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Steelers - all time top 5 - CBS Sports

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by MojaveDesertPghFan, Jun 10, 2020.

  1. MojaveDesertPghFan

    MojaveDesertPghFan

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  2. Steel_Elvis

    Steel_Elvis Staff Member Mod Team

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    Too hard to limit it to 5 without leaving great people out, but I'm going with Noll, Greene, Bradshaw, Lambert and Polamalu (Ben is great, but to me Troy is the face of our last Super Bowl era). I was tempted to put Ham in instead of Lambert, because I recall Ham being a more impactful player after setting aside the intimidation factor, but how can I leave out Lambert?
     
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  3. SteelCity_NB

    SteelCity_NB Staff Member Mod Team

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    Noll
    Mean Joe
    Mel Blount
    Rod Woodson
    Troy Polamalu
     
  4. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    Gets my vote:

    Fillipponi: Noll, Bradshaw, Greene, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham

    I would put Dan Rooney on the list but that is not an option. A quarterback was required so Bradshaw is the Only option. Ben is second, but there is a big gap between him and Bradshaw.
     
  5. Disco1981

    Disco1981 Well-Known Member

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    Noll
    Greene
    Lambert
    Blount

    Damn, Troy or Woodson that's tough to leave one off
     
  6. CK 13

    CK 13 Well-Known Member

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    Noll
    Greene
    Bradshaw
    Lambert
    Polamalu

    Honorable mention: John Stallworth which could be the 5th
     
  7. JAD

    JAD Well-Known Member

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    Just my two cents, agree with Noll. Green, Bradshaw, Lambert but as much as I loved Polamalu its hard to not put put Ben in his place. If you remember it was Polamalu and other defensive backs were getting smoked towards the end of the Super Bowl against Fitzgerald and the Arizona Cardinals. It was Ben who led them them back with that drive and final pass to Holmes. He was in a zone. The super bowl before that it was Ben who led thru them all those away playoff games even though he didn't that great in that Super Bowl.

    Loved Polamalu but overall Ben was more valuable.
     
  8. Diamond

    Diamond Well-Known Member

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    You cant pick out just 5 players with all the great ones who dominated the field over that great decade in the 70s, just suffice it to say they had a great team during the 70s and they had to many HOFERS to have only 5 chosen .....
     
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  9. MojaveDesertPghFan

    MojaveDesertPghFan

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    For relevancy, I believe CBS was doing this same exercise for all NFL teams but you are absolutely right Diamond, impossible to limit it regarding the Steelers!
     
  10. Roonatic

    Roonatic Well-Known Member

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    5 greatest Steelers of all-time:

    1. The Chief
    2. Dan Rooney
    3. Chase Noll
    4. Mean Joe Green
    5. Franco Harris

    5 greatest Steeler players of all-time:

    1. Mean Joe Green
    2. Franco Harris
    3. Jack Lambert
    4. Mel Blount
    5. Mike Webster
     
  11. steel machine

    steel machine Well-Known Member

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    And you call yourself Steeler fans. Terrible top 5 picks. Here are the best of the best:

    Limas Sweed (Swanny feared he would break his records)
    Josh Scobee (try soccer)
    Troy Edwards (broke my heart, looked like such a great pick after rookie season, sigh............)
    LaGarrette Blount (Screw you New England)
    Mark Malone (bet you missed him last season)
     
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  12. Vox Ferrum

    Vox Ferrum Well-Known Member

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    I have to agree. I think Franco was the offensive spark. Even in the latter SB years when the passing game was more relevant, Franco was always consistently there. I also do not think TB, the WR's, oor Franco would have had their great success without that Anchor at center.
     
  13. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    My personal top five.


    1.) Chuck Noll:



    I really should explain why but I am really not going to. Why?! He made good on his promise to the Rooney's;


    "No one will laugh at this team ever again!"



    2.) Joe Greene:



    If Chuck Noll was the man who was tasked with changing the culture of the locker room, then it is easy to see why Mean Joe was selected as Noll's enforcer. More than just a great player. Inspired hope and strengthened that culture that Chuck was building in those early years; Mean Joe's own legendary legacy to boot. Even to this day, many of Mean Joe's philosophies, while having undergone significant change, still live on in some of the current Steelers; Cameron Heyward being the most notable to carry on his legacy.



    3. ) Mel Blount:



    Changing the game forever by having a rule named after you is one thing. Still being great even after said rule change is another. Nevermind a great all time Steeler but a top 3 NFL Corner of all time. Few have ever done it like Mel when he was in his prime. No one ever will.



