Steelers Fall Short in Honoring Noll

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NollThe Pittsburgh Steelers have never been a franchise known to change much. Compared to most other NFL teams, the Steelers have changed little in the way of their uniform or how they do business in general. The most recent glaring change was the switch to the current number style and away from the block numerals which I miss terribly.

Yesterday the team announced a slight change to their helmet but it’s one I feel falls well short of what it demands. The Steelers will wear the initials of Chuck Noll on the back of their helmets in the upcoming season.

The four-time Super Bowl champion died last month and this is how the front office is choosing to acknowledge him. Seems a bit lacking to me.

Why not honor Noll, the man who completely turned around the fortunes of a floundering franchise with a jersey patch? My suggestion in fact is to alter the current Steelers logo patch the jerseys have with an acknowledgement of Noll. Or take it a step further; replace the logo entirely with a complete patch that honors the coaching legend.

It really shouldn’t surprise any of us that the Steelers are taking the more subtle approach with the helmet sticker. The franchise has never been one to call attention to itself and Noll was much the same way.

That said, there is an entire generation of Steelers’ fans who never knew Chuck Noll as the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Why not educate and celebrate at the same time?

The Steelers could have done better in honoring Noll.

Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @steeldad and follow the website at @SCBlitz. He can be heard weekly on Trib-Live Radio talking Steelers and is a blogger for ESPN 970 in Pittsburgh.

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