ITPV » The biggest difference is his pre-snap mind.

Steelers fans old enough to remember the glory days know it will never be seen again It’s no secret the Pittsburgh Steelers love to build through the draft. They’ve enjoyedunparalleled success in team building through this tried-and-true method. It all started in 1969 when they drafted a little-known defensive lineman from the University of North Texas named Mean Joe Greene with their first-round selection. This laid the foundation for the Steel Curtain Dynasty and remains the single most important development in Steelers history. But the pick seemed uneventful at the time and Terrell Edmunds Jersey White , quite frankly, left a lot of people questioning “who?” Can you imagine the chaos after such a pick in today’s modern age of social media? I feel certain there would be an angry mob of inconsolable fans descending on Steelers headquarters with torches and pitchforks. The next year, when the Steelers had the first overall pick in the 1970 NFL draft, they selected a strong-armed quarterback from Louisiana Tech named Terry Bradshaw. This pick was met with far less criticism, but the fans had no idea what the next four years held in store. While Bradshaw had one of the strongest arms the league had ever seen at the time, he was far from a finished product coming into the league. To say Bradshaw struggled during his first four years is an understatement. I dare say there has never been another first-round QB who struggled so mightily over their initial three or four seasons yet still remained with the team that originally drafted them — much less the first overall pick. Today’s wall-to-wall coverage and social media impact would never allow for an environment conducive to such a player’s development. Either the player would be gone, or the head coach would be fired — probably both. Bradshaw endured multiple benchings and a whole lot of tough love from Coach Noll. But in the end, he was a four-time Super Bowl champion. Terry’s epic story of perseverance, though, could never happen in today’s NFL.The 1970 draft also netted the team a future Hall of Famer and revolutionary, game-changing player when they selected cornerback Mel Blount from Southern University in the third round. Blount appeared to have been sculpted from granite and possessed world-class athleticism. He also had a mean streak a mile wide. He would so demoralize most opponents that he broke their will to compete. The NFL tried to level the playing field by implementing the appropriately named “Mel Blount Rule” which prohibited contact with a receiver after five yards down the field. Blount adjusted his game accordingly and remained a great player, but the game was changed forever. I’m glad I got to witness him at the height of his powers. The Steelers continued to build through the draft and struck gold with the 13th selection of the 1972 draft when they selected Franco Harris, a running back from nearby Penn State. Franco was an immediate success and a fan favorite. He was the freight train that drove the Steelers’ power running attack that controlled the clock and wore down the opposition. This allowed Noll’s marauding defense to be well rested and ready for destruction. Harris was named Rookie of the Year at the end of the season, and he helped lead the team to the playoffs. In the playoffs, Franco Harris made the single biggest play in Steelers history and — in one fell swoop — changed the team’s culture of losing forever. Maybe you’ve heard of it — The Immaculate Reception. But that play probably would never happen in today’s NFL. With the countless camera angles and instant-replay availability we may have gotten a definitive answer to John Madden’s eternal plea of “Who touched the ball first?” or whether the ball ever touched the ground, as many Raider players contest. I, for one, am thankful that the play happened before modern technologies because we might have been robbed of one of the greatest moments in NFL history. I concede I’m not a Raiders fan when making that statement.The Steelers were now a playoff team and a young team on the rise. They were close to becoming true contenders and they went into the 1974 draft looking to add an explosive element to their offense and also to the middle of their burgeoning defense. That draft was a huge success on all accounts. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 1974 draft class is unquestionably the greatest in NFL history. Drafting four future Hall of Famers in one year is hard to fathom and the likes thereof will probably never be seen again. The draft netted the Steelers two explosive playmakers on offense — wide receiver Lynn Swann from USC in the first round and wide receiver John Stallworth from Alabama A&M in the fourth round. While neither player set the league on fire right out of the gate Womens JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey , their enormous potential was evident every time they took the field. Eventually, they formed the greatest receiver tandem in league history and lifted the Steelers’ offense to a lofty status worthy of their league-best defense. The 1974 draft also added the final missing piece that finished tempering the Steel Curtain defense. The team drafted linebacker Jack Lambert from Kent State in the second round and he enjoyed immediate success in the middle of the defense, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year that season. If Mean Joe Greene represented the foundation of the dynasty, then Lambert was the heart and soul of the defense. His fiery disposition permeated throughout the defense and had an infectious effect on his teammates.The team was now loaded and would go on to win four of the next six Super Bowls. Eventually the 70s Steelers would succumb to injuries and Father Time. Incredibly, most of those Steelers greats would go on to retire having played only for the Steelers during their careers. Obviously, this was before the age of free agency. Those of us old enough to