Best post-'79 Chuck Noll Steeler squad?

[74_75_78_79_]

Many, including myself, admire even-more-so the job Chuck Noll did in the '80s than in the '70s despite no more Rings won. If he and the front-office did anything wrong, it was hanging onto the '70s holdovers for too long instead of continually replenishing the roster. But, then again, free-agency was still a-ways off! Hanging onto some assistants as well or perhaps not delegating as many duties to them as the case with his current contemporaries - some cases of not changing with the times (still trap-blocking for one). Just the same, he accomplished a-plenty at times with much-less talent...his final act helping to set-the-table for the Cowher Era!

1980 would likely be a popular answer being that it's the very next year after the Dynasty! And they still showed some flashes as well as backup players stepping up just as well as the longtime well-known starters! Were not too far at all from home-field given that 11-wins-across-the-board AFC playoff field which it turned out to be. Some real close losses...but also some close-wins; and against weak-competition. So, to me, (as Tuna would say) they were their 9-7 record in '80, end of day! But still...that very well may warrant a '#1' spot here anyway!

'84? Yes, their only AFCCG-appearance in the time range given! They hand You-Know-Who their only loss of the season - and on the road - as well as beating the 11-4 defending-Champ Raiders at LA in the finale just to get in the playoffs! Then they eliminate 13-3 Denver at Mile High two weeks later! Not bad considering they no longer having a, say, Terry Bradshaw but pretty inconsistent throughout! Losing to bad teams and simply not winning a real weak AFC Central until the very finale!

1989 is my personal favorite! Just the slowly-but-surely come-from-behind-ness of it all after that combined 92-10 opening double-debacle! Not to mention some other poor outings from there! But once that 20-0 thud at home to the now-not-good Bears was out the way...great, hard-nosed Steeler football the next 32 quarters of play (if only that damn shotgun wasn't used in the Mile High crowd-noise)! After losing close at home to Houston, Week #13, dropping them to 6-7/last-place, there seemed to be no hint of playoff-expectations from there (just a nice 'moral' victory). But over the next couple weeks, things unraveled, certain teams lost, setting up that still "impossible" hurdle for the final week...5-out-of-5 teams (including Steelers' opponent, Tampa Bay) ALL having to lose! And the "impossible" parlay was complete on Christmas Night! Burnsie's Vikes delivering the final favor over Cincy! Yes, it was a product of a mediocre division and conference, but still a remarkable campaign to look back upon! Maybe not the best squad in this post-Dynasty bunch (after all, the '70s star-power still very fresh in 1980 on both sides of ball), but Noll's best job! It was his only 'Coach of the Year' accolade, after all.

The following year, 1990, may have been even-better had Tom Moore still been onboard! Their defense, #1 that season despite no real pass-rush, may be the best Steeler defense '80-thru-'91! In fact, I feel that it is! Some dominating performances that year! Pounding the Rams into submission, 41-10 (7 of Rams' pts on opening kickoff return), to me was a foreshadowing of the Cowher Era to come; especially in that it was at the 'Burgh and on MNF...a recipe for practically-assured success in those years to soon come! And not to make a 27-7 loss into a "could've won", but I feel they were a Barry Foster ST-gaffe from doing the same thing midseason they did six years prior!

Had 1982 gone full? Guess we'll never know for sure but that may have turned out to be the closest Steelers get to returning to the Super Bowl. Of course there's the beating Dallas (in Dallas) and then Cincy to go 2-0 before the stoppage! Did that kill their momentum? Or would some set-backs have happened anyways as that uninspired win vs a terrible Houston team and two shutouts suffered at Seattle and Buffalo may indicate?

The 9-2 start in '83 just smoke-and-mirrors as evidenced in what took place from there! That squad not a real candidate in this. But does have the "what-if Terry played all season" and "what-if Senor Sack doesn't suffer that accident" at its disposal.

Steelers didn't look too bad in '81 with that four-game win-streak to make it 4-2, and then three-straight later on to make it 8-5 (at least a 10-6 finish, most of us thought, looking at their remaining schedule at the time), but we know how that turned out.



