Over the years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had many great linebackers. So many in fact, trying to pick a starting four is no small task. But it is a task former Steelers linebacker Vince Williams decided to take on.
Williams was definitive with his list. For Williams, he went with James Harrison and Joey Porter on the outside with Ryan Shazier and himself in the middle.
I’m sure there are many older Steelers fans cringing at the thought of any all-time Steelers linebacker unit that doesn’t include Jack Lambert and/or Jack Ham. But I get Williams, being a young guy going in the direction he did.
But this did get us thinking about who our starting four would be. We would exclude Jack Hamm only because of the type of linebacker he played. He was not a pass-rushing 3-4 outside linebacker. Who would we put on the outside? Let’s go James Harrison and T.J. Watt. Easily the two best edge rushers in franchise history.
The inside is a tougher call. There are so many great players including Shazier and Williams. You can also include Lambert, Lawrence Timmons, Levon Kirkland and James Farrior. Nostalgia says we put in Lambert for his intensity and physicality and even though his career was cut short, a healthy Shazier was just too good to exclude.
If @VinnyVidiVici98 could build his all-time #Steelers LB core 👀 pic.twitter.com/xjuR3loYZo
— Steelers History (@SteelersHistory) August 5, 2023
