As a wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Lynn Swann was known for making sizzling catches. But politicos found his “Team 88” political advertisement to be quite dull, according to a poll taken by Wilson Research Strategies.

In the ad, which is produced by the D.C.-based Stevens & Schriefer Group, Swann stands in front of the camera, football in hand, and tells viewers that as a father, small-business man and former chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports he understands how state government decisions affect Pennsylvanians.

The only time the ad gets the least bit political is when Swann says that he finds the decisions in the state capital and that “it’s time for a change.” But Swann never mentions his party affiliation or his opponent, Gov. Ed Rendell (D-Pa.), by name.

Rendell, who served two terms as Philadelphia’s mayor and is credited with turning a declining city around, and Swann are a study in opposites: Swann is black, lean and smooth; Rendell is Jewish, barrel-chested and rumpled.

After the May 16 primary, Pennsylvania voters will be faced with two heavyweight fights in November: Rendell versus Swann and state Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., versus Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.). Both are sure to attract millions of dollars and huge voter turnout for a non-presidential-election year. Rendell already has been airing television spots.

But as much as Steelers fans might still talk about Swann’s one-handed, over-the-head grabs as a receiver, the survey data indicate that this ad won’t generate buzz among Republicans or independents, and certainly not among Democrats.

Republicans scored the ad a 5.7 on a 10-point scale as something they would talk about. Democrats and independents awarded the ad a 3.8 and 3.6 on the same scale. Reporters and lobbyists liked it even less, giving it a 4.1 and 2.5, respectively.

Republicans found the ad credible and appealing, scoring it a 7.2 and 7.1. But overall, the ad garnered average scores: 4.8 for strong message and 5.1 for memorable.

“This is the kind of stuff they need to do,” said Jennifer Duffy of the Cook Political Report newsletter. “They need to reintroduce him and give [voters] a rationale for his candidacy.”

But the balance, Duffy said, is tricky. “You have got to maintain the brand on some level because it’s like a trigger, but you can’t get too married to the brand.”

Swann would not be the first professional athlete to succeed in politics. Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), was a star pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers, and former Rep. Steve Largent (R-Okla.) was a record-setting pass receiver with the Seattle Seahawks for 14 years. But Largent lost his bid for governor of Oklahoma in 2002.

Working with The Hill for its Air War feature, Wilson Research Strategies e-mails campaign or issue ads to survey participants who view the ads and rate their effectiveness on several criteria.