There are many different accolades that players can earn throughout their career. From the Pro Bowl, all the way up to the All-Decade teams and eventually the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Each group gets more exclusive along the way. ESPN just released an All-Quarter Century team put together by Seth Walder and Aaron Schatz.
Only players’ production since 2000 count toward this list, but there are some players who began their careers in the 90s. Two Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famers made this elite list. Alan Faneca and Troy Polamalu headline the list for Pittsburgh, but Patrick Peterson also made the cut along with several others in the “Practice Squad” honorable mentions section.
Only one of the three former Steelers to make the cut was a one-helmet guy, so we will start here with S Troy Polamalu. He made the list along with Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins and Earl Thomas III.
“Polamalu flying all over the field epitomized what NFL teams began prioritizing with modern safeties,” Schatz wrote. “He is fifth among safeties with 103 passes defensed since 2000. He also had 80 run stops, which is third among all defensive backs since 2000.”
He had a knack for making big plays in the biggest moments, including his pick-six in the 2008 AFC Championship game against the Ravens. There are plays he made that only Polamalu was capable of with his explosive athleticism and unmatched football instincts.
Along with the stats Schatz listed, Polamalu had 32 total interceptions, five total touchdowns, 14 forced fumbles, 12 sacks, and 56 tackles for loss. In 15 playoff games he had another three interceptions and a touchdown with a half sack and four tackles for loss. He was a huge part of the Steelers defenses that brought home Super Bowl XL and XLIII.
Not only is he worthy of this All-Quarter Century selection, but there is a strong argument for him to be on the all-time roster for the league. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020 as a first-ballot selection.
Faneca was drafted by the Steelers in 1998 and spent the majority of his career there, but he played his last three seasons with the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals. He was the definition of an NFL ironman with only a few games missed early in his career, including one that was just to rest him in a meaningless game.
He helped pave the way for Hall of Fame RB Jerome Bettis and protected future Hall of Fame QB Ben Roethlisberger for the first seven seasons of his career. He made nine-straight Pro Bowls and eight-straight All-Pro squads, including six on the first-team list. He won Super Bowl XL with the Steelers and left the team just before their other Super Bowl win in 2008.
“His six first-team All-Pro selections are more than any other left guard this quarter century,” Walder wrote.
One of his most famous blocks came in Super Bowl XL as he pulled across the formation and pancaked a defender to spring Willie Parker for a 75-yard touchdown run.
He made this All-Quarter Century list alongside Steve Hutchinson and is another player who is deserving of all-time team considerations at the position. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021. Because of COVID-19, Polamalu and Faneca were inducted at the same ceremony.
Also on the list was CB Patrick Peterson, who spent his final season with the Steelers in 2023 and just retired this offseason. He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when he is eligible in five years.
Walder and Schatz of ESPN also had the unenviable task of putting together a practice squad to act as the honorable mentions section of this list. The practice squad seems unflattering for players of this caliber, but OLB T.J. Watt, WR Antonio Brown, DT Cameron Heyward, KR Cordarrelle Patterson and QB Aaron Rodgers all made the list.
There is a strong argument to be made that Watt and Brown were snubbed from the 53-man roster. The wide receivers listed were Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, and Justin Jefferson. Antonio Brown’s sustained success from 2013 to 2018 is probably worthy of an actual spot on this list as it stacks up against the best receivers of all time.
People will take exception with Watt’s omission given who is on the list. Myles Garrett made the cut as an edge rusher as well as DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen and Julius Peppers. Stacking their careers against each other, Watt wins out in nearly every statistical category compared to Garrett. According to Schatz and Walder, the decisions were made “mostly on statistical output, focusing on peak seasons while still rewarding longevity.” If that’s the case, then leaving Watt off while including Garrett is hard to justify.
