View topic - Lets not wait

[SteelTreal Profile]

With Brady going down along with INDY, SD, and JAX losing looks like the stillers are movin on up to #1 power RANK in the AFC

[trenches Profile]

SteelTreal,

There is a very good likelihood after a huge win that the Stillers move up. Still, let's not get too excited, there's a long season ahead. The team must prove it's mettle.

[WoodsonOfSteel Profile]

I can appreciate being the top dawg in the power rankings, however... If I recall correctly, we sat atop the power realm for at least 40-50% of the season (more-so the latter part) in 2004. We all remember how that turned out.

Power Rankings are fun to look at and follow... But I leave it at that. Fun. Nothing to take seriously.

[Homer J Profile]

Good point, Woodson. It's not where you're ranked DURING the season, it's how you finish it up.

Last year Tomlin was able to paper over a lot of weaknesses early, and the team got off to a great start and was up near the top of the power ratings.

But a couple of key injuries and they completely ran out of gas...and dropped in the rankings.

Cowher's Super Bowl team, however, peaked at the right time....came from way back with a bunch of wins of the road...
and took it all.

This year's Steeler team seems to have considerably more depth - and talent - than last year's. They are LOADED at the skill positions. The defensive front is a year older than last year's, which gives cause for worry, and the O line is very much a work in progress as we all hold our breath. The linebacking corps is the best since Lambert, Ham, and Russell. If this team stays relatively healthy (no major key injuries), they will only get better - despite a tough schedule. And that could mean a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm perfectly happy to wait and see how it turns out.

[indysteel Profile]

Homer:

The LB corp looks good.....however, you might want to consider the combination of Greene, Kirkland, Brown, and Lloyd.

They were a pretty good group too (IMO) that came after the 1970s combo of Russell, Ham, Lambert, Cole, Toews, etc......

[WoodsonOfSteel Profile]

For each of the names listed.

See... I had thought about this very same post earlier. It was going to happen in good time. Ooooh yeah... Then indysteel stole my thunduh, cold-ass thug stylez.

You need to understand first... I was born in 1980. Six weeks after the Stillers' 4th Super Bowl victory...

Yes. I DID have to wait six weeks shy of 26 years to see a Steeler Super Bowl, much MORE a victory in said game.

The player that sold me on the Steelers and solidified me as a Steelers fan for life was Barry Foster. I was hooked from there.

Enter the Blitzburgh linebackers... Circa 1994-1995. Never have I seen such a dominant force in the world of linebackers. I always loved the 'meet-you-at-the-QB' game that was seemingly being played secretively by Greene (who once head-butted a teammate with a helmet... while not... wearing... a helment. ) and Lloyd... Mr. "I Wasn't Hired for my Disposition". Chad Brown was some fresh, new-blood that went from 14 sacks over two seasons to 13 in one... And Kirkland was a bigger (and rounder) James Harrison with some ungodly speed for a man of that stature.

I can certainly appreciate the old school crew. I've seen the Super Bowls and read the stats and style of play then. Props to important pieces of that Steel Curtain thingie-muh-bob... But the Blitzburgh boyz were unreal in their day. When I see our current LB crew put up 35-36 sacks in a season, they'll SURELY get my attention and make me reconsider my feelings of them.

I think it's not up for consideration right now. (FWIW - That year's team sack total was 55 if you don't know or might have forgotten.)

The linebacking corps is the best since Lambert, Ham, and Russell.

I have to disagree there, sir.

The linebacking corps is the best since Greene, Kirkland, Brown, and Lloyd.

That said... Your post is otherwise right on!

Oh yeah... In relevance to this subject matter... I buried my dad in his favorite Lloyd jersey and the only Terrible Towel he ever bought me.

No pity, apologies, or otherwise needed or desired.

Here's to football!

[Stillustronic Profile]

I was a senior in college during the last 70's Super Bowls, in a 9 semester school. I remember their play very well and it is a lopsided comparison. The 70's Steelers was built around Joe Greene and the front four and our 3 linebackers had less work to do than with our now 3-4. Not saying they were less dominant because even though passing was not as accelerated as today's game, they DID cover the receivers and TEs going out for the quick rock. they did punish running backs, and quarterbacks but so did our dominant front four.

I once said that the seven LBs we had in 1995 must be the best unit ever assembled on a single NFL team ever, Don't forget about Hinkle and Jerry O either, and I'm not sure if Gildon wasn't on that team as well. Oh now that one just fucks everything up now!

The Cowboys were intimidated by the 70's Steelers, but not so much the 95 Steelers.

[WoodsonOfSteel Profile]

Good to see you back around here, Stillustronic.

I juuuust asked about you the other day.

I REALLY would like to be able to see some regular season games of the Steel Curtain days. Unfortunately, all the 70's games I've ever seen was compliments of NFL films, 'movie rentals', and NFL Network. Outside of that, it's all words and highlights.

It's good to see some old-school flavor giving props to that THEN new-school corp.

The 70's Steelers was built around Joe Greene and the front four and our 3 linebackers had less work to do than with our now 3-4. Not saying they were less dominant because even though passing was not as accelerated as today's game,

Those are both very important points that CLEARLY separates the two corps.

Gildon came in undrafted the same year as Brown IIRC. Yes, he was on that team. No, he really didn't make an impact then. He showed his stuff 3-4 years later and went on to perform as a top-tier linebacker for 3-4 years until he signed that big dollar contract and became the butt-of-a-joke Donger we at Stillers.com came to know, and some... love.

I always liked Olsavsky because he had a VERY Pittsburgh Steelers name. "Hinkle" doesn't sound familiar for some reason.

The Cowboys were intimidated by the 70's Steelers, but not so much the 95 Steelers.

I think that had mostly to do with the enormousness of the Cowboys offensive line at the time. I remember the hype then of the 310-315 lb. average. Seeing one of the Cowboys linemen (I think it was either Tuinei or Williams) man-handle Greg Lloyd like he was a bully dwarf in the 1st QT of SB XXX really put in perspective how big they really were.

Here's to Stillustronic!

[Hi5Steeler Profile]

I crack myself up .....it was an old joke......

[FatsHolmes Profile]

I hate to cite ESPN on this (or anything for that matter), but for frame of reference, and a reasonably valid study of the best ever linebacker corps, I reluctantly do so. Check it out sometime.

The 90's Stillers group was properly ranked somewhere in the 6-10 range. The 70's Stillers group was ranked # 2 to the Saints (Mills, Swilling, etal). Note that ESPN only did that (and hinted as such in the piece) to spark controversy and I believe, to royally piss off Stillers fans.

If you are a true student of the game (that is, you don't say stuff like "I never saw them so I can't really say for sure"), or you were at least 9-10 years old in the 70's and did see the Steel Curtain play, you know there can be no debate. So please forgive me for not offering any argument in their favor here (though I'd love to) as that would only demean their greatness and thereby make me look like an arshole.

Instead, simply understand and accept this fact: The 70's Stillers linebacker corps were clearly the best ever, with Lambert, Ham and Russell being the best of the best.

A brief roll call, only because I can't resist...
Lambert - the second best middle linebacker of all-time to Butkus
Ham - the best outside linebacker of all-time
Russell - the heart and soul of the unit who elevated Lambert's and Ham's play to those levels

Already two HOF'ers here, but the group could easily be inducted as a unit if the NFL did such things.