Steve Atwater

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Stephen Dennis Atwater (born October 28, 1966 in Chicago, Illinois) is a former American football player who spent most of his career playing free safety for the Denver Broncos of the NFL.

[edit] Early life

He attended Lutheran High School North in St. Louis, Missouri. Steve was selected all-conference and league Most Valuable Player as a wishbone formation quarterback and was the school's top scholar-athlete. He credits his coach there, Karel Wegert, as serving as a mentor for him both as a football player and becoming an exemplary citizen.

[edit] College

Atwater signed with the University of Arkansas, where he was moved from quarterback to safety. Atwater was named to the All-Southwest Conference team three times and named as an All-American twice. Atwater finished as the Razorbacks' all-time leader in interceptions with 14. Helping his stock as a pro prospect was his appearance in the Senior Bowl, where he logged two interceptions.

[edit] Professional career

[edit] Denver Broncos

He was drafted out of the University of Arkansas by the Broncos with the 20th pick in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft. The Broncos began the draft with the 13th overall pick and were hoping to upgrade their defense which had ranked 27th (out of a possible 28) against the run the previous year. Knowing that Atwater would be available in the later parts of the first round, the Broncos traded down to the 20th overall pick owned by the Cleveland Browns who selected Eric Metcalf with Denver's 13th overall pick. Atwater was projected by most as the second best safety in the draft behind Louis Oliver who was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 25th overall pick. However, then Denver Broncos head coach Dan Reeves selected Atwater over Oliver because of his leadership skills which Reeves felt were badly needed following the defense's let downs during the 1988 season.

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips employed Atwater close to the line of scrimmage in order to fortify Denver's run defense and Atwater led the team in tackles, finishing with 129 tackles his rookie season. Denver's defense jumped an incredible 20 spots to finish 7th against the run and tied for 3rd best in yards per carry with a mere 3.7 yard average. That same year, Atwater finished 2nd to Kansas City's Derrick Thomas in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Creating an NFL Films gem in his rookie season, Atwater picked off cannon-armed QB Jay Schroeder standing right in front of him almost immediately as he released the ball intended for downfield. The additions of rookies Steve Atwater and Bobby Humphrey, along with key free agent signings helped Denver rebound from 8-8 in 1988 to AFC Super Bowl representative in 1989.

Atwater's second season marked the first of seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections (1990-1996), tied for most in franchise history. Over his career, Atwater was selected to the Pro Bowl eight times, second most in franchise history. Early in his career, Atwater teamed with fellow Broncos safety Dennis Smith to form one of the best safety tandems of their generation. Both would later be inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame. During his 10 year career in Denver, Atwater started in 155 games, tying him for seventh in franchise history for games started. He also started in 14 post-season games. Of particular note was Super Bowl XXXII, where he posted one of the best performances, if not the best performance ever, by a safety in a Super Bowl and one of the greatest games of his career. In that game, he is credited with six solo tackles, one sack, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

But statistics alone can not describe his impact on that game. Atwater, as the captain of the defense, kept the Broncos' defense's morale high with hit after hit while his sack and forced fumble resulted in 3 critical points in the 2nd quarter when the Broncos offense had stalled without star running back Terrell Davis. Atwater's presence near the line of scrimmage also kept Green Bay's running game at check, and in the 4th quarter he knocked down a critical pass on a blitz where the WR was left wide open in the waning minutes of the game with the score tied at 24-24 on a 3rd and 8, forcing the packers to punt where they would have had 1st and 10 near the Broncos 20 yard line. That critical stop gave Denver's offense the ball where otherwise momentum would have shifted to the defending champions. Then on Green Bay's final drive, Atwater's hit with less than a minute remaining left the packers in 4th and 6 and no remaining timeouts due to NFL rules regarding injuries to players in the final two minutes of a game. Many argued that Atwater should have been the MVP of the game and the ensuing article in The Sporting News pictured Atwater and noted the impact of his hits on the game.

