of Pittsburgh Steelers history never to win a title. Who do you consider "Best of the Rest"?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsSteelers Film Room2018 NFL Draft AnalysisLatest NewsLatest NewsFeatures and Long FormPittsburgh Steelers March Madness: The Best of the RestNew
Artie Burns Jersey ,5commentsBracketing the best teams in the past 50 years of Pittsburgh Steelers history never to win a title. Who do you consider “Best of the Rest”?EDTShareTweetShareSharePittsburgh Steelers March Madness: The Best of the RestThe Pittsburgh Steelers have had a history of fantastic seasons over the past 50 years. The “Black-and-Gold” made playoff appearances 31 times, 23 as division champions. They have been Conference Champions eight times and have hoisted six Lombardi Trophies. When we think of the greatest seasons in team history, of course we are going to recall each that ended in a Super Bowl victory. But along with those six wins of epic proportions, I recall other seasons very fondly. Although they didn’t end with a parade, they may be considered favorite seasons nonetheless for many different reasons. In the past couple of offseasons, we at BTSC, have conducted March Madness-style brackets determining such designations like the Sour 16 (worst No.1 picks in franchise history), Playa Hatin’ (the Steelers truest enemy as an opposing player) and Best Draft Class. This time around, we will look at the Steeler team that you as a fan recall most fondly and consider the best. Super Bowl winners will not be included. The rankings will be based on the team’s regular-season record and highest advancement round. The first 14 have been determined, you will decide the 15th and 16th seeds in this first installment. Here are the Top 14...No. 1 Seed: 2004 (15-1) No. 2 Seed: 2001 (13-3)No. 3 Seed: 2017 (13-3)No. 4 Seed: 1972 (11-3)No. 5 Seed: 2010 (12-4)No. 6 Seed: 1994 (12-4) No. 7 Seed: 2011 (12-4)No. 8 Seed: 1976 (10-4)No. 9 Seed: 1973 (10-4)No. 10 Seed: 1995 (11-5)No. 11 Seed: 1997 (11-5)No. 12 Seed: 2016 (11-5)No. 13 Seed: 1992 (11-5)No. 14 Seed: 2002 (10-5-1)Let’s take a look at the teams that are competing for the remaining two spots in the bracket.2015 (10-6)This season was the first for the Steelers without Troy Polamalu since 2003 due to his retirement in the offseason and Heath Miller’s final year. Ben Roethlisberger suffered an injury in Week 3 in St. Louis that kept him on the shelf for four games, but No. 7 still threw for nearly 4,000 yards. Michael Vick and Landry Jones led the team to a 2-2 record during Big Ben’s absence. Another player that missed a significant amount of time was Le’Veon Bell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 8. Deangelo Williams filled in enormously with 907 yards on the ground and 11 TDs. But the greatest performance from 2015 came from Antonio Brown. AB caught a team record of 136 balls and 1,834 yards. In Weeks 13 and 14, the Steelers earned pivotal and signature wins over Cincinnati and Denver respectively. In the Wild Card Gane, the Steelers (without Deangelo) won with great performances by Martavis Bryant and Ryan Shazier in an improbable last-second win in Cincinnati, but Roethlisberger was banged-up and AB was brutally attacked by Vontaze Burfict and was lost for the next week. Despite playing without key players, the Steelers were in position to win in Denver and advance to the AFCCG. However a Fitz Toussaint fumble late
Joshua Dobbs Jersey , ended the impossible dream.Pro Bowlers: Antonio Brown, David DeCastro, Ben RoethlisbergerFirst-Team All Pros: Antonio Brown, David DeCastroTeam MVP: Antonio BrownFirst Round Selection: Lawrence TimmonsRookie of the Year: Alvin “Bud” Dupree2007 (10-6)Mike Tomlin jumped head-first into the three rivers in his inaugural season with the Steelers. After starting off 7-2, the Steelers went 3-4 down the stretch. They also lost Willie Parker to a fractured fibula in Week 16 in St. Louis. Parker was on his way to having his finest season with 1,316 yards through 14 full games before his misfortune. Also leading the way in 2007 were Ben Roethlisberger (3,154 yards and 32 TDs vs 11 interceptions), Santonio Holmes (942 yards and 8 TDs) and James Harrison (8 1鈦? sacks). The signature win of that season came on MNF against Baltimore 38-7 in Week 9. The game featured Big Ben throwing for five scores and Deebo forcing three fumbles, recording a fumble recovery, picking