Steelers 10 Worst Personnel Moves

[Diamond Dave]

Um, dude, we were having a hypothetical discussion if I were with the steeler brass at the at the time. Being 8, 9, or 62 has nothing to do with it. But it's a nice attempt anyway. There's nothing wrong with admitting mistakes, the Rooneys would be the first to tell you they screwed that one up.

Funny, I was having a real discussion. You are using hindsight to try and justify drafting Marino like you knew what he was going to turn into the whole time. You are full of [FILTH].

If I were with the Steelers brass at the time, I screen Kendall Simmons for diabetes. See? I'm as smart as you now.

[The Drake]

Funny, I was having a real discussion. You are using hindsight to try and justify drafting Marino like you knew what he was going to turn into the whole time. You are full of [FILTH].

If I were with the Steelers brass at the time, I screen Kendall Simmons for diabetes. See? I'm as smart as you now.

Would you have screened Ben for alcoholism and forcing himself on women though?

[ATLSteelers]

No but some real screening on Mahan and his inability to block anybody would have helped!!

[Yellowdog]

When Marino was drafted, Malone, a former No.1 pick himself, was only 25 years old who and hadn't proven yet that he couldn't play. So at the time the Steelers wouldn't have needed Marino, who then was considered a great talent with a lot of weaknesses (bad senior season, underachiever, drug rumors).

[PicksburghStillers]

He was a homegrown prospect with some pretty nasty rumors going around about a cocaine problem. Plus, after the Heisman trophy was pretty much handed to him before he started his senior year and he pissed it away, he got a reputation as someone that couldn't perform under pressure.

People talk like he was the hottest college prospect that year and the Steelers had the 1:1 pick. 26 teams passed on him and some of them desperately needed a QB. As I said, Tony Eason and Todd Blackledge were drafted ahead of him. Mario wasn't even drafted to start in Miami, he was drafted for depth as Shula thought David Woodley was their future.


No one saw Marino coming and it's dumb for people to harp on the idea that the Steelers were stupid for not taking him. They didn't take Tom Brady either - are they stupid for that too?

Maybe...we drafted QB Tee Martin one round before Brady got picked by New England.

[Steel G]

Funny, I was having a real discussion. You are using hindsight to try and justify drafting Marino like you knew what he was going to turn into the whole time. You are full of [FILTH].

If I were with the Steelers brass at the time, I screen Kendall Simmons for diabetes. See? I'm as smart as you now.

All you are doing is defending the Steelers for making a stupid move by pretending that there wasn't a horrible three way battle between Stoudt, Woodley and Malone. Yeah, they really felt they were set at QB when 1983 rolled around, sure. Keep drinking that kool-aid.

[blegursky]

Going way back....wasting 1st-round picks in the `60s on Bob Ferguson and Dick Leftridge, and, in the mid-`50s, using the #1 overall pick to draft Gary Glick from...hmmmm....Colorado A & M?. "Gary Glick The Bonus Pick" he was called.

[ronburgundy]

Marino had a terrible senior year and there were rampant rumors of him having a coke problem. Even Dan Rooney has mentioned that "those rumors" (never saying what the rumors were) had a heavy bearing on the decision to pass on him. It just pisses people off that he was from Pittsburgh and could have done what he did in a Steelers uniform.

Marino certainly became a Hall of Famer, but he was NOT considered a big time talent coming out of Pitt. That's what kills me about it. People act like he was the second coming and everyone in Pittsburgh knew it, which is false.

If Marino had been drafted after his junior year, he'd have gone a lot higher. As it was, Jackie Sherrill left and his senior year was Foge Fazio's first year in a mercifully short HC career and Marino simply didn't look as good in the '82 season.

[The Goatherder]

If I remember correctly, the story at the time was that Chuck Noll absolutely loved Marino and wanted to draft him. But, as has been said, we had a former #1 still in his formative years, and our defensive line was absolutely horrible. So Noll was overruled. And actually, Gabe Rivera could have been a great player. I believe one of the scouts called him 'the quickest fat man I have ever seen.' It was a real tragedy that he was paralized in a car accident.

[BlastFurnace]

They did, but he refused because he considered it a slap in the face.

People don't remember the Rod Woodson saga, but I do, mainly because I had a deep emotional man crush on him. When Woodson's contract was up, they wanted him to move to strong safety and sign a contract that would have made him the highest paid in the league. Despite that, Rod thought he was worth more money and could get it elsewhere. Donahoe told him that if thought he could get more money somewhere else, then by God, go get it.

