Top 11 Steelers (since the '80s)

For no particular reason the Steeler Face would like to present the "Top 11 Steelers since the 1980s" (no offense to the 1970s Steelers, but they've had their accolades):


11. Kordell Stewart

"SLASH! AH-AH!"

Somewhere in Michigan, a fellow Steeler fan is cussing into his screen: "Kordell-F----ing-Stewart . . . no f----ing way!!!"  And his cussing isn't necessarily because he disagrees, but because he's shocked that I put Stewart on my list of Top 11 Steelers.  Kordell certainly gave Steeler Nation his fair share of 'cussable moments' and was the impetus for the Steeler Face's infamous meltdown on November 14, 1999.  However, Kordell was electrifying in 1995 as "Slash" and in 1997 as the Steelers' starting QB when he took Pittsburgh to the AFC Championship game (which of course turned out to be one of those 'cussable moments').


10. Greg Lloyd (Vader)

No.  He wasn't

This guy was just plain scary . . . and seeing that person in Three Rivers Stadium with a Lloyd jersey and Vader mask is just plain hilarious.  'Lloyd Vader' might have placed higher on the list had he made a signature play at critical juncture of a playoff game.  Unfortunately, I still have a bad memory of him getting thrown around during the first quarter of Super Bowl XXX.  My best memories of Lloyd are him lining up opposite Kevin Greene at OLB and meeting at the opposing QB throughout the 1994 regular season.  And, it was a lot of fun calling the "OLB blitz" on Madden '95 and sacking the opposing QB nearly every time . . . the only question was, will it be Lloyd or Greene to get the sack?


9. Joey Porter

"Who ride?  We ride!"

What's to say, other than some of my favorite Peezy quotes: "Who day say gonna beat 'dem Bengals?"  "Joey . . . Jeremy . . . Joey . . . Jeremy . . . ."  "Since when is it unsportsmanlike to tell the truth?"  "I was so angry, I couldn't even speak."  "I hope you don't think you're going to win with Jon Kitna."  For Steeler Nation, those quotes need no explanation.


8. Antwaan Randle El

"El Yeah!"

Make that Antwaan Randle "El Yeah" -- another electrifying Pittsburgh Steeler.  His punt return for a touchdown sparked one of the Steelers' most thrilling playoff wins ever in January 2003 when Pittsburgh came from behind to beat the hapless Brownie Elves 36-33 at Heinz Field.  And, there was that other big play he's known for . . . a game clinching touchdown pass on a gadget play in the 4th quarter of Super Bowl XL.  Not to take anything away from my #1 Steeler since the 1980s, but it was the best thrown ball of the game (for either QB in that contest).


7. Willie Parker

"Did you even see that?"

Fast Willie Parker!  Had FWP not broke onto the scene in in 2005, one would have to wonder if the miraculous playoff run to Super Bowl XL would have even been possible.  When The Bus and Duce Staley had to sit out the beginning of the season with injuries, FWP exploded as an undrafted free agent rookie.  As a Rooney was rumored to have said: "How do you miss 4/40 speed?"  Steeler Nation certainly won't forget his Super Bowl record 75-yard touchdown run in Detroit.


6. James Harrison

Excessive awesomeness in Super Bowl XLIII

The greatest defensive play ever in the Super Bowl . . . a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired before half-time in Super Bowl XLIII.  His spectacular play swung the momentum in the Steelers' favor and turned what could have been a 10-14 deficit into a 17-7 lead . . . and it allowed me to REALLY enjoy the half-time performance by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.  What I most like Harrison for these days is that Commissioner Roger Goodell hates him so much . . . for his "Excessive Awesomeness."


5. Hines Ward

"I'm going to Disneyland"

I've said enough on this blog already about Ward's value and I won't repeat it all again, except for this:  He's THE BEST STEELER WIDE RECEIVER EVER . . . INCLUDING THE 1970s . . . PERIOD.  Oh, and he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.




4. Rod Woodson

"...footsteps..."

"I hear footsteps . . . Rod? . . . Is that you?"  Rod Woodson gave Steeler Nation some of its biggest thrills during the late 1980s and early 1990s.  It hurt both Rod and the Steelers to see him playing in a 49ers and . . . (gulp) . . . Ravens and Raiders uniform, but I think he and the Steelers both learned an important lesson the hard way -- be patient.  Had Rod not been so impatient to get a new contract after the 1996 season, and the Steelers a little more visionary about moving Rod from CB to Safety after his ACL injury, he probably would have played his whole career in Pittsburgh, and maybe even won a Super Bowl with the Steelers (and not the freakin' Ravens).


3. Jerome Bettis

Last stop: Detroit!

The best draft day trade ever made was the deal Pittsburgh made with the St. Louis Rams to acquire Bettis in 1996.  In Pittsburgh, he of course became known as "The Bus" (thank you Myron Cope) and emphasized the smash-mouth style of run-football for which the Steelers are known. How great was it to see The Bus retire from the NFL on the stage of Super Bowl XL in Detroit . . . a champion.


2. Troy Polamalu

#43 takes Pittsburgh to XLIII

Polamalu . . . Troy Polamalu . . . I would have a hard time whittling down a list of just Top 100 plays by Troy Polamalu because this guy has made so many dynamite game-breaking plays.  Of course, my favorite was the pick-6 he inflicted upon Joe Flacco (and his eyebrow) in the closing minutes of the AFC Championship game in January 2009.  That play thwarted a potential Baltimore rally and gave the Steelers a 23-14 win en route to Super Bowl XLIII.  And then, of course, there are countless plays like this . . . . 

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and this . . . 

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1. Ben Roethlisberger

Big Ben, God send

There has been no greater contributor to the Steelers' successful run to three Super Bowls in six years.  After a dismal 6-10 campaign in 2003, the Steelers drafted Big Ben in the first round of 2004.  After starting QB Tommy Maddox went down with an injury in Game 2, Big Ben led Pittsburgh to 13 consecutive regular season wins and a trip to the AFC championship game as a rookie.  In his sophomore season he led the Steelers on an unprecedented playoff run as a 6th-seed to Pittsburgh's first Super Bowl championship in 26 years -- the coveted one for the thumb.  During that remarkable ride, Big Ben made big play after big play, but none was as big as "The Tackle" he made to preserve Pittsburgh's upset win over Indianapolis in the Divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

"You're welcome Jerome"

Without that tackle, the Steelers lose the game, don't go on to win the Super Bowl, and Jerome Bettis would have suffered an incredible tarnish upon his Steeler legacy.  Moreover, a loss of that magnitude may have sent the Steeler franchise into an irreversible dive.  That kind of loss has certainly had devastating effects on a lesser franchise (see the Cleveland Brownie Elves, "The Drive" and "The Fumble" et al).

"What do you mean, I'm not MVP?"

Big Ben was also the leading figure in the Steelers run to Super Bowl XLIII.  Steeler Nation will never forget the game winning 92-yard touchdown march with under 4 minutes to go to beat Baltimore 13-9 and clinch the AFC North Division title.  And then, there was that 78 yard touchdown drive with just over 2 minutes to go to win "the greatest Super Bowl ever."