5 most underappreciated Steelers defensive players since 2000

Steelers Defensive Player No. 3: Larry Foote

Like Bryant McFadden, Larry Foote was a two-time Super Bowl champ as a Steeler, however, Foote was a longtime starter. Foote may never have made a Pro Bowl, but he was an extremely reliable starter for Pittsburgh, who produced year in and year out.

Foote spent 11 of his 13 NFL seasons in Pittsburgh, starting 105 games and appearing in 158 games where he had 636 tackles, 21 sacks, 20 pass deflections, and 48 tackles for loss as a Steeler.

Foote doesn’t get a ton of recognition because he was typically playing second fiddle to another inside linebacker for much of his career. For the early portion of his career, he was second to James Farrior, while at the end of his career he played in Lawrence Timmons’ shadow. However, despite being listed as the second middle linebacker for much of his Steelers tenure, Foote continued to produce.

Foote was never a flashy player, but the former fourth-round selection out of Michigan was a steady producer, who is extremely underrated and doesn’t get the recognition that his running mates James Farrior or Lawrence Timmons got.