Former Steelers LB Joey Porter Sr. Names Ryan Clark The Bona Fide Knockout Artist Of Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers have always been known for great defenses from the Steel Curtain in the 1970s, to the 2008 ESPN magazine cover team. On Friday Afternoon, Ryan Clark, Fred Taylor, and Channing Crowder took their podcast The Pivot to Pittsburgh and sat down with Joey Porter Sr. and Joey Porter Jr. to talk about everything from life, to football. During the midst of a conversation about their old playing days, Porter Sr. talked about how Clark became known as the knockout artist of Pittsburgh.

Steelers Safety Ryan Clark Left It All Out On The Field

Clark played a hard-hitting style of football that does not exist as much today. He wanted to make his opponents not want the ball anymore for fear of what he would do to them. The photo above should speak for itself, but if you still do not believe, ask the likes of Wes Welker, Percy Harvin, Victor Cruz, and anyone else who caught a pass across the middle against the Steelers from 2006-2013. 

Those hits came at a price however, not only to his own body, but to his wallet as well. Clark was fined well over $50,000 dollars during his time in the NFL. 

"I love RC’s game, because as soon as I left, he became the knockout artist of Pittsburgh," Porter Sr. recalled. "Every time I turn on the tape, I'm like, 'Good Lord, he put somebody else to sleep.' He was just running full speed into people."

Clark Was Considered A Leader For The Legendary 2008 Defense 

The 2008 Steelers defense is considered by many not only the best Steelers defense of all time, but one of the best defenses ever. Ranking 1st in the league in almost every defensive statistical category that year, they went on to win a Super Bowl that season over the Arizona Cardinals. Former Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau was interviewed on the All Things Covered podcast and is writing a book about that team called "The Legendary Defense" that should release sometime in 2024. When asked why he chose that defense to write about instead of the 2005 or 2010 defense, LeBeau said that the stats spoke for themselves.

"Ain't nobody going to touch that 2008 defense, they just can't. And I'll tell you what, I've often asked myself why did that particular group do so well? You could go down every statistical category and we were first. And you could all tackle and you wanted to tackle. It was like kicking a beehive man when that ball was snapped, y'all were after it."

Steelers' Ryan Clark Has Since Become A Successful Sports Analyst 

Not every player can make the transition from player to analyst. For those that aren't in the Hall of Fame or on their way there, the journey actually begins during the player's career when they come in and go to the NFL's Broadcast Boot Camp. The boot camp is a pool of players with aspirations to be TV or radio personalities. They go through a series of courses and questions, and the best participants are chosen to come in and test on the NFL Network. 

While Clark may not obtain a gold jacket, he is slowly becoming known as one of the best in the business in the entertainment world, working with ESPN and shows like NFL Live, Get Up, and First Take. Clark also hosts a very successful podcast called The Pivot Podcast with over 750k subscribers.

Give me your Thoughts Steeler Nation

Where does the 2008 Steelers defense rank? Where does Clark rank amongst the best defensive back to ever play for the Steelers? Be sure to