10. 1982 Steelers

(6-3) Strike-Shortened Season

Lost in Conference Playoff 1st Round to San Diego

The 1982 strike-shortened season was sort of “The Last Hurrah” for many of the ’70′s Steelers.  1982 was also special because it marked the franchise’s 50th Anniversary, the first season the Steelers’ Defense employed a 3-4 Front, and it marked the final “full” season of Terry Bradshaw’s great career.

Speaking of Bradshaw, when he was “on” that season, there was little teams could do to stop him as he tied for the League lead with 17 TD passes during the 9 game season.  In addition, Bradshaw also led the League as 7.1% of his completions went for Passing TD’s that season as the Steelers enjoyed a solid season on the Offensive side of the ball.

Running Back Franco Harris also had himself a decent season as his career with the Black & Gold was winding down, placed 9th in the League in Rushing Yards (604) and Yards Per Carry (4.3), and even led the team in receptions with 31.  Overall, the Steelers ranked 8th in the League in Rushing Yards and averaged 131.9 Yards Per Game as Harris and Frank Pollard led the way behind the blocking of Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer Mike Webster and member of the franchise’s 75th Anniversary squad, Tackle Larry Brown.  As for the passing game, future Hall of Famer John Stallworth earned himself a Pro Bowl berth as he hauled in 27 Passes for 441 Yards and 7 TD’s, and proved to be Pittsburgh’s most potent threat at the Wide Receiver position.

Jack Lambert notched another Pro Bowl berth to his belt in 1982.. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-US PRESSWIRE

While the once dominant “Steel Curtain” Defense was collectively continued to age, the top veterans still performed at a high level in 1982.  Donnie Shell and Jack Lambert were named 1st Team All-Pros and Defensive Back Dwayne Woodruff tied with Shell for the team lead with 5 INT’s.  Holdovers from the 1970′s, Defensive Linemen Gary Dunn and Tom Beasley also had fine years getting to the Quarterback (6.0 Sacks apiece), as the Steelers employed a 3-4 Defensive scheme for the first time in their team history.  For the year,  Pittsburgh finished 4th in Total Points Allowed, 1st in Rushing Yards Allowed, and only allowed one 100 Yard rusher the entire 9-game season (Joe Cribbs, Buffalo).

The Steelers started off 1982 hot as they beat Dallas (36-28) and then defending A.F.C. Champion Cincinnati (26-20) in successive Weeks.  Bradshaw threw for 6 Touchdowns combined in both games including the game-winner in Overtime to defeat the Bengals at Three Rivers Stadium.  In spite of Pittsburgh’s hot start, there was no football to be played until late November, and the Steelers looked a tad inconsistent over the final two months.

During the final 7 contests the Steelers looked good (Large Margin Wins over Houston, New England, Cleveland, and Kansas City) and also not so good (Shutout Losses to Buffalo and Seattle).  Nevertheless, the Steelers finished with a 6-3 record, and in the ’82 8-team per Conference Playoff format were given the #4 seed and scheduled to play San Diego at Three Rivers Stadium in the first Round of the postseason.

Sadly for the Steelers, they gave up a 28-17 lead in the 4th Quarter, and Pittsburgh was sent home for the rest of the winter.  After the 1982 season ended, the Steelers saw Lynn Swann and Jack Ham retire, and would eventually see players like Bradshaw (who only played in 1 game in 1983), Harris, Lambert, and Mel Blount leave in the near future.  Even though Pittsburgh made the Playoffs in 1983 and 1984, 1982 and it’s Playoff format would have given this team a much better shot at winning, and the Steelers as a team stacked up against the rest of their postseason foes much better in 1982 than they did in 1983 and 1984.  Alternate history and scenarios aside, the Chargers ended Pittsburgh’s season in 1982, and Pittsburgh would not play another postseason game at home for another decade.

