Category: Steelers history

Steelers announce 2023 Hall of Honor class

James Harrison and Aaron Smith among Hall of Honor class of 2023.

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced their 2023 class for the Hall of Honor. This year’s class will be James Harrison, Aaron Smith, Gerry Mullins and Ray Mansfield.

Mansfield played center for the Steelers from 1964-1976. He was named an All-Pro twice and won two Super Bowls. He is a forgotten man because of Mike Webster but is an all-time great in his own right.

Mullins was the guard next to Mansfield as well as Webster for many of those years. He was on the Steelers from 1971-1979 and was part of all of the Steelers six Super Bowl Championships that decade.

Smith played defensive end for the Steelers from 1999-2011 and is one of the most underrated players in franchise history. Despite little fanfare, Smith finished with 44 sacks and won two Super Bowls.

Harrison’s story is long and winding. After joining the team in 2002 as an undrafted free agent, Harrison was on and off the roster until finding a starting role in 2007. Harrison finished his career as the franchise sack leader with 80.5, won a Super Bowl, Defensive Player of the Year, was an All-Pro four times and was part of the most exciting play in Super Bowl history.

 

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Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf says former Steeler Antonio Brown is his top receiver of all time

Where does Antonio Brown rank among the best receivers of all time?

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When Seattle Seahawks D.K. Metcalf went on the All Things Covered podcast, he dropped a bombshell. We always tune into the podcast since it is hosted by former Pittsburgh Steelers Bryant McFadden and current Steeler Patrick Peterson.

In this week’s episode, the guys asked Metcalf to rank his five best wide receivers of all time. To our surprise, not only did Metcalf have former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown on his list, he had him at No. 1.

To be fair, Brown had a six-year run in the NFL that is unmatched by any other receiver in NFL history. Here is how those six seasons broke down:

2013 – 110 receptions 1,499 receiving yards 8 receiving touchdowns

2014 – 129 receptions 1,689 receiving yards 13 receiving touchdowns

2015 – 136 receptions 1,834 receiving yards 10 receiving touchdowns

2016 – 106 receptions 1,284 receiving yards 12 receiving touchdowns

2017 – 101 receptions 1,533 receiving yards 9 receiving touchdowns

2018 – 104 receptions 1,297 receiving yards 15 receiving touchdowns

Is that stretch and 928 career receptions, 12,291 receiving yards and 83 receiving touchdowns in a 12-year career enough to be considered the best of all time?

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Who is the greatest defensive back in Steelers history?

Cast your vote for the greatest Steelers defensive back of all time.

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If you were making a list of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history, the Pittsburgh Steelers would be well represented. Safety Troy Polamalu, defensive back Rod Woodson and cornerback Mel Blount are all legends and all rank among the 10-15 best defensive backs in NFL history. They are without a doubt on the Steelers defensive back Mount Rushmore.

In addition, all three played in different eras which is sure to divide the fanbase on who is the best. Blount spent 14 seasons (1970-1983) with the Steelers, was the Defensive Player of the Year once and was named an All-Pro six times.

Woodson played for the Steelers from 1987-1996 for 10 of his 17 NFL seasons. Woodson was also named Defensive Player of the Year as a Steeler and he was named an All-Pro nine times. Woodson played both cornerback and safety.

Finally, Polamalu was with the Steelers for his entire 12-year career with the Steelers from 2003-2014. Polamalu won Defensive Player of the Year once and was named an All-Pro six times.

As you can see, these resumes are all very similar and puts them among the greatest of all time. But if you could only have one, who would it be? Cast your vote and let us know.

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ESPN omits Steelers legend Mel Blount from list of greatest cornerbacks

ESPN didn’t think this infographic through.

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There are lots of ways to categorize the all-time greats in the NFL. One category few players are part of is those who forced the NFL to change the rules because of their playing style.

This is what happened with former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Mel Blount. His level of physicality was something never seen in the NFL before, and the league responded by creating the “five-yard chuck” rule, where defensive backs were no longer able to hit receivers more than five yards downfield. Before the adoption of that rule in 1978, defensive backs could hit receivers at any time until a pass was in the air.

But this wasn’t enough for ESPN to include them in the infographic below, in which they ask who the greatest cornerback of all time is. They did include former Steeler Rod Woodson, who absolutely deserves consideration, but excluding Blount is the pinnacle of disrespect. I’d like to think if you asked guys on the lists like Jalen Ramsey, Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman they would agree Blount’s place in history is cemented and he should be on the board over at least half the guys on the infographic.

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Former Steelers WR Emmanuel Sanders inducted into SMU Athletics Hall of Fame

Emmanuel Sanders started his NFL career with the Steelers.

According to the SMU Football official Twitter account, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders has been inducted into the SMU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Pittsburgh took Sanders in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft, and he spent his first four seasons with the team. He caught 161 passes for 2,030 yards and 11 touchdowns during that time.

At the end of the 2013 season, the Steelers faced the decision of whether to keep Sanders or Antonio Brown. Both wideouts were entering their fifth season and were on the cusp of greatness, and only one would stay. The Steelers chose to hold on to Brown, and Sanders moved on to an exceptional career with the Denver Broncos. This will always be one of the biggest what-ifs in Steelers history.

During his time at SMU, Sanders was elite. Here are his career numbers from his time in college:

  • 4x All-Conference USA (’06-’09)
  • 4x team leader in receiving yards
  • 285 career receptions
  • 34 career receiving TDs
  • 3,791 career yards
  • 16 100-yard games

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Top 10 teams for fewest losses over the past 10 seasons

The Steelers have the second-fewest losses in the last 10 seasons.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been among the most consistent teams in the NFL during head coach Mike Tomlin’s tenure. And over the last 10 seasons, only one team can boast fewer losses. Here are how the 10 best teams break down with the fewest losses in the last 10 years.

The 11 Steelers we loved watching play the most

These are the 11 Steelers we can never get enough of.

There is a huge amount of debate whenever it comes to trying to rank the greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time. But how about something a little more light-hearted and less adversarial? Here are the 11 Steelers we loved watching play the most over the years. We didn’t rank this list because it would be just too hard to differentiate so many legends.

The 33rd Team asks the easiest question there is about the Steelers

Who is the GOAT for the Steelers?

There are plenty of NFL teams that could spend countless hours debating who the greatest player is in franchise history. You see these spirited debates on social media all the time. The same cannot be said about the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 33rd Team asked on Twitter who the GOAT or greatest of all time is for Pittsburgh, and if we are being honest, there’s only one correct answer. And no, it is not Antonio Brown.

Pittsburgh was a middling-to-bad franchise for many years in the 1950s and 1960s. And if you want to point to the single biggest turning point in franchise history that transformed this team into a dynasty, look no further than the drafting of defensive tackle Joe Greene.

The Steelers took Greene with the No. 4 overall pick in the 1969 NFL draft out of tiny North Texas State, and nothing was ever the same. Greene revolutionized the position and brought a mentality to Pittsburgh that no one had ever seen. This is a franchise loaded with Hall of Famers, but none will ever compare to Greene and what he meant to this team and the city.

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