I guess I'll have to go with 1980 as the "winner" for the reasons already given. But I feel those final eight games of '89, despite the mostly soft-competition along with that Miami "monsoon", was the best they ever were within that final dozen-year frame!


EDIT - as for the final week of '89, it was actually a 4-for-4 "parlay" in order for the Steelers to get in! It was the Chiefs & Dolphins, who played each other, that needed four other teams to lose in addition to they winning (Miami lost to Steelers in that..."monsoon")! Along with beating Tampa, the 'Burgh needed "just" three others to lose - Indy, Raiders, and Cincy! Still a real tough parlay just the same considering that the Colts were playing a Saints team that was already out (designated the "spoiler" role), and the Raiders played a Giants team who - yes - did have the division title to play for, but were still in the playoffs either way! Raiders needed it more!

[Brian wolf]

Or "What if Noll pulls the trigger and grabs Dan Marino" ? The 83 season was definitely a big year in his coaching career but I actually didnt think he did a great job in the 80s considering all the talent the team had, especially on the defensive side of the ball. For some reason, their offense couldnt never get it together and many players underachieved. Had Noll lost his touch ? Were his assistants subpar ? Or was it all just not having the right QB ?

Like the 90s, the 80s had some physical ball in the AFC Central and some teams couldnt keep up the intensity week after week, which is why the divisional teams struggled for winning seasons during a stretch ...

Noll's best coaching job might have been the 89 season, though they blew their playoff game against Denver but their best chance to go back to the SB was their 80 and 82 seasons in my opinion. One thing you had to give Noll credit for though ... his teams were always playing physical with intensity.

[74_75_78_79_]

Or "What if Noll pulls the trigger and grabs Dan Marino" ? The 83 season was definitely a big year in his coaching career but I actually didnt think he did a great job in the 80s considering all the talent the team had, especially on the defensive side of the ball. For some reason, their offense couldnt never get it together and many players underachieved. Had Noll lost his touch ? Were his assistants subpar ? Or was it all just not having the right QB ?

Like the 90s, the 80s had some physical ball in the AFC Central and some teams couldnt keep up the intensity week after week, which is why the divisional teams struggled for winning seasons during a stretch ...

Noll's best coaching job might have been the 89 season, though they blew their playoff game against Denver but their best chance to go back to the SB was their 80 and 82 seasons in my opinion. One thing you had to give Noll credit for though ... his teams were always playing physical with intensity.

Noll's biggest mistake, which I failed to mention OP but has been discussed here by us, was in the very end when he not so much brought in Walton in '90 to replace Moore (which, in theory, didn't look like a bad move going in) but simply allowed him to totally change the offense (as well as letting him suggest Eric Green over You-Know-Who due to the TE-oriented offense he so wanted to have; trading down in the 1st-Rd to...NOT pick that very Florida Gator)! Things were relatively simplified after that horrific first month, and they did end up finishing with a winning record, but the damage done with that very (1-3) first month obviously made all the difference as far as playoffs were concerned! How does Bubby Brister turn out in Steeler lore had he had another year, or two, of Tom Moore (and Neil O doesn't ever get to start for the 'Burgh; nor Barry Foster). And Cowher may have never arrived; or at least not in '92 but maybe later if at all.

[Brian wolf]

Yeah, at the time, it seemed like players were complaining about Walton's offense being too complicated but they tried to run the ball anyway so I dont buy that thinking. What hurt the Steelers also were underachieving running backs, like Worley, Abercrombie, Williams, even Jackson tapered off.
Pollard was for tough yardage, though Hoge was a tough, -John Cappelletti-do-everything- type back. Its sad that despite all the talent and toughness the team had, that QBs like Malone, Stoudt, Brister and especially O Donnell, couldnt get the job done but they never were good at developing receivers either, besides Lipps ...

[Brian wolf]

Haha, what does OP stand for ? ... other person ?

[RichardBak]

Haha, what does OP stand for ? ... other person ?

Original post. Or maybe Old Polack?