9. 1992 Steelers

(11-5)

Lost in Divisional Playoff Game against Buffalo (24-3)

I remember the 1992 Steelers not having many high expectations.  They had a new Coach for the first time since the late ’60′s (Bill Cowher), A.F.C. Central rival Houston was a heavy favorite to go to/win the Super Bowl, and the Steelers had a Quarterback controversy brewed between Bubby Brister and Neil O’Donnell.  However, there were a few things which many did not account for in 1992.

First, there was the fact that there was quite a bit of young talent on the roster left over from the Noll years, the Offensive Line was a solid bunch, the Defense under Dom Capers was primed to explode, and Running Back Barry Foster would have a season for the ages that many outside of Pittsburgh do not usually remember.

In 1992, the Steelers’ Offense ran on the strength of Barry Foster.  That season, Foster led the AFC in Rushing Yards with 1,690 and scored 11 TD’s on the ground.  Foster was even a potent pass-catching threat, and finished second on the team in Receptions with 36.  Foster, who was named 1st Team All-Pro that year, set the then-team record for Yards from Scrimmage in a season with 2,034, made the Pro Bowl, and tied an N.F.L. record for the most 100 Yard Rushing Games in a season with 12.

Quarterback Neil O’Donnell made his first and only Pro Bowl in his second season as a starter and threw for 2,283 Yards and 13 TD’s in 12 games as a starter.  The Wide Receiver trio of Jeff Graham (49 Catches for 711 Yards and 1 TD), Ernie Mills (30 Catches for 383 Yards and 3 TD’s), and Dwight Stone (34 Catches for 501 Yards and 3 TD’s) were O’Donnell’s (and Brister’s) top receiving threats in 1992.  Tight Ends Adrian Cooper and Eric Green (who was suspended during that season for violating the League’s drug policy) chipped in with 5 total receiving Touchdowns as well, and Fullbacks Merril Hoge and Leroy Thompson contributed a total of 50 Catches for 509 Yards and 1 Touchdown through the air to help O’Donnell and Brister when they subbed for Foster in 1992.

Foster had over 300 yards on the ground during Pittsburgh's 3-0 start, Image Courtesy of life.com

The Defense under new Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers flourished as “Blitzburgh” was beginning to form.  Linebackers Hardy Nickerson, Pro Bowler Greg Lloyd, Jerrol Williams, and David Little all wreaked havoc in Capers’ Linebacker-friendly scheme and terrorized Quarterbacks and Offenses as a whole.  The Defensive Line led by Donald Evans and Gerald Williams stuffed the run and even chipped in some Sacks (3.0 apiece).  And the Secondary, led by 1st Team All-Pro Cornerback Rod Woodson had yet another awesome year, as Carnell Lake, D.J. Johnson, Larry Griffen Rookie Safety Darren Perry all helped out a club which had a +11 Turnover margin on the season.

The Steelers shocked quite a few people when they went 3-0 out of the gate, including an impressive win over Houston in the Astrodome on Opening Weekend.  Despite dropping their next two games, the Steelers quickly rebounded and won their next three to sit at 6-2 at the midway point in the season.  The highlight of their second 3-game win streak was a 21-20 victory over the Oilers at Three Rivers in the teams’ second meeting.  The win gave the Steelers control of the A.F.C. Central and a full head of steam as they geared up for the second half of the season.  Pittsburgh finished the rest of the season 5-3 despite losing O’Donnell for four weeks down the stretch to an injury.  Former starter Bubby Brister filled in adequately and went 2-2 during O’Donnell’s absence as Pittsburgh secured the #1 seed in the A.F.C., but O’Donnell was given the green light to start the Steelers’ first Home Postseason game since 1982 against Buffalo.

Despite losing at home in the Divisional Round 24-3, and being bested by the veteran Bills who would go on to appear in their 3rd straight Super Bowl, 1992 was an extremely important year for the franchise.  The two biggest reasons were A) The gap from Noll to the future looked to have been adequately bridged, and B) The franchise finally appeared to be headed in the right direction after the hum-drum decade of the 1980′s.  While they may not have won, this season set the wheels in motion for another five straight postseason appearances by the franchise.

