When was the last ELITE Steelers team

[TWEEK1106]

Just a simple question......when was the last time you felt the Steelers were a 'elite' team?


For me not since 2008.

 

[SteelerSask2]

They had elite offense with Ben, Bell and Brown. They had elite defense probably last two years, though injuries killed it last year. They cannot get enough juice out of the opposite group and the flower dies on the vine so to speak. The team that won in '08 and went in '10 were elite. Certainly defenses.

 

[SteelBuckeye]

There is only one ELITE team in the NFL every year. So, 2008

 

[BLITZ]

2017 would be the closest since 2008

 

[FSF]

Just a simple question......when was the last time you felt the Steelers were a 'elite' team?


For me not since 2008.

I have said many times, the 2017 Steelers team was the most talented team that I have ever seen. Seeing - meaning watching, understanding and remembering - which means I cannot include the 1970s teams. It did not mean they were the "best" team either, as there was something about the 2000s and mid-90s teams that shared a determination to make their own legacies that made the team more than the sum of its parts that just wasn't there in those 2014-2017 teams.

The two things about 2017: the Shazier injury (he was becoming the Troy Polamalu of the defense) and the butterfly effect of the blown Jesse James call vs. the Patriots. The Steelers win that game and they clinch #1 seed, have leagues best record at 14-2 and Roethlisberger might have even won MVP for being the QB on the best team on the season, as his numbers were not much different that Tom Brady's. With Shazier and the AFC Championship at home - they were better than the Patriots. Keep in mind, the Patriots never played the Steelers when they had Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell at once. I really believe that call alone cost the Steelers the Super Bowl.

2010 was an elite team that played the Packers on the wrong day. Aaron Rodgers played the game of his life and their defense did not crumble like it has every other season before and after. They nearly lost to the Bears without Culter in NFC Championship. In a Steelers vs. Bears matchup, the Steelers win that 9/10 times.

There were 3 other factors that prevented the 2010 team from a 3rd Super Bowl in 6 years:
1-Troy Polamalu injuring his Achilles, he wasn't the same after it and was having the best year of his career.
2-Maurkice Pouncey's high ankle sprain in the AFCCG (can argue the Jets got a Safety and the Packers a defensive TD directly because Pouncey was out.)
3-Roethlisberger, looking back it was clear that the Georgia incident weighed heavily on him all year and especially in the Super Bowl. I believe to this day this game gnaws away at him. He won Super Bowl XL but has often had his performance that day make it seem like he was a loser instead. He was good, but not great until the final drive in Super Bowl XLIII - and rarely got credit due for the game winning drive. This game more than any other - altered his legacy. Just imagine if the Ben Roethlisberger that dropped 500 yards on the Packers in 2009 showed up on that day. Heck, even if he engineered a 2nd drive like he had the chance to - other years, he does it. Big Ben has the 3rd most comeback wins in NFL history. 2010 Ben did not play to the level he had in him.

 

[MTC]

Just a simple question......when was the last time you felt the Steelers were a 'elite' team?


For me not since 2008.

2010-2011 was my last hope.
Thought the defense was dominant

 

[FSF]

2010-2011 was my last hope.
Thought the defense was dominant

Have always said I thought the 2011 Steelers were better than the 2010 Steelers although they had a rough start but made some adjustments - Ward was replaced by Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders, younger DBs Willie Gay and Keenan Lewis started getting more playing time. Mendenhall was not carrying the complete load as he was on pace to top 1000 yards for a 3rd straight year, but Issac Redman had over a 100 carries and 479 yards to spell him.

They finally broke their losing streak to the Patriots in a strong fashion.

The game that really hurt was letting Baltimore come back and Flacco threw a TD pass with 8 seconds left. Not winning the AFC North hurt, literally.

3 lineman went down with ACL tears in the Denver game alone. But it started when Ben had the high ankle sprain vs. the Browns and Mendenhall tore his ACL in the season finale vs the Browns. Mendenhall was never a dominant RB - but he was a reliable 4 ypc guy who always brought the threat of a big play in him. I truly believe that it was when watching Ben play hurt and having another 40 sack campaign on him that Art II was through with Bruce Arians offense.

 

[Drink IRON City]

GREAT post(s) to all and I can't add much more

other than

currently they are undefeated and thought highly enough to extend a head coach beyond the normal. LETs hope for this year to be the year.....!




Salute the nation