Beer We Go Steelers

Some Clarification:

So, it appears as if  there is some difference of opinion with the Captain on these lists. The one person who I absolutely whiffed on was Aaron Smith, he was a huge STEAL. I probably should have put him in Carnell Lake’s spot and put Carnell on the top five picks of all time, because second rounders are hard to argue as steals.  Again though, look who the first two picks were.  Also, by leaving one spot open I opened the door to a huge debate on who should be number five. When I publish this as a book I might make that as an edit.  

The Second whiff was John Jackson, he is one of the greatest Tackles in Steelers history and he was a tenth rounder!!! That was a steal. Adding to my MEA CULPA are honorable mentions Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley.

The Top Picks of the Last Thirty Years:

I am going to trudge on and I hope this clarifies everything. Joe Boningo who is a radio announcer here in NYC said something once that stuck with me. “I hate the Steelers because even when they lose, they win!” Great statement,”They have a bad year and draft Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu. we have a bad year and draft Dewayne Robertson and Bryan Thomas.” He was comparing us to the Fortunes of our AFC Championship rival the Jets. While the Jets have seemed to fix that problem, as you look back now,  you know what?  He was right! The Steelers while they have their share of busts don’t miss on day one! 

Here are my choices!

The top five picks of the last Thirty Years:

5. Heath Miller: This is the hardest spot to pick because I seriously had a rough time deciding between Jason Gildon, Joey Porter, Aaron Smith(Who both qualified as steals), Casey Hampton, Louis Lipps (4th best receiver in team history),  and Alan Faneca(Big Red) who was one of my favorite players in history. I also could have chosen a bevy of all-pro linebackers, if I did the best linebackers drafted in the last thirty years list it would be eight Steelers, Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor! But having to choose, I am going with Heath Miller. Why? Because I consider him the unsung hero of the team and the safety valve for the Steelers. I also would say he is the best all around player at his position. He catches and blocks better than any other tight end. He fell to the Steelers by sheer luck while the Jets, who needed a tight end, traded their first rounder for Doug Jolley. It worked out nicely! Well at least for the Steelers it did! 🙂

4. Dermonti Dawson: He was picked in the second round and he was the heir apparent to the Steeler Center Dynasty taking over for “Iron” Mike Webster. Dawson was equal to the challenge and Chuck Noll even let him use the shotgun, which Noll despised. He was durable, athletic, and arguably the best center in the history of the NFL! Damn good pick!

3. Rod Woodson: What can you say about Rod? Well I can say he was arguably the Best Cornerback in the history of the NFL. He was on the 75th anniversary team and his athleticism and ferociousness was unmatched by anyone to play his spot. When you look at his contemporary, which would be Deon Sanders, Rod could cover like Deon but he could hit like Mel Blount(ask Warren Moon) and he shut down an entire side of the field with both running and passing.

2. Troy Polamalu: Again, I am going for quality and he is the best player the Steelers have drafted in the last ten years, and with the exception of Rod, probably the best player they drafted in the last thirty years. He is just an absolute force. I commented last year, Ryan Mundy did a fine job filling in for him, but that is like asking a mere mortal to fill in for Superman. The Steelers are 14-4 with Troy and 5-7 without him during the regular season. So why isn’t he number 1?

1. Ben Roethlisberger: Because Big Ben is! All I have to say is that Ben is the difference maker. Obviously, it is disappointing to lose the Super Bowl, as I still cry out in the middle of the night, but without him we would have had no shot.. 

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Steelers didn’t win a Super Bowl from 1980 through the day Ben showed up. He is the difference maker. The Steelers defense of the 90’s rivals any in the history of the NFL and the reason they are not considered, is because they didn’t win the Super Bowl. They didn’t win because they didn’t have a QB to get them there.  Brister, who was one of my favorites, was erratic, Neil O’Donnel was solid but not spectacular, Kordell was the best athelete to ever be Steelers QB but he never could get it done in a big game, Tommy Maddox, another guy I love, was a retread, who played on shear guts. Ben made the difference. He is athletic, strong, has a great arm and has a great track record. So we are clear and I don’t mince words, his first Super Bowl was mediocre but he carved up the Colts and made the game saving tackle, he BBQ’d the Broncos at Mile High and without him the Steelers aren’t even in the Super Bowl. As for beating the Cardinals, I will let the performance speak for itself. It is the stuff of legend.

This year was what it was and as Mike Tomlin says, “Sometimes Gun-Fighters get shot.” We got shot this year. Don’t bet against Ben next time around!!!   

Can’t wait to hear the feedback!!!