This weekend I watched a program on the NFL Network on the 10 greatest Pittsburgh Steelers of all time. It was apparently a rerun from 2010, but it was still good. But I have a beef with their list. I couldn’t believe some of the players on the list and not on the list! First let me say that coming up with such a list is virtually impossible, because there are so many Steelers in the NFL Hall of Fame. Whittling it down to 10 just doesn’t seem fair. You’re going to leave some deserving players off the list. And what about the great Steelers who aren’t yet in the Hall of Fame, like Jerome Bettis? Don’t some of them deserve to be on the list? Anyway, here’s the NFL Network’s list of the top 10 Steelers of all time:

1. Joe Greene
2. Terry Bradshaw
3. Franco Harris
4. Rod Woodson
5. Jack Lambert
6. Mel Blount
7. Troy Polamalu
8. Hines Ward
9. Lynn Swann
10. Jerome Bettis

OK, wow. Talk about the immortal Hall of Famers left off the list ! What about the greatest center to ever play the game, Mike Webster? What about possibly the greatest outside linebacker ever, Jack Ham? Both Hall of Famers? What about the second greatest center ever, Dermonti Dawson? Hall of Famer. What about Hall of Fame wide receiver John Stallworth? It almost seems a crime to separate him from Lynn Swann. I mean, they were a matched pair. They complemented each other so well. Stallworth actually had the better season and career stats. What about some of the old timers like John Henry Johnson and Ernie Stautner, both Hall of Famers? And what about Ben Roethlisberger, who has won two Super Bowls and is breaking Terry Bradshaw’s records? Wouldn’t you think he belongs on the list over Troy Polamalu, who’s been injury prone?

I have two major complaints about players on the NFL Network’s list. First, I don’t think Troy belongs on it at all. Maybe top 20 Steelers, but not top 10. He’s still playing and while he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year one year, he’s not yet a Hall of Famer. You can’t leave Jack Ham off the list for Troy. Second, I can’t believe you would list Rod Woodson at #4!!! Over Mel Blount, the best cornerback of all time??? The player the NFL forever changed the game because of? Until 1978, defensive backs were allowed to hit wide receivers anywhere on the field at any time. Mel Blount beat up so many wideouts, they changed the rule to just the first five yards, which is where it’s been ever since. They called it the Blount Rule. And he still went to Pro Bowls after the rule change. He finished with 57 career interceptions too, in addition to being a fierce hitter. Even Rod Woodson said on the program he doesn’t deserve to be placed over Mel Blount. That should say something. And besides, Woodson never won a Super Bowl with the Steelers! He won as a Raven in 2000, and took the Steelers to one Super Bowl which they lost to Dallas. I’m not sure I would even have him on the list of the top 10 Steelers, especially over Webster or Ham.

Here’s my list:

1. Joe Greene
2. Jack Lambert
3. Terry Bradshaw
4. Mel Blount
5. Franco Harris
6. Jack Ham
7. Lynn Swann
8. Hines Ward
9. Mike Webster
10. Jerome Bettis

See? Mine’s much better. LOL! Mean Joe Greene comes first because he changed the face of the team, from a losing team to a Super Bowl winning defense, anchoring the line and changing the game with his unusual stance from which he decimated opponents. Lambert comes next, closely, because he’s the best middle linebacker in history. He was the fiercest, meanest, nastiest, biggest hitting linebacker in history. Pittsburgh wouldn’t have won four Super Bowls without him in the middle. Terry comes next because he’s the only quarterback to win four Super Bowls, he won two Super Bowl MVPs, and he’s possibly one of the biggest “money” quarterbacks of all time. I mean, he could really win the big games. Great quarterback who didn’t put up the big stats because the game was different when he played. Blount comes next because he’s the greatest cornerback in the history of the game. Franco comes next because when he retired, he was the second leading rusher in NFL history, only behind Jim Brown. He’s still high on the list with over 12,000 career yards. That’s certainly worth something. Ham comes next because he’s possibly the best outside linebacker to ever play the game. Swann comes next, although I have mixed feelings about it. He never put up great stats. I’m not even sure he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. But he was a major big game player and won huge games for the Steelers and will always be one of the best loved players in Pittsburgh history. Hines Ward comes next because he’s a sure Hall of Famer down the road. He finished as easily the all time leading wide receiver in Pittsburgh history with 1,000 career receptions, which is 8th best in NFL history, and 86 touchdowns. He’s also a Super Bowl MVP. Definitely deserves to be on the list. Webster deserves to be higher than 9th, but as an offensive lineman, he couldn’t put up the big stats like the others, so it’s hard to measure him against the others. He’s the best center to ever play the game, went to I believe nine Pro Bowls, and is sorely missed with his death of a few years ago. Hall of Famer. Bettis comes in at 10 because he finished his career as the leading Steeler rusher in Pittsburgh history, breaking Franco Harris’s record. He’s got the single season record for rushing too, I believe. When Jerome retired after winning a Super Bowl, he was the 5th leading running back of all time, I think. It’s an absolute crime that he hasn’t made it into the Hall of Fame yet. I’m pretty sure he will, but he should have by now.

So that’s my list. It hurts to leave players like LC Greenwood and Donnie Shell off the list, Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene, Carnell Lake, definitely Stallworth, Andy Russell, Big Ben, and so many others. They’re all deserving, but if it’s the top 10, you have my list. What would your list look like?