STEELERS Declining Maddox clouds QB question

Coach Bill Cowher prefers that Tommy Maddox will be the team's long-term solution.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- As the Pittsburgh Steelers wind down the season with what now are their three most important games, they're facing a decision that grows tougher every week.
Who is their starting quarterback: Tommy Maddox or Kordell Stewart?
What complicates matters is they're making the decision not just for the rest of this season and, likely, the playoffs, but for next season, too.
By now, it is evident coach Bill Cowher wants Maddox as his starter, for this season and beyond.
On his best days, Maddox is the Steelers' most productive passer since Terry Bradshaw, an accurate thrower who spreads the ball among his receivers, anticipates their routes and covers up the inconsistencies in their running game.
The problem is, Maddox isn't always at his best. And when he's at his worst, as he has been in his last two games, he can single-handedly swing a game the other way.
Last two losses
His three turnovers Houston returned for touchdowns decided the Texans' 24-6 upset victory Sunday, just as the three interceptions he threw put the Steelers into an inescapable 24-point deficit in their 31-23 loss Nov. 17 at Tennessee.
That's why Cowher and director of football operations Kevin Colbert still must decide whether Maddox can be trusted with the offense on a long-term basis.
The Steelers have no intentions of bringing back Kordell Stewart and his nearly $7 million salary to be a backup in 2003.
Should Maddox keep showing the flaws in judgment and timing that he did in his past two starts, it may make it harder for them to get rid of Stewart.
"I don't know any head coach who is going to tolerate turnovers," Maddox said. "You can't tolerate them. I probably hold myself up to a higher standard than anyone, and they drive me crazy probably more than anybody else."
If the Steelers weren't so sold on Maddox winning the job, they likely would have yanked him during the Houston game and started Stewart on Sunday against Carolina (5-8).
Less risky
The Steelers had only one turnover the previous two weeks, when Maddox was hurt, in Stewart-led victories over Cincinnati and Jacksonville.
Stewart knows the direction the Steelers are heading, and understands it may not necessarily be the worst thing for him if he leaves.
If he hooks on with a club that has far worse quarterback problems than Pittsburgh does and is a success, he could sign another big contract after the 2003 season.
Stewart has refused to debate who should be starting, except to say he didn't expect to be benched only three games into the season.
"If we keep questioning and wondering what's wrong with him [Maddox], then something will be wrong with him," Stewart said. "I'm the guy who's gone through it before. I know what it's like. Tommy's OK, he's a fighter."