Football is a game of offense vs. defense. This is typically where games are won or lost, but that is not always the case. Special teams often play an enormous role in the outcome of a game. For years Steelers fans have been all too aware of the importance of special teams. In fact, it can be successfully argued that poor special teams had a hand in eliminating the Steelers from the playoffs no less than three times during the Bill Cowher era. It is also not a strange coincidence that whenever the Steelers finally got serious about special teams, the team won its first Super Bowl in 26 years. This week the America Loves Countdowns® series will take a look at the worst special teams plays in Steelers history while taking time to examine the best plays as well.

Steelers Attempt to Get Gary Anderson Killed (1994)
Not too many people remember the 1994 game between the Steelers and Cardinals, but it was one of the ugliest games ever (in fact, I named it one of the five worst games of the 1990′s a few years ago). About halfway thru the 4th quarter of that game, the Steelers lined up for a 43 yard field goal attempt that would have tied the game. Instead of kicking they decided on a fake which called for the ball to be snapped directly to kicker Gary Anderson. It was a total disaster. Anderson was a great kicker, but it was rather comical watching him trying to run around with his little single-bar facemask. Arizona stuffed the play and the Steelers wound up with nothing. To put the icing on the cake, the special teams (specifically Charles Johnson) would later fumble the opening kickoff of overtime to give Arizona the win.

Kris Brown Misses 4th FG (2001)
The Steelers and Ravens developed a bitter rivalry in 2001 as the two teams were among the best in the conference. Their first game against each other came at Heinz Field in week 8. Baltimore held a slim 13-10 lead thanks to the fact that Steelers kicker Kris Brown had missed three field goal attempts. However, the Steelers offense gave Brown one more chance to tie the game late in the 4th quarter, but he missed again on a 35 yard attempt to seal the victory for the hated Ravens. It was a massive choke job in a huge game.

The Invincible Charlie Brown(1968)
The Steelers were not a very good team in the 1960′s and this play illustrated why. In one of the most pathetic tackling displays ever, the Steelers special teams unit allowed Saints kick returner Charlie Brown to return a punt 54 yards for a touchdown. The team lacked even the simple fundamentals needed to become a decent football team. It was so bad that at one point during the play, two Steelers players accidentally tackled each other in an attempt to tackle Brown.

Monday Night Mayhem (1997)
In 1997, the Steelers and Jaguars battled each other for the AFC Central Division title. Their first meeting was a week 4 Monday Night game at Jacksonville. The Jags led 23-21 late, but the Steelers had a chance to win the game with a last-second field goal. However, veteran center Jim Sweeney screwed up the snap on the long attempt by kicker Norm Johnson. The kick was easily blocked and returned for a touchdown by Jacksonville’s Chris Hudson. The play was not only a huge blow to the Steelers standing in the division, but it also nearly cost Bill Cowher his job. Hudson ran right past Cowher on his way to the endzone, and Cowher almost reached out and tackled him. The fallout from a head coach tackling someone in the middle of a play would have been ugly at best.

Bonehead Play of the Century (1990)
In one of the biggest follies in NFL history, RB Barry Foster allowed a kickoff to bounce around freely during a 1990 game at San Francisco. The 49ers – who were shocked to see the football just sitting there waiting to be picked up – recovered what became a really long onside kick. Foster didn’t realize that, unlike a punt, the ball is live on a kickoff. Chuck Noll never forgave him for that. Foster, who would eventually have a 1600 yard rushing season, would mostly ride the bench until after Noll retired.

Perfection Preserved (1972)
The 1972 Dolphins have their place in history as the only perfect team ever, but the Steelers almost ended that dream in the AFC Championship Game that year. Pittsburgh had an early 7-0 lead and all the momentum when Miami punter Larry Seiple ran 37 yards on a gutsy fake punt call. That set up the tying touchdown and swung all the momentum back to the Dolphins, who would go on to win the game 21-17. Had the Steelers been able to stop that play, they would have had great field position and may have been able to take a bigger lead, which would have been a huge benefit given their run-first offense and tough defense. Maybe – just maybe – the Dolphins owe their undefeated season to a little-known punter.

Special Teams Loses a Championship (2001)
The Steelers had a great team in 2001. Their defense was tops in the league, their offense was clicking, and even beleaguered QB Kordell Stewart was having an all-pro year. They only had one weakness: special teams. It killed them all year long (see item #9 on this list), and it really caught up with them in the AFC Championship Game against New England. The Steelers were down 14-3 in the 3rd quarter, having already allowed a punt return TD in the first half. As they lined up to attempt a field goal that would have cut the deficit to a manageable 8 points, the guy next to me at Heinz Field turned around, saying that the special teams made him too nervous to watch. He had reason to worry, and when he heard the gasp from the crowd a few seconds later, he asked me what was happening. “They blocked the kick,” I said in disbelief. “And now they’re running it back for a touchdown.”

