray.
Let’s take a look at the history between these two franchises.
The two teams have met each other 22 times (including one postseason game). The Titans lead the series 13-9; however, in the Ben Roethlisberger era, the Steelers head-to-head record is 6-3. Total points scored for Pittsburgh is 513 to Tennessee’s 484.
I’m only getting into the Steelers history versus the Titans here. But the Titans were once the Houston Oilers, and that fierce rivalry dated back to 1970.
When the franchise moved from Houston to Memphis in 1997, the team was known as the Oilers for their first two seasons. It didn’t make too much sense for a team in Tennessee to be known as the Oilers, and fans demanded the team change their name. The club played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis for one season before they moved to Nashville to play in Vanderbilt Stadium. The Titans’ home is now Nissan Stadium, formerly Adelphia Coliseum.
Pittsburgh and Tennessee were in the same division when the AFC Central existed, and they played each other twice a season.
Their first-ever matchup was back at Three Rivers Stadium in the Kordell Stewart days on Sept. 28, 1997. Stewart scored three touchdowns, two rushing and one to tight end Mark Bruener, in the Steelers 34-27 win over the Oilers.
Three months later, the teams met again on Dec. 21, 1997. The Steelers loss started a string of seven consecutive times being defeated in the series. The Steelers reigned victorious the next two contests.
When the league restructured divisions in 2002, the AFC Central was rebranded the AFC North, and a South division was added to each conference. Logically, the Steelers headed to the North and the Titans, South.
The first game post-restructure was a dramatic one. Quarterback Tommy Maddox was taken off the field in an ambulance after the final play of the third quarter. Maddox was falling forward as he completed a pass to WR Antwaan Randle El when Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck put his elbow into Maddox’s left shoulder. Maddox rolled forward onto his head and did not move. Team trainers and doctors spent at least 15 minutes tending to Maddox, who lost feeling in his limbs. It would later be reported that Maddox suffered a concussion and spinal cord contusion.
(Photo credit: NEIL BRAKE/AFP via Getty Images)
The next time the teams would face each other was in the divisional round of the playoffs on Jan. 11, 2003. In the second quarter, the Steelers rallied back from a 14-0 deficit to make it a game but eventually fell to the Titans in a heartbreaking overtime loss, 34-31.
Fast-forward three games to Dec. 21, 2008, when Bulluck and RB LenDale White stomped on the Terrible Towel after they beat the Steelers 31-14. The Titans went on to lose eight straight games, including a chance to go to the Super Bowl that same season.
Since then, the Steelers have won five out of seven contests in the series.
This year’s duel will be the Steelers first time facing Derrick Henry as the feature running back.
Here is why the Pittsburgh Steelers should absolutely draft a QB in April.
Steelers.com writer Bob Labriola has repeatedly stated that the Steelers are not going to select a quarterback in the 2020 NFL draft.
To that, I say — WHY NOT?!
Let’s take a trip back in time to the seasons in which the Steelers were searching for their future at the QB position.
The 1980s was a forgettable decade for the black and gold. The Steel Curtain unraveled, and after Bradshaw retired, they endured seasons of 7-9, 6-10, and 5-11; overall, failing to win the division eight out of those 10 seasons.
The Steelers also passed on future Hall of Famer and hometown hero Dan Marino in the 1983 draft. Instead, they selected Gabriel Rivera, a nose tackle who played in six games (no starts) and was later paralyzed in a car accident never to play football again.
There was a 20-year span between franchise QBs Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger in which the Steelers had eight different signal-callers.
The ’90s showed some improvement, but the QBs chosen to direct the Steelers’ offenses were manageable and not franchise-worthy. The ultimate goal of every NFL team is to not only represent their division in the battle royale but to hoist the Lombardi trophy.
During that eight-quarterback stretch referenced above, the only one to help lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl was O’Donnell in the 1995 Super Bowl versus the Dallas Cowboys.
In the latter part of that decade, offenses were bottom of the barrel in points scored, and defenses couldn’t get off the field.
It took 20 years, four QBs drafted, four QBs acquired, and a lot of losing seasons before the Steelers hit the jackpot with Roethlisberger in 2004.
You can’t really count Omar Jacobs (2006), Dennis Dixon (2008), or Landry Jones (2013) as attempts to draft Roethlisberger’s heir apparent. Roethlisberger and the Steelers both debunked the late ’13 rumors of a trade. He was nowhere near retirement, either. The Steelers quest perhaps legitimately started with drafting Joshua Dobbs in 2017 and Mason Rudolph in 2018. And we know what happened with Dobbs.
This is not to say that with further development, Rudolph can’t help the Steelers along after Roethlisberger retires. But it would only be a band-aid on a wound — he’s not likely to be the guy for the next 10-15 years.
This is not to say that should the Steelers draft a QB in the second or third rounds that he will automatically be the post-Roethlisberger answer, either. But as they’ve seen with the QBs drafted in recent years, they won’t know until they try.
Roethlisberger’s contract runs through the 2021 season. Even if he can bounce back from injury, who knows how much longer he’ll play. Starting with April’s draft, it’s time the Steelers seriously think about the future, or there could be another 20-year drought.
