It's easy to pick out the best players you've seen over the years.
In the 19 seasons I've been covering the team, Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake, Jerome Bettis, Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland, Dermontti Dawson and Ben Roethlisberger stand out as some of the best I've seen.
That list could go on and on.
But who are the worst players to suit up for the Steelers. And I'm talking about guys who actually played and (tried to) contribute.
Scott Shields
ReplyDeleteMost disappointing player or worst I have ever seen?
ReplyDeletePaul Ernster may have been he worst.
Orhers to onsider that actually played....Kent Graham, Hank Poteat, Limas Sweed, Bruce Davis, Alonzo Jackson, Roger Duffy, etc.
ReplyDeleteHartwig that center we had was pretty terrible IMHO.
ReplyDeleteI'm not counting role players or draft busts.
Chad Scott, Dewayne Washington, and Brent Alexander were all very hard to watch that one year. I think I hated Chad Scott the most because it always seemed like he had the speed and talent to be a decent corner, but when he was bad, he was just so bad.
ReplyDeletesame thing for anthony smith the year everyone thought he was going to breakout and he imploded.
Hartwig was terrible, but he was a breath of fresh air after Mahan.
ReplyDeleteMahan has to be high on the list. Maybe number one...
Darnell Stapleton may not be far behind.
Kent Graham should never have been brought in, let alone given the job.
Bruce Davis was a terrible draft pick that I still can't believe we made, but he never saw the field so I'm not sure he counts if we're looking at guys that saw a lot of the field (otherwise we might as well pick a bunch of guys that never made the cut).
Sweed didn't work out, but he wasn't really bad. He just didn't work out.
I can't believe David Johnson has started 3 years. He's just a camp body to me, but he's a 3 year starter going for more.
When Tommy Maddox was bad, no one was worse.
Mahan is the worst ever by far. He made Hartwig look good
ReplyDeleteYou're totally right Mahan was the center I meant! The one so bad he nearly cost us the 08 SB? Was that Mahan instead of Hartwig?
ReplyDeleteLOL! Too many newbies...
ReplyDeleteDick Shiner, Mike Taylor, Booth Lustig, Willie Asbury, Cannonball Butler... I could go on and,yes, I saw each and every one of them play.
Delton Hall could tell you the last name of every WR he ever 'covered'. He saw the back of all of their jerseys often.
ReplyDelete"Famous" Amos Zereoué!!! He could have won Dancing with Stars, but he was a horrrrrrible RB
ReplyDeleteRicardo Colclough. He was a terrible DB and the only punt returner I've ever seen field the ball with his hands above his head.
ReplyDeleteAnd remember, he was a second round pick.
Oh my, Mike Taylor was bad.
ReplyDeleteMahan was brutal at center, and remember we brought him in as a free agent.
but dewayne washington's clueless look on his face over and over again when giving up long completions or TD's is forever burnt onto my hard drive!!
Kendall Simmons, brutal to watch a guy on skates at the OG spot.
ReplyDeleteLethon (Lee) Flowers
ReplyDeleteJim Miller - I know he's still a Steelers supporter, but he was not good when he was with the Steelers
oh gosh, how could I forget Mitch Berger???
ReplyDeleteAlso Gardocki during his last year, but I'm not sure if that fits the rules of the game
marc, and Mike Taylor came with such a good pedigree, too. He was the RT and Ron Yary the LT during the OJ Simpson years at USC.
ReplyDeleteCarey Davis, Least athletic skill player I've seen since '04. Frank Summers, Such a terrible blocker and made me cringe when i saw we drafted a running back to solve our lead blocking issues. If David Johnson is as bad as a lot of you make him out to be then just think if we still had one of these two lead blocking for us.
ReplyDeleteDan Kreider for President
Kent Graham. You have to be bad when people are screaming for Kordell to go back in.
ReplyDeleteMahan and currently Jonathon Scott. How in the world did they EVER think he was a starting LT in this league? If he receives his projected $2.2M salary this year, someone in the front office need to be fired. Give Max Starks half of that salary and use the other half to help and sign Mike Wallace to a long-term deal.
ReplyDeleteAlvoid Mays in 95, Donnell Woolford in 97, and Limas Sweed! Mays and Woolford was so horrible They had to switch Carnell Lake from Safety to Corner both years. Sweed was a WR who can't catch!
ReplyDeleteMark Malone - HANDS DOWN!
ReplyDeleteHe was the worst Steelers player that I have ever seen.
Honorable Mention go to:
Dennis Dixon
Lee Mays
Limas Sweed
Cliff Stoudt
Sam Washington
Ricardo Colclough, Amos Zeroue, Charred Scott, Burnt Alexander, Fred Gibson, Lee Mays, Will Blackwell. Stefan Logan when he tried to do anything other than return punts..... Mitch berger was a shank machine. Shaun Suishams rapidly making my list after last season.
ReplyDeleteI thought about Colclough, but don't have that many memories of him so I'd be being a little disingenuous. I do remember him costing us a game against the Bengals though, with some truly pathetic punt return skills. Terrible bust, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteZereoue??????? The worst?? He wasn't even bad! In fact, he was good! He was an excellent change of pace running back who helped us win many games. He also played well when he was called on to start. I can't imagine what's not to love about that guy.
Kendall Simmons is another one. He was terrible in 2008 after his health deteriorated, but when he was young and healthy he was very good.
Alexrkirby,
Hartwig is the one you're thinking of, that almost cost us the '08 Super Bowl with the hold in the end zone. However, most people agree that even with that play, he was much better than Sean Mahan, who only played in 2007 before being cut for Hartwig. Worst FO move ever? We paid that guy a ton of money to come be the worst Steeler of my lifetime.