[Jamie Johnson]

The 1989 Steelers weren't the most talented, but it was Noll's best coaching job. After those first two losses to Cleveland and Cincy, most teams would have folded. Instead, Noll got them to overachieve to a 9-7 record, where they defeated Houston in the WC and only lost by a point to Denver in the divisional round.

[7DnBrnc53]

Noll's biggest mistake, which I failed to mention OP but has been discussed here by us, was in the very end when he not so much brought in Walton in '90 to replace Moore (which, in theory, didn't look like a bad move going in) but simply allowed him to totally change the offense (as well as letting him suggest Eric Green over You-Know-Who due to the TE-oriented offense he so wanted to have; trading down in the 1st-Rd to...NOT pick that very Florida Gator)! Things were relatively simplified after that horrific first month, and they did end up finishing with a winning record, but the damage done with that very (1-3) first month obviously made all the difference as far as playoffs were concerned! How does Bubby Brister turn out in Steeler lore had he had another year, or two, of Tom Moore (and Neil O doesn't ever get to start for the 'Burgh; nor Barry Foster). And Cowher may have never arrived; or at least not in '92 but maybe later if at all.

Exactly. There was no reason to get rid of Tom Moore. The Steelers were hot late in the year, and should have defeated Denver. You want to keep that continuity going.

However, would the Steelers have drafted Emmitt if Moore was still OC? They had Worley and Hoge already. Green wasn't a bad pick at the time because they only had Mike Mularkey and Terry O'Shea (who came to our high school to talk to our team in the spring of 1990) at the position.

Also, I wonder if they draft O'Donnell and Foster if Moore is still there. I have a feeling that Neil was a Walton-influenced pick.

[74_75_78_79_]

Noll's biggest mistake, which I failed to mention OP but has been discussed here by us, was in the very end when he not so much brought in Walton in '90 to replace Moore (which, in theory, didn't look like a bad move going in) but simply allowed him to totally change the offense (as well as letting him suggest Eric Green over You-Know-Who due to the TE-oriented offense he so wanted to have; trading down in the 1st-Rd to...NOT pick that very Florida Gator)! Things were relatively simplified after that horrific first month, and they did end up finishing with a winning record, but the damage done with that very (1-3) first month obviously made all the difference as far as playoffs were concerned! How does Bubby Brister turn out in Steeler lore had he had another year, or two, of Tom Moore (and Neil O doesn't ever get to start for the 'Burgh; nor Barry Foster). And Cowher may have never arrived; or at least not in '92 but maybe later if at all.

Exactly. There was no reason to get rid of Tom Moore. The Steelers were hot late in the year, and should have defeated Denver. You want to keep that continuity going.

However, would the Steelers have drafted Emmitt if Moore was still OC? They had Worley and Hoge already. Green wasn't a bad pick at the time because they only had Mike Mularkey and Terry O'Shea (who came to our high school to talk to our team in the spring of 1990) at the position.

Also, I wonder if they draft O'Donnell and Foster if Moore is still there. I have a feeling that Neil was a Walton-influenced pick.

I definitely liked Eric Green while he was there but this is...Emmitt Smith we're talking of! Even in '92, Foster's tour-de-force season, #22 was better! Not just the obvious HOFer, but a 'Steeler'-style runner Emmitt was as well. He and Hoge in the same backfield could have been interesting! Joe Walton can be seen as a reason for the '90s Dallas Dynasty! Brister definitely had the potential to be looked back upon as the clear-cut "best" Steelers QB between Terry & Ben! As I said, just another year or two of Moore may have done the trick. But we'll never really know.

If Steelers make playoffs in '90 Cowher never arrives in '92, plain and simple. Assuming Noll stays just a couple more years, sure-enough Cowher is already a HC elsewhere but Dungy would have been the front-runner to replace Noll which would have been more than fine. To me, whether he would have actually won more regular season/playoff games or not, Dungy still makes them a regular contender, winning at least one Lombardi, which Cowher himself actually did.

Haha, what does OP stand for ? ... other person ?

Original post, lol!