have watched the Steel Curtain Dynasty of the 70s had no idea the magnitude of what we were witnessing. Who could have predicted free agency and the corresponding movement of players from team to team? Or the financial prosperity enjoyed by the league and the explosion in player salaries, resulting in today’s salary-cap issues? No team will ever again approach the talent levels of those Steelers teams from the 70s. Free agency and the salary cap would never allow it. It truly had to be seen to be believed. The Steelers have done it again. They’ve started out terribly, but have stormed back after their first four games. In every single must-win game they’ve faced this season, they’ve risen to the occasion and won. They’ve improved on both sides of the ball dramatically and finally deserve to be viewed as one of the best teams in the AFC. Can they compete with those top-level teams? Thursday night will be a big test to see if they can indeed compete with upper-echelon teams. Here are eight takeaways from this big win over the Ravens:Joshua Dobbs > Landry JonesI really don’t have to say much about Dobbs today. He made an absolutely huge throw and called an audible on it too. That not only was a gutsy play-call, but a frozen rope perfectly placed by Dobbs. He’s a young kid who I believe really has some nice potential to grow into far more than a backup. Landry Jones is who he is.A decent backup who cannot become anything more than that. Dobbs, on the other hand, oozes potential and could possibly emerge as the heir to the Steelers’ QB position. Jones was the riskier cut due to the need to win now, but Dobbs was a vote for the future, and the Steelers stuck by that brilliantly. Just a clutch play by Dobbs.The refs were terribleI can’t say enough about how bad they were. From the “fumble” or “interception” at the end of the half, which was not even close and cost the Steelers 10 seconds, to the egregiously bad pass-interference calls — they called everything that shouldn’t have been called and didn’t call the things that should be called.They missed a few holds on Cam Heyward throughout the game, and Bud Dupree was being held all day. You want to know why Bud wasn’t seen as much as you thought he would against a guy who struggles against speed rushers — because he was being held and it was never called.It was the Steelers against the refs on Sunday.Mike Hilton needs to get paid — NOWI’m not wrong in saying Hilton is the best run-defending nickel-CB in the league. And he’s pretty darned good in coverage too. No doubt, if not for Chris Harris Jr. Womens T. J. Watt Jersey , Hilton would be the best slot-CB in the NFL. He’s never beaten and he makes an impact in all areas of the field.I said in a film room last week how the Steelers use him much like a small LB, and that rings true. Hilton is essential to this team and he deserves to be paid accordingly. I hope he gets his payday because he’s simply amazing for this team.Get Sean Davis paid tooThe biggest game-changer in the secondary isn’t Joe Haden but Sean Davis. We knew Haden could be a lock-down guy and he’s been just that, but Davis had been an uncertainty at a position where the Steelers haven’t had a true centerfielder since Troy Polamalu.Davis is that guy. He’s been fantastic in coverage and has tackled well too. With him now gaining confidence, he’s flying around the field and showing, not only his sound self with great tackling ability, but also his aggressive self. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get an INT or two in the next few weeks. Davis is what you would call, ascending. Time for him to get him paid, too. Terrell Edmunds has had a rough go of things, but he’s progressingI love Tom Bradley so far. Look what he’s done to reinvigorate Joe Haden, transform Sean Davis, and even have Hilton elevate his level of play.But his best work presently is going on with rookie Terrell Edmunds. Edmunds hasn’t been good to start the season, but he’s shown the progression and flashes you want to see from a raw prospect. He’s been showing more and more ball skills, and his angles are slowly but steadily improving. Edmunds still needs to learn the nuances of the position, but you can already see Bradley is working his magic here. So far, I like the hire. Now, if he can just turn Artie Burns around.James Washington is finally flashingDid Washington have a great game? No. But I could see his progression from the games prior to the bye-week. Washington looks far smoother and finally seems to have a semblance of timing with Roethlisberger. His releases have gotten much better, and he was open more than he was targeted today. I’m looking forward to the all-22 on Washington, as you could see him finally use his hands to get press off of him. It’s been small steps for Washington JuJu Smith-Schuster Jersey White , but don’t worry, he’ll come along. Washington will be the answer at WR3.Don’t look now, but Bud Dupree might be turning a cornerBoth literally, because he’s finally developing, and figuratively because, well, this is easily his best season. Is Dupree just one of those late bloomers? I have no clue, but it’s undeniable that he’s having a good season. Dupree has been average in some games, but his bend was always there, now he’s finding out how to use his hands to leverage his speed in getting around the edge. He’s become so much more disciplined too, and doesn’t get run up the arc. He clearly has a plan and goes with it. He needs to use his hands to win inside now and to find more explosiveness on his first step — but I like where Dupree is going. Dupree has already exceeded his 2017 “pressures” total of 40, and already has eight QB hits, which means he’s easily on pace for a career high. There might be some additional upside left in him.Jesse James can burn CBsPrayers to Brandon Carr — I don’t know how you get burnt by Jesse James, especially when he’s as slow as he is, but this double-move has Carr biting. So Jesse James deserves to beheavily crowned in all areas.