Steelers Legendary Cornerback Rod Woodson Considers 2000 AFC North Rival Ravens Defense As "One Of The Best Ever"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had some legendary players on the team over the organization's many years. They currently have 32 representatives in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But what the team is most known for is the hard-nosed defense that they have always had. Throughout the years they have been special, from the great "Steel Curtain" of the 1970s to what many consider the best defense of all time in 2008. No matter the year, there will always be a standard for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

One player that got to experience being a part of the Steelers legendary defense is cornerback Rod Woodson. He played for the Steelers from 1987 to 1996 and was an animal on the field. He was an 11-time Pro Bowler, NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner, NFL's 1990s All-Decade Team member, and the NFL’s 100th and 75th Anniversary All-Time Team member, just to name a few of his accolades. He also has the NFL record for the most interceptions returned for a touchdown throughout his career. To top off his career, he won a Super Bowl with Baltimore Ravens in 2001.

The 2000-2001 Ravens defense was elite. It consisted of guys like Woodson, Ray Lewis, Sam Adams, Tony Siragusa, Chris McAlister, and much more. In recent years, this defense has been considered one of the best of all time, even competing with the Steelers 2008 squad. Recently, Woodson was on the All Things Covered podcast hosted by former Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden and current Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson. While on there, he talked about that elite defense.

"We had a good blend of guys. We had leaders on the front line, we had leaders in the linebacker core, and we had leaders in the back end and it kind of just all blended."

Ravens Were Running The Same Style Of Defense As The Steelers

One of the things that would stick out about the interview is what Woodson would say about how they ran their defense. Woodson commented that the Ravens were running the same style of defense as the Steelers. The frontman for bringing in these Pittsburgh type things was Woodson. One of the ideas that he brought was Friday afternoon meetings where no coaches were there, just the players.

"We were running that Pittsburgh defense out of a 4-3. So, it was some of those same concepts that we used to do in Pittsburgh. All the stuff we did in Pittsburgh as players, I took it there."

One of the things that stood out for Woodson was the youth that the 2000 Ravens team had. From future legends like Lewis to the young cornerbacks that they had made it fun for him. He also stated how it allowed him to play safety again which is what he once wanted to play anyways. 

"Seeing Ray Lewis kind of blossom and become one of the best linebackers to ever play and the young corners that we had let me play my natural position, which was safety, which is what I wanted to play anyways when I came into the league, made it fun."

What stood out most was what Woodson had to say about that 2000 Ravens defense. He said that statistically, they are one of the best defenses ever. Woodson gave his props to Pittsburgh as well saying how they had some dogs there too.

"Statistically, scoring-wise, one of the best ever." Woodson then stated, "I played with some dogs in Pittsburgh. We would get after people."

So, what do you think Steeler Nation? Is the 2000 Ravens defense one of the best ever? Let me know in the comments below!

#SteelerNation