8. 1997 Steelers

(11-5)

Lost in Conference Championship Game against Denver (24-21)

If I had to pick a “favorite” Steelers team from my child-hood it would be the 1997 group.  Were they overly dominant on either side of the football?  No.  Did they make numerous mistakes?  Absolutely.  Were they pretty to watch at times?  Nope.  But you know what?  They were one very important thing: Exciting.  And the 1997 Steelers came within a few mistakes from defying the odds and winning a title that season.

1997 marked the Kordell Stewart’s first season as a full-time starting Quarterback, and he was a human highlight film so many times that year (like accounting for all 5 Touchdowns in the Week 15 win against Denver).  Statistically, Stewart was incredible in 1997 as Kordell went 236 for 440, passed for 3,020 Yards, 21 Touchdowns, and added 476 Yards Rushing with 11 Touchdowns to boot.  Stewart had some solid pass-catchers at his disposal though, as Yancey Thigpen was the go-to-guy in 1997.  In Thigpen’s Pro Bowl contact year he made 79 Catches for 1,398 Yards an 7 TD’s.  While Charles Johnson (46 Catches, 568 Yards, and 2 TD’s), Courtney Hawkins (45 Catches, 555 Yards, 3 TD’s), and Tight End Mark Bruener (6 Touchdown Catches) all had solid seasons for Pittsburgh, the Steelers were still a running team, and Jerome Bettis had the season of his career in 1997.

While Kordell may still be a polarizing figure in the Steel City, nobody can deny his wonderful 1997 season, Image Courtesy of sportsgridnet.com

In a season which the Steelers led the N.F.L. in Rushing Attempts and Yards, Bettis set career highs with 1,665 Yards and 375 Carries behind a stout Offensive Line which was anchored by Future Hall of Fame Center Dermontti Dawson.  During the regular season, “The Bus” scored 9 Touchdowns total (7 Rush, 2 Receiving), and ran for 111.0 Yards Per Game over his 15 regular season contests.  Whether it was his rumble on a shovel pass for a Touchdown in Overtime against Jacksonville for the Division lead in Week 8, or when he scored the game winner of his 3 Touchdowns in 142 Yards Rushing performance against the Cardinals in Arizona for another Overtime win, Bettis was clutch for his team when he was needed most.

While they were a bit more porous in 1997 (finished 11th in Total Points), the Steelers Defense still proved to be quite tough tin 1997, and Carnell Lake proved to be the super-star. Lake had a season for the ages as he played both his Strong Safety spot and filled in at Cornerback.  In ’97, Lake led the team in Sacks (6.0), notched 60 Tackles, had 2 Forced Fumbles, Returned a Fumble for a Score in a thrilling Week 4 victory over Indianapolis, and Picked Off 3 Passes to earn 1st Team All-Pro honors.  The rest of the Defense had a nice season as well as the front three of Pro Bowler Joel Steed, Kevin Henry, and Nolan Harrison started a combined 48 games, and 1st Team All-Pro Linebacker Levon Kirkland (126 Tackles) and Earl Holmes (96 Tackles) were tackling machines on the inside for Pittsburgh as the Steelers led the League in Fewest Rushing Yards and Touchdowns allowed.

Despite starting 1-2 (and Bill Cowher almost tackling Jaguar player Chris Hudson on Monday Night Football), the Steelers came back and won 10 of their next 12 games, and won many in thrilling fashion.  Whether it was coming back from 21 down in Baltimore in Week 6, 10 down the following week against the Colts, the aforementioned Over Time wins against the Jaguars and Cardinals, 14 down at home against Denver, or winning in Over Time against New England to sew up the #2 seed in the A.F.C., this Steelers team refused to quit and finished the year with an 11-5 record.

