Best Buddy Parker Steeler squad?
Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2025 1:20 pm
Looking at Fever's recent 'luckiest' teams metric, the '62 Steelers are right up there. And I never really saw them as anything special either despite the 9-5 record; every other Buddy Parker Steeler team won 7 games or less, Sutherland's '47 playoff squad the only Steeler team prior to Noll who finished the regular season with a better win%age.
The '62 team did split with the 12-2 Giants, at least, their win being on the road. Other than that and the (again) 9-5 winning season, really not much to hang their hat on. Offense and defense they were each in the bottom half. Minus-51 in PD along with a minus-point-nine in Y/P!
The following "almost" year, 1963, yes they also were a minus in the Y/P department. They also were ranked 11th in defense. But they had the #3 offense and, simply, had more 'bite' despite winning just 7 games as opposed to 9. As I already opined before, a win in the finale (thus completing the sweep over the G-men) and they still should have not gotten in considering my feelings that ties should have counted. But, again, they had the 'bite' thus me feeling they were stronger than '62. They at least split with the Giants, Cardinals, and Browns and that tie at Wrigley...you can't ask for a more quality-tie!! Yes, two days after the JFK Assassination. Maybe if everyone was in a normal state-of-mind, but still (hey, maybe Steelers still don't lose).
Either way, my pick is 1958 (7-4-1). Positive PD, check. Positive Y/A, check (BIG check at 1.3!). #3 in both offense & defense! And not one, but two quality-wins: at least splitting with that ‘Greatest Game Ever Played'-participant, and beating Halas's winning (8-4) Bears team.
However, I see that 1959 is the highest of Parker's (make that ALL) Steeler teams on Fever's 'UN-lucky' metric. They finished 6-5-1. Again a positive in both PD and Y/P. Just 7th in D but #2 offense. Numerous wins over above-500 teams. They, again, split with the Giants (this time the win being on the road), sweep the Browns though, yes, they finished at just 7-5 (still nothing sneeze-able). They also split with next-year's-Champs, Shaw's Eagles who also finished 7-5 (Steelers' win being 31-0 as opposed to Eagles, earlier, beating them by just 28-24).
Yes not bad, those '59 Steelers. But I'll stick with '58 instead. Yes, this whole exercise has "FWIW" written all over it being that none of Parker's Steeler teams were great/barely-good at best. This exercise couldn't be too different from a possible "best Jimmy Johnson Dolphins team".
The '62 team did split with the 12-2 Giants, at least, their win being on the road. Other than that and the (again) 9-5 winning season, really not much to hang their hat on. Offense and defense they were each in the bottom half. Minus-51 in PD along with a minus-point-nine in Y/P!
The following "almost" year, 1963, yes they also were a minus in the Y/P department. They also were ranked 11th in defense. But they had the #3 offense and, simply, had more 'bite' despite winning just 7 games as opposed to 9. As I already opined before, a win in the finale (thus completing the sweep over the G-men) and they still should have not gotten in considering my feelings that ties should have counted. But, again, they had the 'bite' thus me feeling they were stronger than '62. They at least split with the Giants, Cardinals, and Browns and that tie at Wrigley...you can't ask for a more quality-tie!! Yes, two days after the JFK Assassination. Maybe if everyone was in a normal state-of-mind, but still (hey, maybe Steelers still don't lose).
Either way, my pick is 1958 (7-4-1). Positive PD, check. Positive Y/A, check (BIG check at 1.3!). #3 in both offense & defense! And not one, but two quality-wins: at least splitting with that ‘Greatest Game Ever Played'-participant, and beating Halas's winning (8-4) Bears team.
However, I see that 1959 is the highest of Parker's (make that ALL) Steeler teams on Fever's 'UN-lucky' metric. They finished 6-5-1. Again a positive in both PD and Y/P. Just 7th in D but #2 offense. Numerous wins over above-500 teams. They, again, split with the Giants (this time the win being on the road), sweep the Browns though, yes, they finished at just 7-5 (still nothing sneeze-able). They also split with next-year's-Champs, Shaw's Eagles who also finished 7-5 (Steelers' win being 31-0 as opposed to Eagles, earlier, beating them by just 28-24).
Yes not bad, those '59 Steelers. But I'll stick with '58 instead. Yes, this whole exercise has "FWIW" written all over it being that none of Parker's Steeler teams were great/barely-good at best. This exercise couldn't be too different from a possible "best Jimmy Johnson Dolphins team".