The most overrated Steeler?

Sacks are a really big deal to me though. I agree about Bennett though. Also Andre Reed should be in the hall as well.

 

Good list, but how about the safeties from those Super Bowl teams of the 70s, Donnie Shell and Mike Wagner (and later JT Thomas)?

Another underrated player, mostly because of who he played behind, was Jim Smith. That guy was a beast of a WR and would have been a superstar somewhere else. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for us fans, he played behind Swanny and Stalls.

Shoot, I just think we ought to name every payer from the 70s dynasty not in the HOF as underrated.

 

Jesus, This is easy...
A no-brainer...
I`ve been reading thru 5 pages of this awesome debate, and couldn`t believe, no one called the obvious one...
Duce Staley!
Just kidding. I know he doesn`t fit the obvious criteria, of actually having played more than a handful of plays for us, after we drafted... er... signed him in free agency, but for all the expectations that came with one of our biggest free agent name signings ever..
WOW...
What a dud!
Almost as bad as Limas Sweed, but Limas hadn`t already shown production at the NFL level, when we picked him, as Staley had..
Hell, we even reference him, when saying a pick is a bust, or a player is a waste of a roster spot...
Like when we say "Like Duce standing in his sweatpants"...
Sorry, I know he doesn`t really count in this thought provoking thread, but for all the thoughts it provoked...
I really couldn`t come up with a bona-fide tried and true STEELER, that fit the description of "over-rated".
Although I appreciate a lot of the nominations, Kordell, probably comes the closest, but even with him, I can`t help but think he just wasn`t used to his best advantage by the coaching staff, was just ahead of his time, and we really didn`t know what to do with a "running quarterback", in an era before Mike Vick, etc, hit the league...
I would have to give the title of most over rated to him, by default.
I just can`t think of another one that didn`t live up to the "hype" over their career, assuming the "career" was more than a season, like Tommy.
And Kordell actually did get us into the playoffs, and to the AFCCG, despite all that, so, I dunno?
Still tryin to pick over the Jack Hams, Joey Porters, maybe, Bam Morris, or Barry Foster`s, of our past teams, and just having a hard time coming up with one...
Any other ideas?
Most of the ones that were "hyped" actually produced.
A case could be made for Wallace, but , I think that`s more, because he got greedy, and left.
If he was still here, I think he could still be quite productive.

 

In that last part where you mentioned Jack Ham were you saying that he was maybe overrated or underrated? I saw an interview with Jack Lambert once where he said that Jack Lambert was the best middle lb of all time. I'm too young to have got to see Jack Ham play but I've never heard anything but good about him.

 

NOOOOO... That`s my point...
Even Our "2nd Best", were not "overrated"... they contributed significantly to our team...
And I`m pretty sure you didn`t mean to say "Jack Lambert said Jack Lambert was the best MLB of all time"..
Pretty sure you meant he said Jack HAM was the best... LOL...
I`m just sayin, I had a hard time thinking of TRUE STEELRS, that played for more than 3 years, that were "overrated"...
So I tried to think of our so-called "second teir" players...
Amd I still couldn`t come up with one.
There has to be one...
I actually think this was a great topic, just because we aren`t usually critical of ourselves. OK, BullCrap, we are HIGHLY critical of our team, when we lose...
But, we always focus on how manty great players we have had.
It`s interesting to try and pick the "worst of our best" so to speak...
I thought this was one of the more interesting threads I had seen here, in a while.
Good Job!
NO DISRESPECT meant, to Jack Ham, whatsoever!
Just the 1st name that came to mind as an "also, we had"...

 

I'm really surprised no one has mentioned Kendrell Bell. Talk about a player that had instant hype from his first training camp he was a coach, fan and media favorite but he was just plain snake bitten by the injury bug even after he left for KC. I'm not sure he was over rated but he certainly never reach his full potential. Another one from those mid to late 90's players who didn't really reach the potential they were picked for was Brenden Stai. Coming from a powerhouse team like Osbourne's Cornhuskers I thought he would be a fixture on a dominant OL for years, sadly it was for just five.