Super Bowl XXXII was Atwater's last great game, and 1997 his last great season. In 1998, he was relegated to only playing on 1st and 2nd downs and replaced on 3rd downs. Nevertheless, because of the viewership of the Super Bowl from the previous year, he was voted as a starter to the Pro Bowl for an 8th and final time. Following the Pro Bowl voting, the Denver Post noted that Atwater's selection to the Pro Bowl was due only to having had played one good game that year- and that the game wasn't even played that season- referring to Super Bowl XXXII (played in February 1998). Denver went on to win the Super Bowl for a second consecutive year, marking Super Bowl XXXIII as Atwater's final game with the Denver Broncos.

[edit] New York Jets

Steve left the Broncos following the 1998 season, signing with the New York Jets as a free agent for his final season in 1999. In his book "Think like a Champion," coach Mike Shanahan wrote about Steve's departure:

"The toughest decision I've ever had to make as a head coach happened a mere two weeks after we beat the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl. We were getting ready to leave for the annual college scouting combine in Indianapolis...when our eight-time Pro Bowl safety and defensive captain Steve Atwater dropped by our training complex. He visited our defensive coordinator, Greg Robinson, and defensive back coach, Ed Donatell, inquiring about his future. Steve was smart enough to know that we were scheduled to pay him $3 million in 1999 and that we were pressed up against the NFL-imposed salary cap...He asked Gred and Ed 'Am I going to be here? What's my status for next year?'

In all honesty, our initial plan was to wait until March 1st, when we would have asked Steve to take a salary reduction to give us more flexibility under the salary cap...but the more I thought about it, and the more I agonized over it, the more I realized that...it could not wait, not when Steve had brought the issue to a head... It would have been so simple to temporarily sweep the problem underneath the rug. It certainly would have made things easier on me and the organization for a while. But that would not have been fair to Steve. So, in what was the most difficult decision I've had to make...I decided to cut Steve.

...the decision was best for all parties. We saved money we needed, Steve had a chance to shop himself as an unrestricted free agent, and he wound up signing a three-year, $8.2 million contract with the New York Jets. Is it easy picturing Steve in green and white...? No. Was it the right thing for him and our team? Absolutely."

Atwater played for the New York Jets for one season, which was marred by injuries, then retired. He signed a one-day ceremonial contract with the Broncos before announcing his retirement from football. "This is the way I wanted to go out," Atwater said. "I bleed orange and will always bleed orange and blue." When asked to reflect on Atwater's career, Shanahan replied "Steve was a pro's pro and we'll always remember him for the kind of person he was and the kind of leader he was." Atwater left as one of the most popular and loved Bronco players in the history of the franchise. His jersey remains one of the most popular among Broncos fans and can frequently be seen at Broncos games and in the Colorado area.

[edit] Legacy

Atwater is remembered and celebrated for both his play as well as leadership. Atwater was the captain of the Broncos defense for both Super Bowl winning years of 1997 and 1998. For the majority of his career, Atwater was used by Denver much like a linebacker as an 8th defender to stop the run. His impact on opposing offense's run games can best be described by the following statistic: prior to his arrival in 1988, Denver's defense was ranked next to last in rushing defense in surrendering 2538 yards that year and a league worst 4.6 yard average. In 1989, Steve's first year, Denver's defense jumped 20 places to tie for 7th against the run by surrendering a mere 1580 yards (almost 1000 yards better) and also tied for 3rd best with a 3.7 yard average.

Steve's hit against Christian Okoye of the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football September 17, 1990 was but one example of his impact on opposing teams' running games. Atwater routinely lined up as close or closer than a linebacker to the line of scrimmage such that on a 3rd and 3, he was able to come up as a safety and drop Okoye for a two yard gain with a thundering hit. The audio of the hit was recorded and has been featured in numerous productions from NFL Films.

Because of his unique role as an 8th defender against the run, Atwater achieved extraordinary numbers in terms of tackles by a free safety in recording 129 tackles in 1989, 173 tackles in 1990, 151 tackles in 1992, 141 tackles in 1993, 125 tackles in 1994, and 148 tackles in 1995, before shifting to a more traditional safety role in 1996 under head coach Mike Shanahan. Over a 10 year Bronco career, Atwater totalled an astounding 1,301 tackles. He was named to the NFL's All Decade Team for the 1990s.

