7 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of the Ben Roethlisberger era

1. Troy Polamalu

While it was tough to not place Ben Roethlisberger at one due to his role as the quarterback, Troy Polamalu is the greatest player to wear a Steelers uniform over the last 20 years.

Polamalu was named to eight Pro Bowls in his 12-year NFL career and was named an All-Pro four times. He was also named to the Hall of Fame All-2000s Team, won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2010, and was elected as a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2020. His presenter at this year’s enshrinement ceremony will be longtime Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau.

According to Pro Football Reference, Polamalu tallied 783 tackles, 12 sacks, 32 interceptions, 107 pass deflections, and 3 touchdowns during his NFL career.

Additionally, Polamalu’s highlight-reel plays were some of the most impressive of any defensive player in the history of the game. Whether it was his leaping one-handed interception against the Tennessee Titans in the first game of the season, his one-handed interception against the San Diego Chargers, where he scooped the ball off the ground, or his knack for perfectly timing the snap count, Polamalu never failed to impress.

And like the others before him on the list, Polamalu came through in the clutch. Polamalu came through with a clutch strip-sack, that set up the game-winning score, against the Baltimore Ravens in the final minutes of a key divisional game late in the season in 2010. And the most memorable play of his career came in the 2008 AFC Championship Game when he intercepted a pass off Joe Flacco and returned it for a touchdown to send the Steelers to the Super Bowl.

Despite being a quiet guy off the field, Polamalu was a hard-hitting safety that opposing teams feared and game-planned against. Polamalu is the greatest safety in Steelers history and the greatest Steelers of this generation.