All-Time Pittsburgh Steelers team: Who makes the cut?

All-Time Steelers Offense

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 20: Commenter Terry Bradshaw looks on prior to the NFC Championship game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Quarterback:

Terry Bradshaw

It’s difficult to argue with having a four-time Super Bowl champ, a one-time Super Bowl MVP (most valuable player), a three-time Pro Bowler, a one-time All-Pro and a Hall of Famer as the QB on our All-Time team.

Yes, Terry played with arguably the greatest defense in NFL history, but he called his own plays and when the chips were down, he found a way to prevail.  Some may look at his stats and say that Ben’s stats are way better.  Ben’s stats are better.  Keep in mind that when Terry player, we were a run first team.  Which brings us to our next position.

Full Back:
Franco Harris
Yes, Franco was actually a full back. It took me a while to grasp that concept. In any event, check out these accolades for our starting FB: Hall of Fame, nine-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro, 1972 AP (Associated Press) Rookie of the Year, 1976 Walter Payton Man of the Year and a four-time Super Bowl champ.  In addition to accumulating 11,950 rushing yards, Franco caught 306 passes as a FB.

Running Back:
Jerome Bettis
In one of the greatest draft day fleecings in NFL history, Bettis arrived in 1996.  In ten seasons, he would rush for 10,571 yards, would catch 125 passes, would score 80 TD’s, would be named to the Pro Bowl six times, would be voted All-Pro twice and would retire on stage after his only Super Bowl victory.

Wide Receiver:
Lynn Swann
Drafted in the first round of the legendary 1974 draft, “Swanny” was a three-time Pro Bowler, a one-time All-Pro, a four-time Super Bowl champ, the 1981 Walter Payton Man of the Year and was inducted into the Hall of Fame.  In his nine-year career, he tallied 337 receptions for 5,462 and scored 51 TD’s.

Known for his acrobatic catch in Super Bowl X, “Swanny” was not just a finesse player. He was as tough as they came back then, routinely going over the middle to catch a pass and paying the price for it.  He embodied the toughness of the Steelers teams of the 1970s.

John Stallworth
Drafted in the fourth round of the aforementioned 1974 draft, Stallworth came to us from a small school (Alabama A &M), but played big.  He was named to three Pro Bowls, was voted as an All-Pro once, was a four-time Super Bowl champ, was named the Comeback Player of the year in 1984 and joined his running mate (“Swanny”) as a Hall of Fame inductee.

Stallworth played for fourteen seasons, raking up 537 receptions for 8,723 yards.  He scored 64 total TD’s (63 receiving; one rushing). Although he played ion those legendary teams of the ’70s, Stallworth’s best year came in 1984 at the age of 32; he finished that year with 80 receptions for 1,395 yards.

Hines Ward
Full Disclose:  Although our base offense for this discussion is a “21” personnel grouping (two RB’s and one TE), we have to include a “three-wide” set.  This is where Ward comes in.  He was drafted in the third round of the 1998 draft, having played both WR and QB (and some RB) at Georgia.
In fourteen seasons, Ward recorded 1000 receptions for 12,083 yards and scored 86 total TD’s (85 receiving and 1 rushing).  He was a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Super Bowl champ. Ward was arguably the best blocking receiver of his era.

Tight End:
Heath Miller 
Miller was drafted in 2005 in the first round out of Virginia.  Although he only made two Pro Bowls, he was a model of consistency. In eleven seasons, Miller started 167 of the 168 games in which he played. He caught 592 balls for 6,569 yards while adding 87 TD’s.  Miller was also a two-time Super Bowl champ.