    4.) Troy Polamalu:



    While some believe this is too high for the soft spoken safety, to me, Troy Polamalu is the ultimate "Anti Steeler" and thus, a top five one for shattering the mold for what constitutes as what many have categorized as the typical Steelers player. When all of us think Steelers players, names like Mean Joe, Jack Lambert, Jerome Bettis, Joey Porter, Mel Blount and others usually come to mind. Troy is almost never brought up in this discussion as his personality is the ultimate antipode of the stereotypical description. However, never judge a book by its cover. Troy may have not had the rage filled bravado that many Steelers had while conducting themselves on the field. However, Troy's style of play matches up with my personal definition of what a true Pittsburgh Steeler should be;



    "Actions speak louder than words."





    5.) Jack Lambert:




    Cannot go wrong with either him or Woodson but Jack Lambert for me takes this spot but only by the thinnest of margins. While Rod Woodson would carry on the legacy of toughness, grit and perseverance that the 70s Steelers laid down and left behind, Jack Lambert was the poster child and progenitor of what would become known as "Steelers Football". Again, toughness, grit and perseverance are the three main qualities. However, what seperated Jack from even the likes of Mean Joe in this regard was Jack not just merely an ideology through his play but the way he would convey said principles in a manner that was both respected and feared by many.
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2020
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  14. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    All the more reason that Top 5 lists or whatever any website categorizes them as are nothing more than good reads just to pass the time. Nothing more, nothing less. A right or wrong premise is always irrelevant as these lists are going to have some issue no matter who is on said list! :lolol:



    Even more so, teams like the Steelers that are subjugated to these lists often poke the proverbial hornets nest that is Steelers Nation; only to have to defend themselves because of said choice.
     
  15. Vox Ferrum

    Vox Ferrum Well-Known Member

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    I clicked on some site a few years ago where some 'expert' was using WAR stats claiming Roberto Clemente was overrated and should not even have been inducted into the HOF, lmao, yep he actually wrote that. Same logic when some look at TB's stats and try to make the same claim. The lists themselves are kind of silly, you can really only judge a player for their time in how they played their game. The 6 you mentioned totally changed the landscape of the game in the era they were involved. That van be said of few in any generation, we had the 'few' in the same decade.
     
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  16. PDXSteelers

    PDXSteelers Well-Known Member

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    I think this should be top 5 players. Certainly you cant argue with Noll as a major factor. 70s Steelers were the most dominant so my list reflects that.

    1. Joe Greene
    2. Jack Lambert
    3. Terry Bradshaw
    4. Mel Blount
    5. Troy Polamalu
     
  17. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    I’m putting my dad in the top 5 fan list. He had a season ticket for 54 years.
     
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  18. groutbrook

    groutbrook

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    Wow. What years did that span?
     
  19. mytake

    mytake Well-Known Member

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    I am mad as heck and I am not going to take it anymore! Franco Harris is a top 5 Steeler, every time a discussion like this takes place! Quit living in the 2010's and the devaluation of the running back! If you don't have Franco on the list, you just don't appreciate one of the smartest players of all-time. He said, "Give me the damn ball!", no less in a Super Bowl, long before Keyshawn Johnson. He is the centerpiece of the greatest play in NFL history. The Steelers never had a losing season while Franco was on the roster.

    Top 5 Steelers players;
    1. Joe Greene
    2. Franco Harris
    3. Jack Ham
    4. Terry Bradshaw
    5. Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, Mike Webster, Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger

    #1 and #2 are the facts. From #3 on, its a matter of opinion and preference.
     
  20. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    1947-2000
     
  21. groutbrook

    groutbrook

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    That's really something. Congrats to him.
    I don't suppose he missed many games in that span.

    One more question:
    Was he a WW2 vet? (none of my business if you don't want to answer)
     
  22. jeh1856

    jeh1856 Beer is good

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    Dad was an Army doctor. Mom, who also went to the games (about 40 seasons) was an Army nurse. Both from Pittsburgh, but they met in England during WWII.

    My brother also went to the games for about 40 seasons. My wife has gone for about 32, and this will be my 51st.
     
  23. Vox Ferrum

    Vox Ferrum Well-Known Member

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    I am not mad, though I agree with you (as stated in another post). I am biased as well as Franco's rookie season cemented my becoming a Steeler fan for life. What excitement he brought. My favorite story of him however is not "give me the damn ball", but just how much of a team player he was. TB stated in one of his books just how unselfish Franco was. When the team was playing Green Bay (Rocky Blier's home area), Rock was getting near the 100 yard mark for the game. Franco kept telling TB to call Rock's number and insisted he wanted to block for him. Give Rock the ball for his family and friends..that is one humble man.
     
  24. groutbrook

    groutbrook

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    That sounds like top 5 Steelers family fandom to me, possibly top 3:thumbs_up:.
     
  25. mytake

    mytake Well-Known Member

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    Great story. The Franco story that left an impression on me was when Noll talked to Paterno about Lydell Mitchell and Franco. Paterno said, "Ask Mitchell to run through a wall and he will do it right away. Ask Franco to run through a wall and he will go examine the wall for its weakest spot, then run through that spot."
     
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