After they won a sloppy yet heartstopping game 7-6 over New England in the Divisional Round, the Steelers squared off against Denver for the right to go to the Super Bowl.  Unfortunately, Pittsburgh faltered in the final two minutes of the 1st Half and could not overcome turnovers and John Elway as they lost the game 24-21.  Of all the Steelers’ Playoff losses which I remember, the one to Denver at Three Rivers one hurts the most and will hurt the most until my dying day.  For a full explanation click on these links here and here.  The 1997 team was one of just raw excitement because you could never count the team out of any game.  So many late-game comebacks, and Kordell Stewart was the toast of the N.F.L. that entire year.  As sad as the ending was, I will always remember how fun this team was to watch, and how talented they were.

A quick reminder: NPC and Hatchette Book Group are giving away two copies of Merril Hoge‘s fantastic autobiography, “Find A Way.” Check out the post below for details on how to enter.

Last week, I noticed a bunch of sites doing mid-season reviews. Great except week eight isn’t really the mid-way point any more. With the bye, most teams don’t play their eighth game until week nine. Since I’ve always been a stickler for details, here are my Pittsburgh Steelers Mid-Season Awards, which we’ll call The Chinnys.

Chinny For Most Pleasant Surprise of the Year:  Maurkice Pouncey

From Mike Webster to Dermontti Dawson to Jeff Hartings, the Steelers have a tradition of excellence at center. Since Hartings sudden retirement in 2006, the position has been in disarray. And as the center has floundered, so has the entire offensive line. If the O-line is the brick wall which protects the fortress, then the center is the keystone which holds the whole thing together.

Yes, Pouncey was a first-rounder. Yes, he was the eighteenth pick in the entire draft. But expecting a rookie to start, let alone play at an All-Pro level, was asking a lot. The center has to recognize the defense and change protection schemes accordingly. It’s a lot of responsibility beyond simply snapping the ball and blocking your man. Pouncey has handled it all and then some.

Chinny For Most Unpleasant Surprise of the Year:  Bryant McFadden

I live-blogged the draft this past April and other than Pouncey in the first round, the biggest buzz from Steeler Nation was over the trade bringing B-Mac back from Pittsburgh West Arizona.  With good reason as William Gay plays corner about as well as he raps.

Unfortunately, the expected improvement hasn’t materialized.  In fact, it’s gotten worse.  The Steelers are currently ranked 24th against the pass as opposed to last year when the much-criticized secondary finished 16th.   B-Mac played well during the Super Bowl run of 2008 but that is looking more and more like an anomaly as time goes on.

The Steelers should have made a play for Antonio Cromartie, a legit shutdown corner who the Jets stole for a lousy 3rd round draft pick.  I mean, let’s not pretend like the Steelers really give a crap about character any more.  Cro hasn’t committed any crimes except banging groupies while riding bareback, anyway.   Think what an unbelievable defense we could’ve had for a middling draft choice and a box crate of Trojan Ultra-Thins.

Chinny for Coach Of the Year (Steelers staff only):  Sean Kugler

When your previous O-line coach’s biggest claim to fame is sending links to Japanese bukkake videos to Dan Rooney, your bar is pretty low.  And having a superstar rookie like Maurkice Pouncey doesn’t hurt.  But when a line which gave up 50 sacks last year cuts that number to 16 half way through this season, the offensive line coach must be doing something right.  Especially considering all the injuries Kugler has had to deal with.

Willie Colon was lost during OTAs.  Flozell Adams was brought in and switched positions.  Trai Essex has missed significant time with an ankle.  Kemo has battled injury.  And I’m sure you’ve all heard Max Starks was placed on injured reserve yesterday, ending his season.

The line has been absolutely decimated to the point Matt Spaeth was practicing his blocking technique last Monday in case they needed him to come in and play tackle.  And yet no matter who shuffles in and who shuffles out, the line play has remained pretty steady.

Chidi Awouma Memorial Special Teams Chinny:  Jeff Reed

Chidi was a special teams ace who seldom failed to deliver.  I was going to go positive with this award, giving it to Emmanuel Sanders for averaging 26 yards yards per kick return and causing that pivotal fumble on Monday’s opening kickoff.  However, Stefan Logan, now with the Lions, is averaging 30 yards per return and has a 105 yard TD to his credit so I can’t really say we upgraded in that area.

