Best steelers players in the last 40 years?

I will also say Ben was an absolute stud. He was a winner. The dude was in his early career throwing off defensive players playing backyard ball, making plays with his feet, and finding a target downfield with accuracy. He played the QB position like a boss, which in today's league especially should maybe get him the vote. He moved like the tin man from wizard of oz late in his career and still was a winner.

Of course TJ who is on track for passing his big bro maybe even challenging the big Dawgs Bruce Smith and Reggie White for the sack record if he is healthy and plays long enough.

Of course we need to give love to the big man Jerome Bettis who in the 90s they'd just line up 8 in the box and just run right at it. He made defensive player earn their paycheck with bruised bodies and made you feel bad for the defensive backs that'd attempt to take him high as he'd steam roll over them.

Then of course Hine's Ward. The man would get led into safeties high over the middle and get hammered somehow holding onto the ball smiling. He also was a ruthless run blocker that had the heart of gold and authentically a good person.

We've been blessed with some amazing guys. It's hard to vote on something like this.

 

Ben played with no fear and an absolute belief in his abilities.

troy did too, from the defensive side.

 

Polamalu wasn't the best player on the 2008 team. Harrison was better.

 

We are talking about quality of performance. It isn't about excluding quarterbacks so much as putting the emphasis on how well the player does his job. If you want to focus on impact, there is no reason to bother with the discussion. Quarterbacks have too much influence on the outcome in the modern game. Best player is a different discussion, which is what I thought the OP meant.

Woodson was one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history. Can you name 10 who were better? Five? At the time, he was arguably the best in the game at his position, or at least in the top two, during his career. That depends what you think of Deion Sanders.

Is Roethlisberger one of the top 10 quarterbacks in NFL history. Was he ever the best in the game or even in the top two? I don't think you can honestly answer yes to either question.

 

cornerbacks

 

Oops. That's what I get for posting while multitasking.

 

these lists of greatest players in NFL history (Like Brandts list) look at the overall career of the player, stats and accolades and are in the end, subjective. Were talking just what the player did for the steelers. Anyway, Woodson was a great corner, but he didn’t singlehandedly change the outcome of games or the fortune of the steelers teams like Ben or Troy. After all you’ve got Dawson too, arguably top 5 in the list of best centers ever. Whats the difference between him and Woodson? Maybe CB is more glamorous than Center? To me it always comes back to impact when discussing greater steeler players. (Excuse me if the OP meant best player rankings). But its hard to ignore how a player changes the direction and fortunes of a team and their super bowl performances. And for us that happens to be a Qb for the most part. If we were the bengals or vikings maybe its a different story and we could go with an Anthony Munoz as best player.

anyway, besides Deion, you’ve got Richard Sherman, Revis, and Darrell Green, i would say you could put them and Woodson in the same group, how you rank these guys is really based on opinion. And thats just for the 40 year era were talking about (Leaving Mel Blount out of the discussion)

 

Based on your post, Woodson would be in the top five at his position in the last 40 years. Can you say that about Roethlisberger?

Again, if you want to base it on who is more impactful, we'll just have to agree to disagree. To me, that is not the same thing as best.

I think you may be forgetting just how much impact Woodson had on games.

 

Ben’s top 10 i would say. But If you ask me about greatest steeler in the last 40 years thats who comes to mind. Just changed the direction of the franchise.

From the teams woodson was on Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene come to mind first. Woodson wasnt with the steelers for that long, half his career was with the ravens. Gil Brandt rankings aside, i just cant call him the best steeler player.

 

Woodson was with us for 10 years(4 with the ravens)...Polamalu was with the steelers for 12 years

 

thanks for the correction. Didn't seem that long. I guess most of that time was spent during the end of Noll’s career and beginning of Cowher’s when the steelers were in transition.

 

Greene was with the Steelers for three seasons. Woodson was with the Steelers for 10, as long as Lloyd. Woodson was with the Ravens for only four of his 17 seasons. Perhaps if your perceptions matched the facts, you might see things more clearly.

 

That's your opinion. I made my opinion clear.

 

Harrison was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2008, so it wasn't just my opinion. He was fourth in AP's league MVP voting and racked up 16 sacks, 101 tackles, one interception, and a league-leading seven forced fumbles. Polamalu had seven interceptions and 73 tackles with no sacks and no forced fumbles.

 

Since You are going by stats for Woodson...then do the same for Ben....which would then make Him....Yes...top 10 Qb(hell even higher)in the history of the NFL....so yes I believe that would cover the last 40 years. LoL

 

It doesn't matter. I believe Polamalu was the Steelers' best player in 2008. What's so difficult to understand?

 

I will say it one more time.....Give Me the big important game Woodson did some game changing stuff for the Steelers like Troy P, Ben, Ward, or James Harrison .....I will wait.

 

This is a losing battle when opinions are involved. Woodson was a great player for the Steelers. It's an opinion. Nothing more and nothing less. Troy was the best player based on the criteria IMO.

Steelers fans are fortunate and unfortunate to attempt to have this kind of debate with that number of great players the team had over the years. One day the overly critical critics of Tomlin might realize....

 

I'm not going solely on statistics for Woodson, but you knew that and wrote otherwise anyway.

 

It is not difficult at all. You are ignoring statistical evidence and expert opinions to go with your feelings.

 

I see things very clearly. you’re just hung up and going by position and stats. It’s a hollow argument when you’re talking about football and the greatest steeler player in the last 40 years. Woodson? Over Ben? Hines Ward? Troy? Are you kidding? There are so many other things to consider when defining great like post season performances, plays in big games. I don't think you know what great means. Your just looking at stats and accolades like an AI bot.

 

So You are going on the big plays in the big games He made....like Ben did??? Like Troy P did....like Ward did, like Harrison did???You said Ben wasn't top 10 at Qb in the last 40 years....Yet He is higher than top 10 in every major stats in the history of the NFL. So make up Your mind what you are going by??? I say no big plays in big games....You give Me stats....I use stats....You say that isn't what You are going by. Yes Woodson was great, but his impact on the Steelers in big games has never been like Troy P, Ben, Ward, and Harrison.....just to name a few.

 

So you want to ignore overall performance for moments. Got it. Of course, your premise also ignores the fact that it's a little easier to remember those moments for guys who played more recently.

Does saving the day in a playoff victory over the Oilers in Houston count? Maybe 1989 slipped your memory. Woodson forced and recovered a fumble in overtime, ending a drive by the Oilers and setting up the game-winning field goal for Pittsburgh.

 

It's diffcult for you because my opinion is different than your opinion. TP was in his prime in 2008. TP impacted games in ways that JH never could.

The same "experts" that vote on the probowl every year? The same "experts" that vote on the HOF? Dude......

 

It's not difficult for me at all. Also, if you don't get the difference between Pro Bowl and DPOY, dude.....