Steelers Question of the Week: Who's Overrated and Under-Appreciated.

by SteveMeredith on Jun 22, 2008 9:49 AM EDT

This week, during his show on 1250 ESPN, Ken Laird posed an interesting question. He talked to some Steeler beat writers, and I really thought the question would be a good one to post in this blog. Who do you think is the most overrated player on the Steelers current roster? On the other hand, (and Laird didn't go into this on the show), who do you think is the "unsung hero" on the team?

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my answers are

Unsung hero- Heath Miller, the guy could easily be a top 3 TE in the NFL. Just with the steelers theres only so many touches everyone can get. Never hear him complain as much do you? All around class act. I hope he has at least 2 or 3 season as a pro bowler so he can be rewarded for all the hard work he has done.

Overrated-oh man this is harder than I thought to be honest with you.. at first i wasn’t sure if you mean most overrated as an NFL player, (meaning comparing a player and his position vs the rest of the NFL players in that position) or if you mean overrated as a Steeler, (meaning there may be someone better to fill in for the overrated steelers position). But I figured you were talking about our Players vs the rest of the NFL players in a certain position. I know I am going to get chewed out on but hopefully my I can explain it in a way that does not offend any die hard fans of this player.

My most overrated player as a Steeler is Troy Polamalu. I could of easly picked someone who is a back up that fits the mold has overrated but i wanted to find a starter that in the past few years have fell as what I call below his ability as a starter on our team. Let me explain….

Disregarding 2003 where he was a rookie and played in all the games but was limited in snaps. I will compare 2004 and 2005 vs 2006 and 2007.
2004-96 tk 5 int and one td 16 GAMES
2005-91 tk 2 int and 0 td 16 GAMES
2006-76 tk 3 int(pretty good) but only 13 games
2007-58 tk 0 int and 11 games

I do not know if its fair to count Troy as an overrated player due to the fact that in the past 2 years he has been limited time because of his injuries. However, he is one of the best at his position when healthy. But like we talked about before players do not have an impact in the game unless they are playing. I feel that in the past two years he has underachieved which i believe most of you will agree with me. But I still think that among all of our other players this guy most be on the field for us to be successful. How can a guy like him be overrated. Its called expectation. We expect him to put up numbers like he did in 2004 and 2005 anything short of that is underachieving his position. Maybe he got a Lebron James type status where we have so high expectations from him that he can not deliver it every year. Plus I believe he makes pro bowls because of his name after 2004 and 2005 years, hes become a house hold name that really no matter how good or bad he does he will make the pro bowl regardless. I dont know agree or disagree. But this is the best explanation i can come up with as an overrated player on the steelers roster.

* till next time wave those towels proud

by LiveinDCbutsteelerfanbyheart on Jun 22, 2008 12:05 PM EDT 0 recs

Forced Fumbles

Ints are not the only measure of a DB. Polamalu covers probably more ground than any Safety in the NFL with his speed and quickness. That is why it seems as if he misses so many tackles. Because he is in on so many more plays then the average safety so he is bound to miss more tackles.

But Troy has had 1 FF every year except last year(His worst year) he had 3. A Safety(not on our team) who is overrated is Bob Sanders. He simply has been injured more than Troy and has bad numbers through out his career. I wrote a piece on him a few months back.

by jason97673 on Jun 22, 2008 3:11 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah you are correct

But most of the time that he is covering alot of ground is because he is out of position. I think that he is a great roamer around the line of scrimmage but I feel that its becoming unnecessary every snap. It was awesome to see the first 2 years of his career because no one else did that. Often cause the QB confusion. I think now other teams are adjusting to that and telling their QB to pay no attention to what Troy does before the snap. Because 8 times out of 10 he is pulling back to go into coverage or man up with someone rather than blitzing. I think roaming around is great but to do this almost every snap makes it unnecessary and out of position alot of times. also about those FF, i believe 2 of the 3 FF last year were when he was coming from behind. Not taking anything away but i think in order to make FF an argument of why he is not overrated he needs to be jacking up people from the front (causing the FF).

* till next time wave those towels proud

by LiveinDCbutsteelerfanbyheart on Jun 23, 2008 9:23 AM EDT up 0 recs

In the underrated category, I would go with a coach..

Dick Lebeau. With all the hype Romeo Crennel and some other defensive co-ordinators around the league received over the years, Lebeau consistently does a better job with less talent than any of them.