Therefore, I’m going negative and giving the Chidi Chinny to Jeff Reed as his farewell present.  I suppose he may be back next season but I wouldn’t count on it.   Skippy was tagged as the team’s Franchise Player during the off-season, then whined about wanting to be one of the game’s highest paid kickers, then whined some more when the season started and he didn’t receive a long-term contract.  He’s only hit 70% of his FGs this season, a career low, while missing clutch kicks in the Baltimore, New Orleans, and Cincy games.

Chinny For Anti-MVP:  Troy Polmalu

I love Troy.  He’s a great player and a true gentleman.  However, something has gone terribly awry with him this season.  After the Titans game where he made that incredible flying tackle on Kerry Collins at the goal line, I was ready to start a Troy4MVP campaign on Facebook.  Where has he been since then?

He’s been a non-factor.  Troy’s made a career fooling QBs into thinking he was doing one thing when he was doing another.  He’s not fooling anybody this year.   In fact, his guessing in the New Orleans game left guys wide open on several big plays.   You know how many sacks he has this year?   NONE.  ZERO.  ZIP.  BUPKISS.

But the crowning moment of suck was Monday when he got his ass hair handed to him by Peko on that goal line stand.  I hope Head & Shoulders gets tire tracks out ’cause he got trucked.

Once upon a time, you could count on Troy making one or two big game-changing plays every week.  This season, I can’t think of any since the second game of the year.  I grant you part of it is offenses staying away from him and part of it is him dropping into coverage a lot more to help our crappy secondary.  But we spent an entire off-season thinking, “If we only had Troy, we wouldn’t give up fourth quarter leads.”  Troy’s back and guess what?  We’re still struggling in the fourth quarter.  This defense is very good but for it to be great, we need Troy to be Troy.

Chinny For MVP:  Lawrence Timmons

NPC readers picked Timmons and I wholeheartedly agree.   It’s funny, last season many of us were discussing if Timmons could be considered a bust.   He certainly had a rough first year as a starter.  When the Steelers re-signed Larry Foote, many (including myself and the legendary Stan Savran) felt Foote should start in the base defense with Timmons playing on passing downs.

This year, Timmons has been an absolute beast.   He leads the team with 58 tackles, including 3 sacks and a forced fumble.   In addition, he has 2 INTs and 6 passes defensed, thus proving he’s as valuable dropping back as rushing the passer.  He’s been stout against the run and is so fast that he’s capable of covering tight ends and slot receivers.   Clay Matthews, who most feel is the front-runner for Defensive Player of Year, is a fantastic player but compare their stats.  Matthews racked up 10.5 sacks but only has 28 tackles and 2 passes defensed.

There isn’t a linebacker in the league who can do what Timmons does.  In a way, Timmons is almost the new Troy Polamalu.   Troy used to be the guy who played all over the field and you never knew where he was going to attack from.   Now it’s Timmons who lines up like he’s going to blitz but falls back into coverage or moves like he’s been fired from a cannon in running a RB down from behind.  When someone as dense as Peter King acknowledges that LT is the best linebacker on a team filled with great linebackers, you know he’s something special.

Other than a photo in a #12 tee shirt and a vague recollection of  Black and Gold Day at nursery school before Super Bowl XIV, I’m too young to remember the Steel Dynasty teams of the 1970s.  The Pittsburgh Steelers of my childhood were Mark Malone, Frank Pollard, and Weegie Thompson.  Needless to say, I didn’t go to sleep with Super Bowl dreams dancing in my head.

That changed in 1989.  The season started about as badly as could be when the Steelers lost their first two games by a combined score of 92-10.   That’s not a typo.  Chuck Noll pulled off perhaps the greatest coaching job of his career, righting the ship to finish 9-7 and earn a Wild Card playoff berth.  The Steelers won the first playoff game I ever saw them play in overtime against the hated Houston Oilers.  In the next round, they faced the heavily favored Denver Broncos.   Back then, the Broncos were AFC juggernauts, having appeared (and gotten crushed) in the previous two Super Bowls. Miraculously, the Steelers led the entire game before finally losing 24-23.  A patented last minute John Elway comeback is all that came between them and one of the biggest upsets in NFL history.