Donnell Woolford would be in the running for me, for certain.
ReplyDeleteAaron Jones
ReplyDeleteDwight "hands of" Stone. So much speed and very bad hands.
ReplyDeleteHarvey Clayton, Lee Mays, Rick Woods, Todd Blackledge, Darryl Sims, Mark Behning, Blake Wingle, Harry Newsome, Most players from the 1986 team (Could be the worst in modern history)
ReplyDeleteAgreed on Dwight "Hands of" Stone.
ReplyDeleteBubby Brister.
Mark Malone.
Lee Mays.
Chad Scott.
I'll stick with the Tomlin era and say Sean Mahan.
ReplyDeleteHonorable mention:
Sweed. Darnell Stapleton's Super Bowl performance.
I actually liked Berger and Kapinos, strengthens the Who Cares Who The Darn Punter Is? argument. Seriously, Berger's double hamstring injury punting performance in 2008 vs. the Giants was both gutsy and hilarious.
I think Lee Mays was better than Jahine "Clang" Arnold. In fact, I always just called him Jaclang.
ReplyDeleteMahan ranks up there in terms of bad starters. Brent Alexander was also pretty bad. Good dude, though.
Chad Scott was a D!^&, which always clouds my view of a guy. He had some decent seasons, though.
Carlos Emmons was the least productive outside linebacker I've seen in this defense in 19 years.
I'm kind of surprised so many people disliked Lee Mays. He wasn't great but he was a 6th rd pick that contributed some on special teams in addition to being a 4th WR or 5th WR.
ReplyDeleteBut who cares about Lee Mays anyone remember Jay Riemersma!
Wasn't Lee Mays the guy who ran the wrong route in Superbowl XXX leading to Larry Brown's int.? If so, learn the playbook!
ReplyDeleteLee Mays wasn't even on the team when they played XXX. It was Andre Hastings who ran the wrong route. C'mon people, it wasn't THAT long ago. The INT was still O'Donnell's fault. When there's no receiver within 15 yards of the pass, it's on the QB to open his eyes.
ReplyDeleteI always kind of liked Lee Mays & always thought he had a decent chance to make the team. Seemed like he was in training camp or practice squad for 10 years. Another speedster who couldn't quite cut it (like Willie Reid).
Worst player of recent years (of people who actually started)? Sean Mahan & Mitch Berger come to mind.
Heh heh...Dick Shiner.
Kris Farris?
ReplyDeleteThe player who used to drive my old man crazy was Weegie Thompson.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe no one has mentioned Jamain Stephens!
how about that long snapper from a game a few years ago. i think james harrison was his name.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm going to think out of the box and give you one to think about... The absolute worst has got to be... Are you ready?..... Wait for it... James Harrisson... As our long snapper against the Giants in 2008. Great linebacker but long snapper...I think not!
ReplyDeleteAlonzo Jackson and Hughey Richardson ... UGH!
ReplyDeleteAlonzo Jackson never started a game his whole career. Why even list him?
ReplyDeleteLee Mays was never above #4 WR on the depth chart. Why even list him.
The correct answer here is Sean Mahan. Steelers signed him to a 5-year deal. He played one year and sucked. Then they traded him back to Tampa for a 7th rd pick. Thank you Tampa for picking up our garbage
worst player combined with highest draft choice woudl be Alonzo Jackson. He was putrid. He was SOFF and he looked like he had no football instincts. Terrible player.
ReplyDeleteLast Anonymous is dead on. I don't get the Lee Mays. 7th round pick, #4 on the depth chart makes him the worst of all time? Jackson was a bust no doubt, and a bad one, but we're talking about field players.
ReplyDeleteGraham was ugly because he was a QB, but no one was worse than Mahan. All that time and money for someone that terrible? What were they thinking?
Mark Malone (or maybe just the fact that Noll stuck with him for so long)
ReplyDeletetied with Neil O'donnell in the Super Bowl.
Mrs. Isaac Redman
Steely McBeam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteJeff Reed, due to extreme doucheness...
ReplyDeleteWell, this thread really brought out some good stuff. Maybe have to come up with some other threads like this.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised no one mentioned Ty Carter. Someone brought him up on thesteelersfans.com. He was brutal, except for that one night game against Denver a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteLot's of great selections - lots of names I forgot or wanted to forget.
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember Travis Davis? (Safety brought into "replace" Lake in 1999?)
What about Anthony Brown and Chris Conrad, or alternated at starting RT in 1999.
Those guys were so bad that when the 2000 Steelers were down to their 3rd string RT, Larry Tharpe who'd been out of football the year before, they'd still upgraded the position.
I'm a little surprised at the tone of this topic. I think it is easy to sit back and criticize people who put their heart and soul into trying to be a good player. Obviously, some try harder than others and some are more talented than others, but it seems strange to talk about the negatives of your favorite team. Just one man's humble opinion.
ReplyDeleteTyrone Carter will always be my least favorite Steeler ever.
ReplyDeleteKendrell Bell. Even ask the Chiefs.
ReplyDeleteDavid Woodley
ReplyDeleteI didnt like Terry Hanratty, I didnt see a game where he played well.
ReplyDeleteJamain Stephens, in 1998, such a Talent, he just sat down, in preseason, and never got up.
Jamain Stephens
ReplyDeleteKris Farris
Paul Wiggins
Scott Shields
Jim Miller
Ricardo Coclough
Alonzo Jackson
Limas Sweed
Ziggy Hood
Troy Edwards
Chad Scott
Dewayne Washington