One of the rips on our current Steeler teams are that they just aren't that talented. They aren't, not compared to Cowher's.
Cowher took over in 1992 and did inherit some decent talent from Noll's team https://www.pro-football-reference.c...991_roster.htm: O'Donnell, Hoge, Foster, Lipps, E Eric Green, John Jackson, Tom Ricketts, Dermontti Dawson, Carlton Haselrig and Tunch Ilkin on offense. Really, not too shabby, and that's an outstanding OL, back when the team knew enough to ensure we had a quality OL.
On D, Pgh fielded Aaron Jones, Gerald Williams, Donald Evans, Bryan Hinkle (one of my favorite underrated players), Hardy Nickerson, David Little, Greg Lloyd, DJ. Johnson, Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake and Thomas Everett. I'd take the D over what we have today. The LBs? Sure, especially in the middle and, my God, they had Greg Lloyd, one of the best Steeler defenders of ALL TIME, even if he doesn't get the credit for it. The DBs? Without hesitation. The DL? As a unit, in a split second.
It's no wonder that Cowher turned that team into an 11-win, playoff team right out of the gates. Noll's lack of touch had been greatly exaggerated in the 80's. Sure, he didn't repeat the 70's - where he assembled the greatest team in the history of the sport, but his teams were not total crap. They generally had great Ds and O-lines.
But by the time 1995 rolled around, Cowher had upgraded the talent on that team, including the additions of Thigpen, John L. Williams, Dawson, Searcy, Buckner, Steed, Kevin Greene, Kirkland and Chad Brown.
No wonder that team came within two BAD picks from NOD from winning it all (I always thought NOD was paid off to throw that game. Both those interceptions were out-of-this-world bad, worse than he had ever thrown in his career.)
Cowher took over in 1992 and did inherit some decent talent from Noll's team https://www.pro-football-reference.c...991_roster.htm: O'Donnell, Hoge, Foster, Lipps, E Eric Green, John Jackson, Tom Ricketts, Dermontti Dawson, Carlton Haselrig and Tunch Ilkin on offense. Really, not too shabby, and that's an outstanding OL, back when the team knew enough to ensure we had a quality OL.
On D, Pgh fielded Aaron Jones, Gerald Williams, Donald Evans, Bryan Hinkle (one of my favorite underrated players), Hardy Nickerson, David Little, Greg Lloyd, DJ. Johnson, Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake and Thomas Everett. I'd take the D over what we have today. The LBs? Sure, especially in the middle and, my God, they had Greg Lloyd, one of the best Steeler defenders of ALL TIME, even if he doesn't get the credit for it. The DBs? Without hesitation. The DL? As a unit, in a split second.
It's no wonder that Cowher turned that team into an 11-win, playoff team right out of the gates. Noll's lack of touch had been greatly exaggerated in the 80's. Sure, he didn't repeat the 70's - where he assembled the greatest team in the history of the sport, but his teams were not total crap. They generally had great Ds and O-lines.
But by the time 1995 rolled around, Cowher had upgraded the talent on that team, including the additions of Thigpen, John L. Williams, Dawson, Searcy, Buckner, Steed, Kevin Greene, Kirkland and Chad Brown.
No wonder that team came within two BAD picks from NOD from winning it all (I always thought NOD was paid off to throw that game. Both those interceptions were out-of-this-world bad, worse than he had ever thrown in his career.)
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