In the overrated category, at this point in his career, I would say Hines Ward. Not to disparage his contributions over the years, but at present, he is limping along on reputation as a number one receiver.

by robert ethan on Jun 22, 2008 3:11 PM EDT 0 recs

Farrior

James Farrior is completely underrated. He is rarely hurt and always has around 100 tackles. He almost won defensive player of the year a couple years back when Ed Reid won, and is involved in more plays than anyone. Its going to be tough to see him go due to FA.

As far as overrated, i would have to agree with ethan on Hines Ward. He does so much more than just catch the ball, but to me doesnt fit the mold of a #1 option. I dont get how anyone can say Polamalu is overrated. Yeah he wasnt healthy the last few years but when hes on the field he changes the whole game. By far the most versatile safety in the league.

by SteelerDomination on Jun 22, 2008 7:49 PM EDT 0 recs

My two cents

Onderrated is Aaron Smith. Does the job every single game with little or no fanfare, certainly none outside of Pittsburgh…On the flip side I thought James Harrison got a little too much credit last season. Had a few great games, one on national TV, and those catapulted him into the Pro Bowl, but I need to see a little more consistency this year to admit I’m wrong.

by maryrose on Jun 22, 2008 8:41 PM EDT 0 recs

Agree

With the Harrison comment. He did a fantastic job last year no doubt. But his number in terms of 8.5 sacks are not that great. His FF are great as well. And the number IMO that makes him stand out are his 98 tackles. That is really amazing for an OLB in our 3-4 scheme. Usually they get 50-70.

He was always around the ball which was great and why he had so many tackles as well. But he needs more sacks this year, because I dont see him getting that many fumbles again.

And agree with Aaron Smith. Before last year he has not missed a game since 1999, his rookie year, Thats amazing. Thats why I think Smith will be able to play into his late 30 hopefully at a high level.

by jason97673 on Jun 23, 2008 5:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

I haven’t posted here before, but for the sake of argument how about Foote as underrated? The man has been a cosistant tackling machine and has made his share of clutch plays in big games (much to the woe of Jake Plummer). And he’s a really nice guy to boot. He’ll probably lose his starting spot to Timmons (if Timmons is half the freak athlete everyone thinks he can be), but there’s almost no one I’d rather have as a back-up at MLB. He and Farrior (also underrated) have been quite the duo over the last few years.

by BluegrassSteeler on Jun 22, 2008 11:59 PM EDT 0 recs

Welcome to Curtain

You’re definitely right, I think both Foote and Farrior are underrated.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jun 23, 2008 7:41 AM EDT up 0 recs

Hello

Underrated…...Ryan Clark. Look at how our pass defence went to hell with Smith in there. Overrated…..Simmons. Based on his huge contract and his lack of production since.

I wasn't hired for my disposition!

by Burgernazi on Jun 23, 2008 12:46 AM EDT 0 recs

My take

Underrated – I’d have to got with either Heath Miller or Aaron Smith.
Overrated – I can see everyone’s case for Troy, Ward and Harrison but just to throw another name into the mix I’ll go with Fast Willie Parker.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jun 23, 2008 7:47 AM EDT 0 recs

great question

I definitely think Troy is up there with the most overrated on the team. I have no idea why he made the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007. He led the league in times flying out of control past the ball carrier, and he missed a vital tackle against the Falcons that cost us the game (and ultimately the playoffs) in 2006. He really was great in ‘04 and ‘05, though. My other overrated player on the team is Ike Taylor. The guys gets credit for how fast he is – and definitely, he can run with anyone in the league – but he has no clue how to play the ball. If QB’s have the guts to throw against him when he has good position, the receivers can still usually get to the ball. He has a tendency to give up on the play a little prematurely. His hands play into this even more, because QB’s don’t have to worry about interceptions against him, and thus are more likely to test him. I’m not complaining about him as a 4th round pick, but he’s not the pro bowler some Steelers fans think he is.

Underrated: Deshea Townsend. He’s making squat and he probably had the best year of anyone in our secondary last year. He can’t catch either, but he’s intelligent and gets it done as the #2. Also, Jeff Reed is a fantastic kicker. He’d be a Pro-Bowler if he played in a dome.