 

Stai is a great pick for this category, IMHO...
I think Bell was mentioned somewhere in the previous 5 pages, and would qualify as well, IMHO.
Brendan, may not play in as "sexy" a position, as the "skill" players, but as Mac makes a good habit of pointing out, the games are won in the trenches!
Now, are you sure your baby doesn`t need fed yet, Thorn?
Congrats again...

 

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I just realized I said that but never would have if you had not pointed it out. I actually STILL had to go back and read it! That reminds me of once when I got in the pulpit to preach and meant to tell everyone to go to the gospel of Luke but instead said Matthew and when I started reading everyone started turning pages like crazy and I said "what did I say?" and they said "Matthew" and I said "well I meant Luke". LOL. But what's so funny is that I was still thinking, even as they were turning to the right place, that I said Luke all along. HA! I got ragged about that forever but not long after it my pastor did the same thing. LOL. But thanks for the clarification on that because I wouldn't want Jack Lambert to find out that you called his favorite mlb of all time overrated. That wouldn't work out well for you. LOL.

 

I agree with Mac on that too. Jamie Dukes always said "here's the guys that are really doing the work". It's hard for a wr to get a ball from a qb that's on his back but I'm guessing we'll never see an offensive linemen getting the Super Bowl MVP. Or ANY MVP as far as that's concerned.

 

I think it's safe to say BA was underrated by a lot of the Steelers' fan base, but overrated across the league. From everything I ever saw, heard, and read, BA was considered a big success while he was here. All the analysts expressed nothing but confusion when we fired him, usually citing Ben's passing numbers as proof Arians was doing a good job.

 

Glad you clarified, I almost spit out the 1st of my morning coffee when his name appeared.
Underrated, perhaps, not overrated in any way.

Jack was not an "also had", rather he was a big part of that defense.

 

love this list, although, I think I would substitute john Jackson with tunch ilkin

 

Apparently Troy is gonna be named the most overrated Steeler of all time according to Dave Dameshek.

 

This is a really interesting thread, and I've been racking my brains for an answer.

It depends a lot on who is doing the rating - for example, Frank Summers was hyped up massively on the old MB, and didn't really do much. But it feels a bit harsh to place someone who was only ever going to be a bit player on the overrated list.

For coaches rating, I would say someone like Ryan Mundy - always lauded by the coaches for his hard hitting, yet never really produced much in the actual game. But again, is it fair to look at reserves?

Is it possible to say David Decastro is overrated? Only because we've heard so many good things about him, but due to his injury yet to really see much. Not his fault, of course, and I'm sure he's going to live up to expectation. But in terms of current players who have had a lot said about them without much int he way of pro-level evidence, Decastro is probably up there.

 

I definitely wouldn't say that about DeCastro but I wouldn't mind someone saying it about Ziggy and Heyward. I suppose this coming season will be the final verdict. It's still probably not totally fair to say it about Heyward too but I would like to see a little more out of him.

 

underated , i'd have to list big play ray seals, thomas everett, a.smith,keisel earl holmes.

 

Excellent choice. After all, now I've heard the name Dave Dameshek, right? So it was a great choice.

 

I started reading this thread. I ain't answering nothing. I was looking for names like Tim Worley. what do I see?? Ike, Wood, timmons/Casey. None of those guys are over rated

 

forgot, my most over rated Steeler is Dewayne Washington. Only took 5 years for billy boy to see Townsend was way better

 

I suppose it's easier to think about current or recent players, because whether they're over or underrated is more apparent.

Older players like Worley are being judged against the history of the NFL rather than the current players. I'm not sure that Worley is overrated in hindsight.

What about Barry Foster, though?

 

That's another good call. Or Chad Scott... dear Jesus, those two...

 

OK I lied about answering

 

there was a time whe dewayne washington was pretty good. his last couple of years he wasen't.