Thursday's Take: The Post-Dynasty All-Time Team Part II

Today we name the offensive starters for the team. To refresh: all players who won a super bowl with the 70's dynasty are ineligible for the team. No Joe Greenes, Bradshaws, or Lamberts. Anyone who began their career with the Steelers after the Super Bowl in January of 1980 is eligible. You can find the defensive starters here.


-The Offense-

Quarterback
Starter: Ben Roethlisberger
Backup: Neil O'Donnell
- This is an easy selection. The Steelers have only had two great QBs in the Super Bowl era. One is Bradshaw, but he doesn't qualify for this team. Roethlisberger has been in the league for five years, won it all in two of them, and already has surpassed a number of Bradshaw's records. He holds numerous rookie records in the NFL, including most wins in his rookie season, when he went 14-0 and led the team to the AFC Championship. He also holds the record for youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl. He's a big quarterback who is also surprisingly nimble, allowing him to avoid rushers and extend plays. He is also gaining a reputation as a clutch performer, having led at least fifteen comebacks in his career. Neil O'Donnell is a name that invokes bad memories among Steelers faithful. He was a solid quarterback in the early 90's, but is most often remembered for three awful picks he threw in the 1995 Super Bowl.

Running Back
Starter: Jerome Bettis
Backup: Barry Foster
- Bettis is an easy pick here. He may be the most significant offensive player on the Steelers after the dynasty. A future hall-of-famer, Bettis was the emotional leader of Pittsburgh's offensive unit from 1996 when he was traded from the Rams to 2005, when he retired after winning the Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit. He is considered one of the best big backs ever to play the game, and ruled in an era where speed-power hybrid backs were the norm. He finished his career fifth on the all-time rushing list, behind only Curtis Martin, Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Emmitt Smith. Barry Foster was a strong runner for the Steelers in the early 90's before injuries cut his career short. He currently holds the Steelers record for most rushing yards in a single-season (1690).

Fullback
Starter: Merril Hoge
Backup: Dan Kreider
- Around the same time that Foster was hitting his peak, Merril Hoge was running wild from the fullback position. He earned over 5,000 combined rushing and receiving yards for the Steelers from 1987-1993. He currently serves an an analyst on ESPN. Kreider was a different breed of fullback, a pure blocker in the mold of Lorenzo Neal. He filled this role for the Steelers from 2000 until he left for the Rams after the 2007 season.

Tight End
Starter: Heath Miller
Backup: Mark Bruener
- Heath Miller is one of the more underrated offensive players in the league today. He has the receiving ability of other top tight ends, but is much more adept as a blocker than other pass-catching dynamos at his position. His receiving stats are actually diminished every season because the Steelers offense needs to keep him in to block so often. He remains one of the most well-rounded talents at the tight end position and boasts an excellent rapport with current QB Ben Roethlisberger. Bruener is a blocking tight end at heart, and he may be one of the best blocking tight ends in recent history.

Wide Receiver
Starters: Hines Ward, Louis Lipps
Backups: Plaxico Burress, Yancey Thigpen
- Hines Ward is an enigma in the National Football League. Steelers Nation loves him for the physicality he brings to the wide receiver position. Other teams hate him for the very same reason. He is one of the best blocking wide receivers in the modern game and regularly dominates opposing cornerbacks (and sometimes linebackers) on running plays. Some of these vicious blocks have resulted in injuries, which has led to his reputation as a "dirty" player in the AFC North. In truth, he is one of the classiest and hardest-working talents at the WR position, and works with his younger teammates to follow in his footsteps both as a blocker and as a class act. Lipps was a fan favorite of the Steelers in the 80's, and was, by far, the team's best receiver of that era once John Stallworth retired. He earned recognition early on as the Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1984. Burress was one of Ward's blocking disciples who took his show to the Giants, winning the Super Bowl in 2007. Thigpen was the star receiver for the Steelers in the mid-to-late 90's.

Offensive Tackle
Starters: Tunch Ilkin, Marvel Smith
Backups: Max Starks, John Jackson
- Tunch Ilkin is a well-known name in Pittsburgh, having anchored the local Steelers broadcasts every Sunday since 1998. Before that, though, he was anchoring the offensive line for the Steelers for much of the 80's. He never was a dominant force at tackle, but he was an above average starter for the team in a decade when Pittsburgh truly looked lost. Marvel Smith handled duties at the tackle position from the beginning of this millennium until his departure after last season's Super Bowl. He was solid and dependable early in his career before back issues forced him out of the lineup. He still managed to grab two rings before he left town, one as a starter (2005). Max Starks filled the other tackle spot in 2005 before taking over for Smith last year. John Jackson also was a Super Bowl tackle, though he got his chance in the one the Steelers lost in 1995.

Offensive Guard
Starters: Alan Faneca, Craig Wolfley
Backups: Kendall Simmons, Terry Long
- Alan Faneca is one of the top offensive guards in the game today. In the past eight years, he's been named to the Pro Bowl and either the First or Second All-Pro team every single year. His talent allowed the Steelers to become one of the most powerful rushing teams of this decade. Unfortunately, the Steelers were forced to let him go due to monetary concerns. He has since moved on to the Jets who, unsurprisingly, saw a positive change in their rushing totals. Craig Wolfley, like Tunch Ilkin, is another Pittsburgh radio stalwart. In fact, Craig and Tunch were actually teammates throughout the 80's. Craig was a solid offensive guard who was sometimes pressed into duties at tackle due to injuries. Simmons was a solid starter for most of this decade before injuries led to his release. Terry Long was another 80's standout, starting at guard opposite Wolfley for the later half of the decade.

Offensive Center
Starter: Dermontti Dawson
Backup: Jeff Hartings
-From 1969 to 2006, the Steelers had only two coaches, Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher. From 1974 to 2006, the Steelers had only three centers, which may be the more impressive feat. The first center in that list was Mike Webster, who ruled from '74 all the way to 1988. Dermontti Dawson succeeded Webster in 1989, becoming one of the most dependable centerman of the decade. He is not a hall-of-famer yet, but his time is coming soon, as he has been a finalist every year since he became eligible. In 2001, the Steelers acquired free agent Jeff Hartings to take over the long lineage at center, and he didn't disappoint. Hartings left the team in 2006, ending a thirty-year period of dominance at the center position for the Pittsburgh Steelers.


Quick Hits
- Anyone who hates the current NFL overtime system should check this article out. It shows off a proposed silent auction system in which the two coaches lobby for field position with the least advantageous position winning. I like the idea. It would make the coaches responsible for the possession rather than being ruled by a 50/50 coin flip.

- It's official. Steelers owner Dan Rooney is now the U.S.'s ambassador to Ireland. Couldn't think of a better person to take that job.

- Calvin Pace just received a four-game suspension for banned substances. As a result, 2008 sixth-overall pick Vernon Gholston might actually make an appearance this year. We'll finally get to see if he's ready for NFL action and, if he's not, we can see finally see why he disappeared for all of last season.

- For those interested: Training Camp Schedules.

- The only thing more annoying than Twitter is the press' recent infatuation with it. If you're reading this, don't use Twitter. Just don't.






Kenneth Torgent
torgent@yahoo.com