So Rod walked and held workouts for a number of teams. Problem was NO ONE offered him a contract. Nothing. Not one dime. So Rod came back to Pittsburgh and wanted to sign the contract. Donhoe yanked it off the table and said that Rod set his own market value at zero and that if he wanted to sign a contract he was going to sign for much less than the original offer. Rod got pissed, called Pittsburgh a racist town and left. He finally got a next to nothing, one year contract in San Francisco which wasn't renewed. He then found himself in Baltimore where he,,,moved to safety.

Very Interesting. I had heard what you wrote in the first paragraph, but I never knew about the 2nd paragraph. Thanks for sharing that.

[BlastFurnace]

Do you remember that? Because I do and I got jumped for not being able to provide a link for a story.

I remember it very well. Since we still had Courtney Hawkins still starting and we didn't know what we had in Hines yet, Donahoe felt we needed a receiver and reached for a WR instead of drafting a guy that would have fit perfectly for our defense in Kearse.

I hated Donahoe for that draft and his arrogant ways. I was so glad to see him get fired.

[NYSteel]

Daryl Sims should have made this list.

[omar10213245]

What insight would you need? Three years of Malone in camp would already tell me that bringing in Marino would be a great idea. But I see, watching Malone battle with David Woodley was a much better idea, right? Come on, the QB situation was awful at that point and would only go down from there.

steely G, it's not worth it. just let him be right, and this conversation will be done.

[Steeltime]

If I were with the Steelers brass at the time, I screen Kendall Simmons for diabetes. See? I'm as smart as you now.

Marino was very well thought-of coming into the 1983 draft. He was a 4-year starter, won a lot of games, was big, with a very good arm, great touch, great footwork, quick release, good at throwing the deep ball, with great accuracy. His work at Pitt showed that he was a big-time prospect at QB.

That draft also had John Elway and Jim Kelly in it, which made Marino available later in the draft. He fell because of the rumors of coke use. If the Steelers had genuine information suggesting he had a drug problem, then passing on Marino can be explained. However, if they passed on him due to mere rumors, then they made a terrible decision.

Gabe Rivera was a legitimate prospect at DT. He would have been a very good player for the Steelers, but for his car accident. However, as between a potentially dominant DT, and a potentially dominant QB, go with the QB.

Drafting for need gets you Gabe Rivera and Troy Edwards. Drafting the best talent available gets you Dan Marino and Jevon Kearse. And that was the opinion of a hell of a lot of Steelers fans, me included, in both 1983 and 1999.

[Blitz]

man i can rmember being very excited about the worley pick. I thought he was the [FILTH].

[ronburgundy]

Daryl Sims should have made this list.

We could only pick 10. :D

[Cdog]

Riiiiight. Because you have that kind of insight. Got it.

That's what they said about Marijaunavich in Oakland.

[Diamond Dave]

steely G, it's not worth it. just let him be right, and this conversation will be done.

So I guess you don't have an argument left?

[Diamond Dave]

All you are doing is defending the Steelers for making a stupid move by pretending that there wasn't a horrible three way battle between Stoudt, Woodley and Malone. Yeah, they really felt they were set at QB when 1983 rolled around, sure. Keep drinking that kool-aid.

Care to explain how Tony Eason, Todd Blackledge and Ken O'Brien all got drafted ahead of Marino? I mean if he was this [FILTH]ing monster out of Pitt like all of you claim, surely the Chiefs, Jets, and Patriots would have grabbed him. And don't give me any bull[FILTH] about them not knowing or scouting. The Chiefs could send someone to scout Blackledge but didn't bother to scout Marino?

Oh, and Woodley wasn't even with the team yet, dumb ass.

Come on - I want to hear how everyone knew how great Marino was going to be.

[Diamond Dave]

Marino was very well thought-of coming into the 1983 draft. He was a 4-year starter, won a lot of games, was big, with a very good arm, great touch, great footwork, quick release, good at throwing the deep ball, with great accuracy. His work at Pitt showed that he was a big-time prospect at QB.

From Wikipedia

Marino's selection status in the 1983 NFL Draft plummeted after a subpar senior season at Pitt, and observations that knee injuries were hampering his mobility. Five other quarterbacks, including Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and John Elway and less successful players Ken O'Brien, Tony Eason and Todd Blackledge, were drafted ahead of him.