Worth every bit of credit they get: Hines Ward and James Harrison. Harrison carried our defense last year, even when he wasn’t getting sacks and forced fumbles. He was our best run defender other than maybe Aaron Smith, and our best pass rusher. Ward is not a great #1, but despite his lack of speed, he still gets the most separation of anyone in our WR corps. He’s always open and he does all the little things. My only knocks are that he’s gotten a little more whiny recently, and he’s probably making a little too much money. If he wants to finish his career as a Steeler, he’ll have to renegotiate his contract next year, but even if he doesn’t, he’s done enough for our team to warrant all the credit he’s gotten.

by BadMaafala on Jun 23, 2008 9:16 AM EDT 0 recs

agreed

Overated: Troy P. – Man I hope he returns to form this year. He’s one of the most revered players in football, and he’s been only so-so the past two years.

Under: DeShea – A. Smith of course. Casey Hampton too, though he’s not really under appreciated. but I do think his value can not be overvalued. He’s such a staple of our dominance against the run.

by Blitzburgh on Jun 23, 2008 10:43 AM EDT up 0 recs

good point on Jeff Reed

Spikey may be up there as the craziest kicker, but is there another kicker that anyone would want in this league lining up for a game winning field goal at Heinz Field? Somehow he’s mastered the worst playing surface in the league, not the mention the winds and scoreboard.

Revenge of the Birds

by cgolden on Jun 23, 2008 11:16 AM EDT up 0 recs

Im going to scream

if i hear Polamalu is overrated one more time. I see the argument about lack of production the last few years (which injuries played a factor in), but i think its easy to forget the player we saw in 05 because we really havent seen that player since. That doesnt mean he isnt that player anymore. You might see him fly into the screen after a ball carrier only to fly right out of the screen when he doesnt get him, but dont forget the fact that he was indeed flying. Most safeties wouldnt even appear in the screen at all. I agree that he`s got a little bit of proving to do, but i think its going to be a big year for troy. You cant keep a player of his caliber down for long.

by SteelerDomination on Jun 23, 2008 3:57 PM EDT 0 recs

i kinda agree

But let’s face it, Troy P is considered one of the NFL’s very best players. He still is in my opinion, just beacuse of his skill set, and ability to disrupt without doing something that shows up on the statesheet. I just think that upper echelon superstar players should have more consistent regular production. And I don’t think anybody believes he cant return to 05 form, it’s just that he’s viewed as the same player in 06 and 07 by many, despite not having the same kind of impact on games. my two cents.

by Blitzburgh on Jun 23, 2008 5:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

I don’t care if he’s flying or not if he doesn’t make that tackle. Over pursuit kills, and Troy’s had his fair share of that. There really were many times that all he needed to do was make a sound tackle. Instead he went for a big play and missed.

As you said, we can’t forget the player he was in 2005, but something has just looked a little out of sync with him these past 2 years. He’s led the league in almost making big plays. If he stays healthy and does his yoga or whatever, we may see a fully in-sync Troy P, and that’s a wonderful thing to watch. He’s got to do that, though, to get off my overrated list (which I’m sure is important to him).

Right on, Blitz, btw.

by BadMaafala on Jun 23, 2008 5:37 PM EDT up 0 recs

Injuries are part of the game

Just think of how many players would of been so good maybe even great if it wasnt for injuries. Injuries in fact happens and in my honest humble opinion is largely why i put him down as an overrated player. How can someone make the pro bowl and only play 11 games. Just proves the point that names are all that matters. If you have a great 2 years while young, and make the pro bowl odds are you will not see your last pro bowls no matter what kind of production you do in the future. Look at Fred tayler for an example, great player hard to believe he went to his first pro bowl last year, a large amount of that was due to his lack of production in his early years and the lack of what i call ” star status” (wanting to look good rather than doing the dirty work)

* till next time wave those towels proud

by LiveinDCbutsteelerfanbyheart on Jun 23, 2008 10:52 PM EDT up 0 recs

Taylor

His biggest problem as far as not making a pro bowl was all those years of getting 1100 or 1200 yards when two more other AFC RBs were getting 1400-1800 yards. He did it consistently over time, but never had a year where everyone said, “that was spectacular.”

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Jun 24, 2008 4:06 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah

I guess Troy has built such a rep with his play early in his career that if he doesnt play up to that level hes going to get heat for it. Once you get the star label you have to shine consistently.

by SteelerDomination on Jun 24, 2008 10:31 PM EDT 0 recs