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Best Steeler OL ever

CoolieMan

CoolieMan

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ok in one of my drunken rambling threads a brilliant poster asked me who the best ever Steeler OL was....my answer is copied below

so what are your thoughts


lots of greats over the years

Kolb, Mullins, Smith, Ilkin, then guys like DeCastro and underrated guys like Jeff Hartings. Mike Webster was my answer for years and Faneca damn near takes the title but IMO the best ever OL for the Steelers was Dermontti Dawson. he stepped in when Webster left and took the center position to a different level.

hate to say it though, but in my opinion the best ever NFL lineman was Bruce Matthews. he literally played every position on the OL and was All Pro level at all of them
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Faneca, Webster, Dawson, in no particular order. I don’t know how to separate the three. We’ve had some good OTs but not in the company of guys like Munoz, Thomas, Ogden, Yary etc.

The three Steelers I mentioned are hall of fame and at or near the top all timers.
 
bermudasteel said:
Best of all time???

IMO, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert and I'm having a hard time remembering the other 2 but that OL was epic. They could run block and pass block with Ben during his prime...
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Pouncey is barely top 5 OL in Steeler history. He is only the 3rd best C in team history.

Webby was one of the best “old” school C’s to ever play up to that time

Dirt in my opinion is the greatest to EVER play the position, and he would have still dominated in the modern era, maybe even more.

Pouncey was a very very good C and there is no shame being ranked behind Dirt and Webby. Exactly like being the 3rd CB behind Blount and Woodson.
 
bermudasteel said:
Best of all time???

IMO, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert and I'm having a hard time remembering the other 2 but that OL was epic. They could run block and pass block with Ben during his prime...
Click to expand...
Don't forget Ramon Foster. Can't think of the other guy you may be talking about.
 
mightyguru said:
Gotta go with Big Red. All Pro 6X, second team All Pro 2X including one at LT(!). Had 3 seasons with only a single penalty and only had 4 accepted holding calls in 206 games. He is the template.
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definitely top 5, best ever, NO
 
bermudasteel said:
Best of all time???

IMO, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert and I'm having a hard time remembering the other 2 but that OL was epic. They could run block and pass block with Ben during his prime...
Click to expand...
My mistake, seems you were referencing the line as a unit.
 
Lots of really excellent OL over the years but if I had to pick just ONE, for me it’s Alan Faneca.
Just a brawler who really could play any spot on the OL.
Mike Webster a close second for me.
Folks always forget about some guys we had in the 60’s who were great OL.
Ray Mansfield was a fabulous center prior to Webster.
Sam Davis and Bruce Van Dyke were excellent lineman.
Ray Penney,Jim Clickety Clack and Jerry Moon Mullens very, very underrated excellent lineman from those 70’s teams. Just ask Terry Bradshaw.
 
bermudasteel said:
Best of all time???

IMO, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert and I'm having a hard time remembering the other 2 but that OL was epic. They could run block and pass block with Ben during his prime...
Click to expand...

You’re the only one that answered the actual question posted in the thread title.
Even Coolie didn’t answer his own question correctly.
You would think that a highly intelligent and respected moderator would be clear on the thread topic title.

The question was the “best Steelers offensive line ever”…not the best offensive lineman.

I like the line that Dermotti Dawson played on which included Alan Faneca and Duval Love ..if I didn’t get my eras mixed up. Don’t remember the others.
Goes to show you how the O line is the least remembered and least appreciated.
 
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Steelr4evr said:
I'd go with Iron Mike Webster,John Kolb,Alan Faneca and John Jackson.

That would be my starting line.

Webster&Kolb won 4 Superbowls. That's playing elite competition through the playoffs for many years as well.
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They’re good enough that you only play 4 OL instead of the normal 5?
 
steelhurt said:
Lots of really excellent OL over the years but if I had to pick just ONE, for me it’s Alan Faneca.
Just a brawler who really could play any spot on the OL.
Mike Webster a close second for me.
Folks always forget about some guys we had in the 60’s who were great OL.
Ray Mansfield was a fabulous center prior to Webster.
Sam Davis and Bruce Van Dyke were excellent lineman.
Ray Penney,Jim Clickety Clack and Jerry Moon Mullens very, very underrated excellent lineman from those 70’s teams. Just ask Terry Bradshaw.
Click to expand...
And nowhere do you mention DAWSON.

You can’t be taken serious with that omission.
 
Best OL as a unit would have to be:

Kolb-Clack-Mansfield-Mullins-Gravelle

The won 2 back to back Super Bowls. This has not been done by any other OL in team history. Kolb and Mullins went on to win 2 more
 
Hypocycloids said:
You’re the only one that answered the actual question posted in the thread title.
Even Coolie didn’t answer his own question correctly.
You would think that a highly intelligent and respected moderator would be clear on the thread topic title.

The question was the “best Steelers offensive line ever”…not the best offensive lineman.

I like the line that Dermotti Dawson played on which included Alan Faneca and Duval Love ..if I didn’t get my eras mixed up. Don’t remember the others.
Goes to show you how the O line is the least remembered and least appreciated.
Click to expand...
see you are assuming OL is offensive line, when my response makes it clear that it is the best Offensive Lineman....
 
MT~Forged said:
And nowhere do you mention DAWSON.

You can’t be taken serious with that omission.
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I can’t name them all! I left DeCastro, Dawson, Marvel Smith, Pouncey and others off. That doesn’t mean I don’t think they were excellent OL because I do.
I was doing two things here. Naming who I thought was the greatest and then adding in some names that seem to be too forgotten with the younger members here.
See, I even forgot to mention Gordon Gravelle who was a hell if an OL.
Everyone here remembers Dawson, Pouncey, DeCastro, Marvel, so that’s a forgone conclusion
they are great ones but I was wanting to make mention of the guys from the 60’s and 70’s.
 
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Steelr4evr said:
I'd go with Iron Mike Webster,John Kolb,Alan Faneca and John Jackson.

That would be my starting line.

Webster&Kolb won 4 Superbowls. That's playing elite competition through the playoffs for many years as well.
Click to expand...
Actually, Mansfield played the first 2

It was Kolb and Mullins that won 4 as starters
 
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