5 Biggest Steelers Villains in Recent History

Story by Yinzer Crazy Contributor Jayson Erwin. Follow him on Twitter @JaysonErwin2002

In life, we're surrounded by heroes and villains -  but it's all about perspective. Steelers fans will say Big Ben is their hero but Browns fans probably don't feel the same, which is funny because he brought a lot of wins to FirstEnergy Stadium and at one point was the winningest QB there. But the Steelers have plenty of villains, too. Whether they're division rivals or just broke the Steelers hearts a lot, the Steelers have made more enemies than prime Tom Brady (and oh, we'll get to that). Let's take a look at the 5 biggest villains in Steelers recent history!

#5: Ray Lewis

The legendary linebacker from Baltimore made a career with his fierce style of play and smashmouth attitude. And what made it even more intense? The black and gold had to play him TWICE a year (sometimes three). Though the Steelers have won the majority of the meetings the times Lewis went against them, he always made the game more interesting. A play he had against the Steelers made the rivalry all the more severe. Former running back Rashard Mendenhall may not have that great of a relationship with Steeler fans with the fumble in the Super Bowl and recently taking shots at Ben Roethlisberger, but that doesn't mean he wasn't one of the better Steelers backs in recent memory. In a game versus the Ravens in his rookie year, Mendenhall made the mistake of angering the Ravens before the game by publicly stating he'd have a big game on the Ravens defense. Lewis would hit him so hard that it gave Mendenhall a shoulder fracture and ended his season. In the words of Lewis: "The force was incredible. After the play, I wasn't screaming, 'He's hurt.' I was screaming, 'He's done'". Despite this, Lewis has gone on to say, "As much as I didn't like them as a competitor, the amount of respect for them that I have is amazing". Great respect from one of the best defensive players of all time. 

#4. Terrell Suggs

Another Ravens player, eh? Expected from the greatest rivalry in recent NFL history. Suggs has been a problem for not just the Steelers, but more specifically Roethlisberger. Suggs was drafted a year before Roethlisberger, so the pieces were there for a great rivalry, as Suggs holds the record for the player who has sacked Ben the most with 17. But don't let me tell you how much Suggs hates the Steelers. The man has made it well known. Few examples: After a win versus the Steelers in 2011, Suggs declared this about Roethlisberger: "God can have his soul, but his ass belongs to me." In 2009, he wore a shirt that said "you bet your sweet ass I hate the Steelers." Another time he wore a shirt that said "Hey Pittsburgh" with a raven flipping another certain bird, and yes, yet another shirt that said "The North Remembers," -- and in the middle is an image of Mike Tomlin getting in the way of Jacoby Jones from the infamous kick return touchdown that wasn't. Suggs has quite a collection of shirts!

#3: Ed Reed

Arguably the greatest safety of all time and another Ravens player, three in a row! Tells you all you need to know about this rivalry. Ed Reed has the same amount of respect and hatred for the Steelers as Lewis and Suggs do. But this one is just a bit more due to a debate across the NFL world about who was the better safety. Steelers legend Troy Polamalu or the aforementioned Reed. People seem to lean more towards Reed, but Steeler fans will still back the Tasmanian Devil. A legendary performance Reed had against the Steelers occurred on his 33rd birthday where he recorded six tackles and two interceptions. And there is also his rivalry with Steelers receiver Hines Ward. As much as Ward is praised and loved by Steeler Nation, Reed sees it differently. Reed has said he has respect for Ward but has also said, "I don't have to tell you Hines Ward was a dirty player. There was a rule named after him. I'm not harping on it, I'm not bitter about it, it is what it is. Even though he was dirty towards me, I never went back at him. As much as I could have, I never did".

Reed would feel the brunt of the strong blocking of Ward in a matchup in 2007. He would woozily leave the field after the hit. The two have talked and Reed has said the same to Ward to his face and since, has buried the hatchet. But it's clear Reed won't forget anytime soon.

#2: Tom Brady

Well, isn't this relevant? The recently retired G.O.A.T has always been a thorn in the Steelers side. Costing them playoff spots, Lombardi trophies, and probably money considering how many swear jars he's made Steeler fans fill since he arrived in the league. Brady has a record of 12-4 vs. the Steelers, including 3-0 in playoff games. Brady has never lost to the Steelers when at home and is 4-4 when traveling to Pittsburgh. Probably the most painful regular season loss was a matchup in 2017 in Pittsburgh. The Steelers and Patriots were the two best teams in the AFC and this matchup would likely determine the #1 seed spot, giving home-field advantage every playoff game leading up to the Super Bowl, which would've been big for the Steelers whereas they play best at home. The Steelers were down 27-24, but were in the red zone with not a lot of time left in the game. A throw from Ben Roethlisberger to tight end Jesse James seemed like the game-sealing touchdown until a controversial call determined the result of the play as an incompletion and the Steelers would fail to capitalize when Ben threw a pick in the end zone. A truly heartbreaking end to the game and very well caused a ripple in the Steelers future for the years coming up. More salt would enter the wound as Brady would, later on, top the Steelers organization with 7 Super Bowls of his own.  If there is one positive, in the final meeting between the Steelers and Brady, the Steelers would win 20-18. Finally, a happy ending!

#1: Vontaze Burfict

In storytelling ways, maybe Brady should be over Burfict, but at least Brady has expressed respect for the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger. Burfict on the other hand? Well, let me just list every idiotic thing Burfict has done against the Steelers. A fine for a late hit on Roethlisberger and a push on fullback Roosevelt Nix well after the whistle blew in a Week 14 2015 matchup, suspended and fined for a late hit on Antonio Brown in the 2016 Wild Card matchup (and possibly the hit that changed Antonio Brown to who he is today), fined for kicking Roosevelt Nix in the head in Week 7 2017 matchup, and fined for hits to the head on Antonio Brown and James Conner in Week 6 2018 matchup. However, Burfict would be humbled in Week 13 in 2017 with a crackback block by rookie receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. Was it a dirty hit? Yes. Was it karma? Precisely. Even plays Burfict didn't get fined for, he took out star running back Le'Veon Bell's knee in a Week 8 2015 matchup that took him out for the season -- and Burfict celebrated when he saw him injured. He also injured Big Ben's shoulder in the Wild Card matchup and took out the aforementioned Antonio Brown in the same game. Burfict single-handedly destroyed the Killer B's in one season and likely cost them a chance to make it to the Super Bowl, making him possibly the biggest villain in Steelers history. Oh, and fun fact, if he never faced the Steelers in his career, he would saved about $1.55 million in fines. 

With the landscape of the AFC North changing with new faces and rising stars, could new villains be made? With the likes of Jamarr Chase consistently having good games and flipping off Minkah Fitzpatrick, Roquan Smith causing Kenny Pickett to have a concussion, and Myles Garrett hitting Mason Rudolph with his helmet, it's likely new villains will rise in the Steelers crosshairs. But with the likes of Kenny Pickett, Najee Harris, George Pickens, T.J. Watt, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, new heroes will rise, too.