Steelers Returning To Playoff Relevance Is Based On Finding The Ragged Edge In 2023 And Embracing It

The Pittsburgh Steelers defense has played with a nasty edge ever since Chuck Noll tapped “Mean” Joe Greene to line up in the black and gold. The Steelers always had a reputation as a physical team before Noll arrived but the defense that Noll, Dan Rooney, Bill Nunn and Dick Haley would assemble over the next decade became transcendent and created a culture in Pittsburgh that is the deep core of the fan base to this day.

The 1970s defense was full of Hall of Famers and legendary punishing defenders. After an injury significantly slowed down Greene in 1975, Jack Lambert became the poster boy for a physical hard-hitting defense that played on the ragged edge. Lambert carried the mantle forward until he left pro football. Players like Robin Cole, and Hall of Famer Donnie Shell continued the tradition of hard-hitting physical play and they were respected players but lacked the gravitas of Lambert and Greene, and Pittsburgh fell into a funk.

The team that pulled off the 1974 draft assembled for one last hurrah in 1987 when Noll, Haley, Nunn and Mr. Rooney pulled together one final masterpiece. They drafted Hall of Famer Rod Woodson but even more importantly, they brought in Greg Lloyd in the sixth round. The Steelers didn’t know it yet, but they had found the missing component they had lacked since Lambert retired. A defensive leader who intimidated the opposition.

Lloyd was the most feared man in football for the seven seasons of his “prime." He made five consecutive Pro Bowls, was first-team All-Pro for three consecutive seasons, and was runner-up as the Defensive Player of the Year in 1995 when the Steelers returned to Super Bowl XXX to face the hated Dallas Cowboys. It was the pinnacle of his powers and sadly the end because the next season he suffered a devastating knee injury coupled with a staph infection. He was never the same player and finished his career with the Carolina Panthers in 1998.

Lloyd’s departure coincided with the worst seasons of Bill Cowher’s coaching tenure. The Steelers again lacked an edge and were slipping into mediocrity. Tom Donahoe was in his final year with Pittsburgh before giving way to Kevin Colbert and he restored the edge to the defense by selecting Joey Porter from Colorado State in the third round. Porter was brash and loud and something new in Pittsburgh with his attitude, but he was an intimidating force on the football field.

Porter played eight seasons with the Steelers and made four Pro Bowls, first-team All-Pro once and second-team three times. He was a key component of the Super Bowl XL team, and he was named to the All-2000s team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  

Porter’s edge made the Steelers an intimidating unit, but his trash-talking style eventually rubbed Pittsburgh a little raw and he was allowed to leave in free agency where he signed with the Miami Dolphins and had the best season of his career in 2008 with 17.5 sacks. The Steelers settled for the consolation prize of their sixth Lombardi Trophy that season.

There was no drop-off after Porter departed because a stubborn undrafted free agent kept showing up at training camp every summer and finally got the opportunity to shine when Mike Tomlin arrived in Pittsburgh. James Harrison had played with the Steelers for the previous three seasons, but Tomlin promoted him to starting linebacker and he ran off five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances, two first-team All-Pro teamsNand two second-team All-Pro nods.

Steelers James Harrison Was Looking To Get Full Value On Hits That Were Resulting In Fines

Harrison was the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year when the Steelers won their last Super Bowl and was a key figure on their last AFC Championship team in 2010. Harrison’s late start in the NFL was the reason for his short prime, he did not become a starter until age 29 and has an arguably higher peak than many Hall of Famers. He simply could not be blocked by one person and perhaps no single player is more responsible for legislating the edge out of professional football during the last decade.

TJ Watt is a great NFL player and so is Cam Heyward, but they do not play with the vicious and intimidating style that previous Steelers did. It does not mean they are not intense or great players. In fairness, the NFL does not want them to play that way, Watt especially may be the single most disruptive defensive force in football today. The NFL in 2023 is different, the athletes might be better, but the game is not.

The Steelers have not won a playoff game since Harrison left the team, it is not a coincidence. The Steelers defense has to be more than great, they have to strike fear into the hearts of opponents. They don’t have to play dirty and headhunt, but they need an intimidating force on the ragged edge to win playoff games and return to the Super Bowl. It is hard to say what that looks like in 2023 but Omar Khan and Andy Weidl should make it a priority to find it.

What do you think Steeler Nation? Do the Steelers need to find the next big bad on defense or is that time gone for good? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.

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