One of the primary architects of that near-miracle was fullback Merril Hoge.

Hoge rushed for 120 yards that day, inspiring the classic NFL Films clip where a Broncos player standing on the sideline is caught on tape exclaiming, “He’s kicking our asses, y’all.”   A scrappy, blue-collar player, Merril was a Steeler Nation favorite well before and certainly long after that game.   But his story goes a lot deeper than what happened in the Mile High city.  In fact, the more you learn about #33, the more quickly you realize miracles are no stranger to Merril Hoge.

Merril has recently released his autobiography, appropriately titled “Find A Way.” Hogey being a hero of my youth, I eagerly dove in expecting the typical stories of high school excellence, some sort of college setback, and then redemption in the Black and Gold.  I soon found this book is less a series of gridiron exploits than an inspirational story of personal tragedy and triumph.

Which isn’t to say there isn’t any football talk.  Most autobiographies are written by stars who manufacture a lot of phony “drama” to make their stories more compelling when their athletic gifts ensured they’d succeed all along. For those too young to remember Merril, he was a 6’1 220 pound fullback from a no-name program (Idaho State) who was never particularly fast nor particularly athletic. What makes his story unique is not only that he made it to the NFL but how his intelligence and work ethic triumphed over any physical limitations he may have had.

A pivotal figure in Merril’s life is Chuck Noll. Much has been written about Noll’s work with the great teams of the 70s but this book gives you rare insight into the Emperor’s final years and a peek into the first couple seasons of the Bill Cowher era. Although not explicitly stated, Hoge had a cold and distant (even abusive) relationship with his own dad and you really get the impression Noll became almost a surrogate father to his fullback. I’ve heard Terry Bradshaw, Rocky Bleir, and Franco Harris all talk about Noll teaching life lessons as well as he taught football and this book details what a great man he was in addition to being a great coach.

“Find A Way” is much more than a clever title.  It’s the very heart of Merril’s story.   He had to find a way to overcome a rough childhood fraught with peril.  He had to find a way to deal with the serious after-effects of concussion(s) which ended his career in 1994 and left him unable to read or write.  And in 2002, he had to find a way to survive cancer.   For those with relatives who’ve battled this dreaded disease, as my late grandmother did many years ago, his account of the emotional and physical toll the fight takes elevates this from a simple football book into something even non-sports fans would find worth reading.

“Find A Way” is available in both hardcover and e-book editions.  You can click here for a comprehensive list of retailers from Hachette Book Group’s official website.  If you visit Amazon.com by clicking here, you can preview the first chapter through the “search inside the book” link (below the photo) before purchasing.

Finally, when I was contacted by the fine folks at Hachette Book Group about receiving a copy for review, we also discussed a special treat for my loyal readers.  They generously agreed to provide TWO complimentary copies of “Find A Way” for a little contest which I’m going to tie to Sunday night’s game against the New England Patriots.

Since there are two copies and I need two winners there will be two parts to the contest. Leave a guess IN THE COMMENTS how many yards Big Ben will throw for AND how many yards Rashard Mendenhall will run for this Sunday night. That’s all.  Pick two numbers and the closest in each category wins a free copy of “Find A Way.”  Two guesses, two chances to win.

Rules mumbo jumbo:  Make it clear which number goes with which player.  If I just see numbers without names next to them, you’re disqualified.  Make sure you post under a REAL WORKING EMAIL ADDRESS.  If you win, I will contact you asking for your mailing address (No P.O. boxes, U.S. and Canada only) and if the email you’ve entered is phony, you’re disqualified.  If two people choose the same number, the person who posted first wins.  If you email me your guesses, you’re disqualified.  Lastly, if by some miracle you guess both numbers correctly, buy a lottery ticket.  Oh, and you get one book, the next closest Ben guesser gets the other.  Don’t be greedy.