off a pass and sacking the QB 3 1鈦? times. The AFC North champs fell behind 28-10 in the Wild Card, but after a furious comeback to take the lead...Jacksonville ripped the hearts out of the Heinz Field faithful with a late FG and a 31-29 win. It was Alan Faneca’s last game as a Steeler.Pro Bowlers: Alan Faneca, Casey Hampton, James Harrison, Willie Parker, Troy Polamalu and Ben RoethlisbergerFirst-Team All Pros: Alan Faneca, James HarrisonSecond-Team All Pros: Troy PolamaluTeam MVP: James HarrisonFirst Round Selection: Lawrence TimmonsRookie of the Year: Daniel Sepulveda1989 (9-7)The season started out without Mike Webster in a Steeler uniform after 15 seasons. It opened with the worst lost in team history, a 51-0 drubbing by Cleveland and a 42-10 loss to Cincy. In what could be the finest coaching season of his HOF career and his only Coach of the Year campaign, Chuck Noll rallied his team to the final seed and the AFC WIld Card Game against their fierce rivals
James Conner Jersey , the Houston Oilers. The Steelers came from behind on that last day of the 1980s to force OT and win courtesy of a Gary Anderson FG. The next week in Denver, the Steelers almost pulled of the upset. Leading 23-17 late, Denver scored a TD with 2:22 left to ice it. But Merril Hoge’s phenomenal offseason helped the football world fall in love with the Steelers once more. Leading the way for the Steelers that season were the likes of Hoge, Bubby Brister, Tim Worley, Greg Lloyd, Tunch Ilkin, Keith Willis, Louis Limps Rod Woodson and Dwayne Woodruff.Pro Bowlers: Tunch Ilkin, Rod WoodsonFirst-Team All Pros: Rod WoodsonTeam MVP: Louis LippsFirst Round Selection: Tim Worley and Tom RickettsRookie of the Year: Carnell Lake1984 (9-7)This version of the Steelers was very intriguing, as it marked the first season without both Terry Bradshaw (retirement) and Franco Harris (left in a contract dispute for Seattle). The season started with the ex-Dolphin, David Woodley, at quarterback in a loss at home to Kansas City and Jack Lambert’s infamous turf-toe injury. By mid season, Mark Malone would take over. He would lead the Steelers to their signature win, a 20-17 victory over San Francisco (their only loss that year). The season marked the debut of Louis Lipps and a triumphant comeback for John Stallworth. Because 9-7 was good enough to win the AFC Central, the young Steelers snuck into the playoff field and stunned the Broncos in a thrilling win in the Divisional playoffs. The next weekend the Cinderella story ended in the AFC Championship Game with a 45-28 loss to Miami. Pro Bowlers: Robin Cole, Louis Lipps, Mike Merriweather
Cameron Sutton Jersey , John Stallworth and Mike WebsterFirst-Team All Pros: NoneSecond-Team All Pros: Louis LippsTeam MVP: John StallworthFirst Round Selection: Louis LippsRookie of the Year: Louis Lipps1982 (6-3)The 50th season started off well for Chuck Noll and his Steelers as they beat Dallas on MNF and had an OT victory over Cincinnati, the reigning AFC champ, in back-to-back games to start the year. Then the strike came and knocked out the next eight weeks of the season. The Steelers were led on offense by Terry Bradshaw in his last full-season (if you could call it that) as a Steeler starter, Franco Harris and John Stallworth. On defense, Tom Beasley and Gary Dunn each had six sacks, while Donnie Shell and Dwayne Woodruff had five interceptions. 1982 marked the start of the 3-4 defense being the team’s base and Gary Anderson’s debut, while it was the farewell season for Jack Ham and Lynn Swann. The season ended in a thriller at Three Rivers in the first round of an eight-team Conference tourney, where San Diego prevailed 31-28.Pro Bowlers: Larry Brown, Jack Lambert, Donnie Shell, John Stallworth and Mike WebsterFirst-Team All Pros: Jack Lambert, Donnie ShellTeam MVP: Dwayne Woodruff First Round Selection: Walter Abercrombie There seems to be an inordinate amount of celebratory displays by athletes in modern day sports competitions. It may have started with participation trophies and no score youth leagues, but it appears we celebrate everything now days, even failure.I am old enough to remember when the high five was considered new and exciting. Everybody was doing it, all the time, and often for no good reason. Your doctor, your pastor, maybe even the bagger at your grocery store would throw a hand up and proclaim "High five!" You would play along undoubtedly because you didn't want to appear rude
JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , but often wonder what was the reasoning behind the action.Then the innocent greetings started to get much more elaborate. The fist bump, the hand shake turned slap that evolved into the two individuals involved resembling a couple of girls playing hop scotch on the playground, the forearm bash, and now the flying shoulder bump that ends up a comical rump bump if you over rotate. Quite the celebratory evolution indeed from the now rather mundane high five.This is not a bad development. We need more unadulterated joy in life, and sports has the ability to offer just that. An temporary escape from real life concerns while we immerse ourselves in the outcome of a athletic competition. But have we went too far with these celebrations when we celebrate a routine play, or even worse, failure?Let me offer a couple of examples for clarification. I was watching my favorite college basketball team play the other day when one of the players was fouled in the act of shooting and stepped up to the free throw line. He completely air balled the first free throw. Didn't even touch the net. I was embarrassed for the young man. So what did he do? He had to touch hands with the other four teammates on the floor, before going back to the line to miss the second free throw also.My problem is not with the display of solidarity, which I presume is the reason for the hand slaps, but when did we start celebrating failure and mediocrity? It was always my impression that all the hand gestures were meant to acknowledge a successful endeavor. The NFL is knee deep in all the celebratory fun, and I have no problem with it unless it affects the rhythm of the game, or facilitates a selfish me-first agenda. Seemingly every play in a NFL game today requires some sort of celebratory reaction, whether by the offense or the defense. Just doing your job in front of millions of spectators is no longer good enough. Now every first down achieved requires the player to leap to their feet and extend their arm before dropping the ball to the ground to signify the achieved goal. Every solid tackle or pass defense results in a scream toward the heavens, a Hulk Hogan like flex, or some other look at me reaction. Sometimes it all seems actually childish when they turn around and pout after a negative play or throw a temper tantrum on the sidelines. You never want to be called a good loser, but instead be a individual renown for class and character. Google players like Heath Miller, Barry Sanders, and Larry Fitzgerald for examples.All these celebrations got me thinking about the New England Patriots. They actually appeared rather awkward the other night after their AFC Championship victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. They definitely didn't seem to be in their comfort zone to say the least. You would think by now after all the winning and trips to the Super Bowl they would have this celebration thing down pat
T. J. Watt Jersey , but they were meandering around like they didn't know what to do. Kinda like Jim Valvano after NC State won the title. Somebody hug somebody for Pete's sake. Brady was so discombobulated he accidentally dropped the F-bomb on live television.I believe the reason the Patriots celebrations feel so disjointed is because they seldom do them on the field. The Patriots are not a team of superstars who crave personal accolades. They are excellence in execution, focused on a singular purpose, and any job security is based on personal sacrifice and performance. You fumble too much, Belichick will cut you. Get out of line with the shared agenda, he will trade you. Each player is expected to do their job, failure is not an option. Admittedly, the Patriots seem like a joyless, robotic group at times, but you can't argue with the results. They are all business, and in no way am I referring to a family business. I was actually struggling awhile back trying to decide which former players Patriots fans would consider beloved. That is not the Patriots Way.So in the end, although the Patriots suck at on the field celebrations, they don't really seem to care. Winning is all they care about. All I want is for the Patriots to lose the Super Bowl this Sunday. Maybe if they do Steelers Nation can pretend to do a group air high five to celebrate. Wouldn't that be cool?
