Rod Woodson Once Questioned Steelers Great Dick LeBeau 'Why You Letting Troy Polamalu Do All That Stuff?'

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had many great coaches and players throughout the franchise's illustrious history. Several of those, you could argue, are some of the best, if not, the best to ever do it. 

One of the best defensive backs to ever put on the black and gold, Rod Woodson, recently joined the All Things Covered Podcast which is hosted by none other than former Steelers' cornerback, Bryant McFadden and current Steelers' defender, Patrick Peterson. 

Former Steelers' Players Gush Over Legendary Dick LeBeau

During the show, all three defensive backs talked about a couple topics and one of those topics was Hall of Fame player and coach, Dick LeBeau. Both McFadden and Woodson had the opportunity to play for LeBeau during his two different stints with the Steelers in the 1990s and 2000s. When LeBeau was first brought up, Woodson quickly made a statement that a lot of Steeler Nation would agree with. 

"Dick's the dude. Dick's the GOAT."

The crazy thing about that statement is, what is he the 'GOAT' (Greatest of all time) for? Is it for his time as a defensive back with the Detroit Lions or his time as an NFL coach, most notably the defensive coordinator for the Steelers? The fact that you can ask that question shows the stamp that LeBeau has left on the NFL throughout his multiple careers. 

During his 14-year playing career, LeBeau totaled 62 interceptions, scored four defensive touchdowns and was elected to three Pro Bowls. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame as a player in 2010, while he was still coaching for the Steelers. 

High level of play during LeBeau's career as a player definitely helped contribute to his understanding of the game. When LeBeau came to Pittsburgh, he started as the team's defensive backs coach in 1992. When he joined the team, Woodson was already on the squad and one of the best defensive players in the league as he was coming off of three straight Pro Bowls and two years of being a first team All-Pro in 1989 and 1990. 

Despite being a top player in the league at his position, Woodson was still able to elevate his game to the next level, and some of that is undoubtedly thanks to LeBeau and his system. 

"He knew what it was like when you crossed that white line," Woodson said regarding LeBeau. "His system just let athletes play. I mean he was just like 'go play', and one think I loved about Dick probably more than anything, is he let you be you inside his own system. As long as you don't go too rogue, and too cowboy on him, and too far out there, he is going to let you be you inside his own system."

While playing under LeBeau, Woodson managed to win Defensive Player of the Year in 1993 as he lead the NFL with eight interceptions. He then followed that up with a second place finish in 1994 behind Deion Sanders, as he managed four interceptions and two of them he ended up returning for touchdowns. 

Woodson excelled under LeBeau during his time in Pittsburgh, as well as several other defensive players throughout LeBeau's years with the Steelers. That list also includes another Hall of Fame defensive back, Troy Polamalu. 

Even though Woodson had so much success being able to just play his style inside of LeBeau's system, he still reached out once to asked about the freedom LeBeau was giving Polamalu during their time together. LeBeau didn't pull any punches and simply said it as it is. Below are Woodson's remarks on how that conversation went. 

"I remember, fast forwarding years later. Troy comes in, and he's letting Troy do all this stuff and be himself inside of [LeBeau's] system. I called him and said coach, why you letting Troy do all that stuff? He's like 'Cause he can.'"

LeBeau had the ability to recognize some special talents he had the luxury of coaching and had a unique ability to rely on their instincts to go off-script and make tremendous plays. A lot of coaches aren't able to surrender that level of control to players and still mold their system around them without it falling apart. That alone has LeBeau in the 'GOAT' conversation.