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30 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of the 2000s

By Tommy Jaggi

PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18: Safety Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates his touchdown with defensive end Brett Keisel against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18: Safety Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates his touchdown with defensive end Brett Keisel against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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TAMPA, FL – FEBRUARY 01: Quarterback Kurt Warner #13 of the Arizona Cardinals fumbles the ball with :15 seconds to play as he is sacked by LaMarr Woodley #56 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Steelers won 27-23. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – FEBRUARY 01: Quarterback Kurt Warner #13 of the Arizona Cardinals fumbles the ball with :15 seconds to play as he is sacked by LaMarr Woodley #56 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Steelers won 27-23. (Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images) /

20. LaMarr Woodley, OLB (2007)

LaMarr Woodley is a name that fans should have no trouble remembering. The former 2007  2nd round draft choice was one of the first under newly hired head coach, Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers selected back-to-back outside linebackers that year (Lawrence Timmons being the first-round selection). However, both soon found themselves making significant contributions.

During Woodley’s rookie campaign, veteran Clark Haggans started all 16 games in Pittsburgh. However, he was rather unproductive – producing just 4.0 sacks and zero forced fumbles on the season.

Haggans signed with the Cardinals in the following season, and Woodley took over in 2008. In just his second season, Woodley exploded onto the scene with 11.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, an interception, and a defensive touchdown in just 15 games.

His counterpart, James Harrison, was the Defensive Player of the Year with 101 tackles, 16.0 sacks, and 7 forced fumbles. Though Woodley played second fiddle to Harrison during his time in Pittsburgh, he would go on to have a fantastic career for the Steelers.

Woodley averaged nearly 11.0 sacks per season from 2008-2011 and was a part of a Super Bowl-winning team in Pittsburgh. At 30 years old, he had a brief stint with the Raiders and the Cardinals before retiring at the age of 31.

Woodley finished his career with 58.0 sacks, 5 interceptions, 9 forced fumbles, and 2 defensive touchdowns.

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