Eric Metcalf Dominates Steelers (1993)
If 2001 was a special teams disaster, then 1993 was an all out state of emergency. In the middle of the season, the Steelers were battling the Browns for AFC Central supremacy when they met at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Bill Belichick’s team was 4-2 and looking to make a statement. In the first half, Cleveland’s Eric Metcalf returned a punt 91 yards for a TD, but the Steelers battled back and held a 23-21 lead with just over two minutes left in the game. That’s when Metcalf returned his second punt for a touchdown. This one was 75 yards and it won the game. It was totally inexcusable to even allow Metcalf to have a return after he had already burned the special teams once. Just a complete disgrace and one of the rare high points for Cleveland in the last 40 years of this rivalry.

Joe Nedney’s Acting Job (2002)
The 2002 AFC Divisional Playoff game between the Steelers and Titans was one of the most hard fought games ever played. That’s why it was such a shame that it had to be marred by an arrogant little kicker. When Tennessee kicker Joe Nedney missed the game-winning field goal in overtime, he fell down like he had been illegally hit by Dewayne Washington. The refs called roughing and gave Nedney another chance to win the game, which he did. Nedney later bragged that the whole thing was an act designed to get the roughing call.

The Blocked Punt Fiasco (1993)
As mentioned earlier in this list, the 1993 season featured the worst special teams unit in team history. The ongoing problem led to a mega-disaster in the post-season. The Steelers barely squeezed into the playoffs as the #6 seed, but they were on the verge of a huge upset at Kansas City. They were up by 7 points in the final minutes and had to punt the ball away. Shockingly, the punt was blocked by former Steeler Keith Cash and the Chiefs suddenly had the ball at the Steelers 9 yard line. Kansas City easily tied the game and then finished off the Steelers in overtime. Had the Steelers gotten that punt off, Chiefs QB Joe Montana still may have led a game-tying drive (after all, the guy was a two-minute drill legend), but at least he would have had to earn it against a tough Steelers defense. The special teams gave a playoff game away on a blocked punt, making this the worst play ever.

Honorable Mentions:

• 11 Angry Men (1995): Just before halftime of a game against Minnesota, the referees called a too many men on the field penalty against the Steelers special teams, giving the Vikings a second chance to make a field goal. In reality, there were indeed only 11 players on the field and the refs had miscounted. Bill Cowher stormed onto the field with a photo of the play which showed that there were only 11 players on the field, and when referee Gordon McCarter refused to look at it, Cowher shoved the photo into his shirt pocket! That was well worth the $7500 fine Cowher would later receive from the league.
• Onside Debacles (2000): The Steelers had taken a 10 point lead on the Philadelphia Eagles with just three minutes remaining in a game at Three Rivers. Philly scored quickly to cut the lead to three, and then they attempted an onside kick. They recovered it but the refs ruled that they had touched the ball illegally, so they had to do it again. On the second attempt, the Eagles recovered again, although that kick should have been illegal too because an Eagles player interfered with Hines Ward’s ability to catch the kick. The NFL later sent the Steelers a hollow apology, but not before the Eagles went on to tie and ultimately win the game.
• Three Steps = Six Blocks (1988): Steelers punter Harry Newsome was a “three step” punter, which meant that he needed an extra step before kicking the ball away. That “style” led to disastrous results during the 1988 season. Harry had already set the league record by getting five punts blocked that season, but late in the year he made sure to distance himself from the pack by getting a sixth one blocked. Newsome’s sixth blocked kick is a mark of futility that may never be matched.
• Old Man Kirby Goes the Distance (2002): The Steelers defense was getting absolutely shelled by Rich Gannon in a Sunday night game early in the 2002 season, but they finally made a play. Joey Porter intercepted Gannon at the goal line and returned the ball 84 yards, setting up a touchdown that brought his team within three points of the Raiders. However, on the ensuing kickoff, the special teams allowed Terry Kirby, who was 106 years old, to return the kick 96 yards for a touchdown that iced the game for Oakland. This was so upsetting given the fact that after the 2001 mess, the Steelers focus all off-season had been on fixing the special teams, but when push came to shove, they blew it yet again.