On October 9, 2005, Steve Atwater was enshrined into the Broncos Ring of Fame at Invesco Field at Mile High. When asked about his fondest memory, Atwater spoke of Super Bowl XXXII "That's the highlight of my NFL career, bar none," Atwater said. "People ask me, 'What's your greatest moment -- your greatest memory?' Aside from my family, that is it. I can't even explain. I still get chills when I think about it."

[edit] Hall of Fame Candidacy

This article is written from a fan's point of view, rather than a neutral point of view. Please clean it up to conform to a higher standard of quality, and to make it neutral in tone.(December 2007)

Following his selection to the Broncos Ring of Fame, Atwater was asked about his potential induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame "If (I'm selected for the Hall of Fame), it'll be a great treat, but to be honest with you, I haven't given it a ton of thought," Atwater said. "I was really happy when John (Elway) got inducted, that we've got one person representing the Broncos. If it happens, it'll be great, I really am proud of this award here because it means so much to be recognized right here in the (city) that I played for 10 years."

Atwater's chances for induction into the Hall of Fame are hindered by two statistically relevant factors. First, defensive players are much less likely to be selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame than offensive ones, and historically, no position has been inducted into the Hall of Fame less than the safety position with a mere 6 inductees. In an article published by Cold, Hard Football Facts, summarizing induction data, a voting bias was documented in that offensive players of the “Live Ball Era” (1978-present) have entered the Hall of Fame at a rate of greater than 3 to 1 over defensive players (19 to 6). The article also pinpointed defensive backs as the least represented position:

"DBs seem to bear the brunt of the bias against defenders. Consider these Cold, Hard Football Facts: Only one “Live Ball Era” (1978-present) defensive back is in the Hall of Fame: Ronnie Lott. Some 1,000 defensive backs have joined the NFL since 1971. But just two defensive backs who entered the NFL since 1971 are in the Hall of Fame: Lott and CB Mike Haynes. Of the nine safeties on the All-Decade Teams of the 1970s and 1980s, just three are in the Hall of Fame: Ken Houston, Larry Wilson and Lott. No other All-Decade Team position is so under-represented in Canton." http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=1356

Secondly, there is the issue of interceptions. Where most of the other currently enshrined safeties have at least 40 career interceptions, Atwater tallied only 24. Repeatedly asked to play close the line of scrimmage, Atwater did not have the same opportunities for interceptions that other safties may have enjoyed. But where this tendency to play close to the line of scrimmage may have hindered Atwater's interception numbers, the same tendency compensated Atwater with tackle numbers (1356) that excelled many of the safeties already enshrined, if not all of them (tackle numbers were not tallied in Pro Football until the 1970s and therefore are unavailable as to some of the safeties already enshrined, but as one comparison: it took Ronnie Lott 11 years to break the 1000 tackle mark, in the same number of years, Atwater tallied 1356). http://broncotalk.net/2007/08/steve-atwater-belongs-in-the-hall-of-fame/

The case for Atwater rests on the basis of eight Pro Bowls, six All-Pro team selections (2 unanimous), two Vince Lombardi Trophies, 1301 tackles over a 10 year Bronco career, selection to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 1990s, a Denver Broncos Ring of Fame inductee with only 5 missed games over his Bronco career, Atwater's reputation as a fierce hitter and his leadership role as Captain of the Broncos defense, as well as his contributions during Super Bowls XXIV, XXXII, and XXXIII. http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=1666

[edit] Statistics

Years pro: 11
Pro Bowls: 8
All-Pro: 6
Consensus All-NFL: 1991, 1992
Playoff games: 14
Super Bowl appearances: 3
Super Bowl rings: 2
Tackles: 1356 (includes 55 as a member of the New York Jets)
Interceptions: 24

In his 11 NFL seasons, Atwater returned his 24 interceptions for 408 yards and a touchdown. He also forced 12 fumbles and recovered 8 others and returned them for 42 yards.

Source: Cold, Hard Football Facts.com [1]

[edit] External links

• Pro-Football-Reference.com - career statistics.