STEVE ATWATER

'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.

Contents

Early life

College

Professional career

Denver Broncos

New York Jets

Legacy

Bid for the Hall of Fame

Statistics

External link

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.

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. Helping his stock as a pro prospect was his appearance in the Senior Bowl, where he logged two interceptions.

Professional career

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. 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 forced Green Bay to punt 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 to the Pro Bowl for an 8th and final time in 1998. Following the Pro Bowl voting, the Denver Post noted that Atwater was voted ''as a starter'' to the Pro Bowl due only to having 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).

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 to retire as a Denver Bronco. He left as one of the most popular and loved Bronco players of the modern era.

Legacy

Atwater is remembered and celebrated both for his play as well as his 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 1, he was able to come up as a safety and drop Okoye for a two yard loss 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 an 11 year career, Atwater totalled an astounding 1,356 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."

Bid for the Hall of Fame

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 there in the (city) that I played for 10 years."
Steve Atwater's chances for induction into the Hall of Fame are bolstered by two factors: The Denver Broncos have only one player enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame(Quarterback John Elway), despite holding the second highest winning percentage in the NFL from 1974 to 2007 and 6 Super Bowl appearances over the same period of time (The San Francisco 49ers have the highest winning percentage of all teams in the National Football League from 1974 to present). Secondly, no position is less represented in the Hall of Fame 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."
The article named Atwater as one of eight defensive players deserving of recognition. The other seven candidates were Kansas City linebacker Derrick Thomas; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end L.C. Greenwood; Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras; Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley; Bears DE Richard Dent; Houston Oilers LB Robert Brazile; and Miami Dolphins safety Jake Scott.
The case for Atwater rests on the basis of eight Pro Bowls, two Vince Lombardi Trophies, an average of nearly 130 total tackles per season from the safety position over an 11 year 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, his character and leadership role as Captain on the Broncos defense, as well as his contributions during Super Bowl XXXII.

Statistics

Years pro: 11

Pro Bowls: 8

All-Pro: 6

Consensus All-NFL: 1991, 1992

Playoff games: 14

Super Bowl rings: 2

Avg. team defensive rank over course of career: 12.0 (out of 30-31 teams)

In his 11 NFL seasons, in addition to his 1356 tackles, Atwater recorded 5 sacks and 24 interceptions, which he returned for 408 yards and a touchdown. He also recovered 8 fumbles and returned them for 42 yards. Atwater also forced 12 fumbles during his career.
'''Source:'' Cold, Hard Football Facts.com' [1]

External link

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