Bears choice of Stewart makes sense

Each day for the past week, I have been constantly keeping abreast of the daily sports news in nervous anticipation of what happened on Thursday.

Ever since Kordell Stewart's visit to Chicago, I had been hoping that the Bears would make every effort possible to sign him, and thank goodness they finally did.

Now the Bears have a multi-dimensional quarterback who has proven himself in the NFL and a plyaer that, I think, can win a lot of games for the team. It's almost like a dream come true for this writer.

I have read a lot of Chicago Bears' fan message boards on the internet and have seen mixed reaction to the signing of Stewart. Some people have criticized his inconsistency, while others have praised the signing and feel that he is the biggest piece of the puzzle on the way to a winning season.

I, too, feel that way in some ways, but the Bears have to do some other things to make this a winning organization. One man can't do it all, but with Stewart, they have many more options than they had before.

Stewart can give defenses nightmares when he is playing at the top of his game.

I have watched him play many times with the Steelers and I always remember him amazing me with his ability to turn a bad or broken play into a big gain. I remember his running ability and how he would look almost unstoppable at times.

Stewart has been a favorite of mine ever since he came into the league, so this is almost like a dream to have him on my favorite team.

So what makes Kordell Stewart so special? What makes him such a good choice for the Chicago Bears? Will he help to make the Bears a winner? Let's examine what he can do.

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Stewart in the second round of the 1995 NFL draft (60th overall) out of Colorado. He played most of his time in the wide receiver position at the start of his NFL career, but worked his way into the quarterback position and then eventually got into the starting spot.

In 1997, he took the Steelers all the way to the AFC Championship, only to lose to the Denver Broncos on a day that he played a less than perfect game.

Just two years ago, the Steelers were once again in the AFC Championship against New England, and once again it was because of the hands and legs of Stewart. But, just like the championship game against the Broncos, Stewart had another difficult game and Pittsburgh lost the chance to go to the Super Bowl.

During his two AFC Championship games, Stewart threw some bad passes and was intercepted five times.

While he was at Pittsburgh, Stewart managed to incur the wrath of head coach Bill Cowher many times, almost to the point it was impossible for him to get comfortable with his position.

He also had to go through several offensive coordinators while he was there, which made it even harder for him in the long run. And sometimes it appeared he was trying too hard, which caused him to make mistakes that often cost his team some wins.

All told, I think that Stewart struggled in Pittsburgh, with inconsistent play as a result of all the previously mentioned factors.

Last season, Stewart began the season as the starting quarterback, but ended up on the bench in favor of ex-XFL start Tommy Maddox.

That, combined with a $6 million salary, pushed the Steelers organization to send Stewart packing this off-season, which will be a blessing in disguise for the Chicago.

Stewart can make plays not only with his running ability, for which he is best known, but also with his arm. In addition, with his scrambling ability, he can be a real threat when throwing on the run.

Let's just hope that the offense is ready for the kind of play that Stewart will bring and that Chicago offensive coordinator John Shoop is up for the task.

Ah yes, Shoop, aka Mr. Conservative.

Someone is going to have to light a fire under this guy now to make sure he uses Stewart to his fullest potential.

Shoop now has all the tools he needs, with the only wild card being running back Anthony Thomas.

With Stewart, the Bears have the ability to become a high-powered offense and if Thomas can return to his 2001 form, watch out for the Bears next season!

One of the biggest concerns for Bears' quarterbacks in the past has been health.

The Bears have relied on quarterbacks who have played injured or have been taken completely out of games for long periods of time. Thus, the Bears have lacked consistency on the offensive side of the ball for several years now.

What Chicago got when it signed Stewart was a quarterback who has never missed a game due to injury. That's money in the bank and some W's in the win column as far as the Bears are concerned.

So what needs to happen now that the Bears have Stewart?

As I said, they need to get the offense retooled so that they can use Stewart's abilities to their utmost potential. That has to occur because Stewart can't do it all on his own. He is going to need some help from all areas of the offense, but just his being should make the whole offense better.

He is a great player and will do some great things for the Bears in the coming season, and I can't wait to watch him play and watch them win.

On another note, the Bears loss of linebacker Rosevelt Colvin is somewhat upsetting.

As it turned out, the Bears would have had enough room under the salary cap to sign him to a deal similar to what he was asking for and got from New England.

It would have been nice to keep him on the roster, as it would have made the defense pretty solid.