Is James Harrison worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Jack Ham? Is James Farrior in the same hemisphere as Jack Lambert? Is Larry Foote in the same class as Levon Kirkland? Is LaMarr Woodley on a path to be the equal of Andy Russell?

Yes . . . no . . . maybe. It really isn't fair to judge players whose careers aren't complete yet.

One thing is clear, however, and that is this group has not tarnished the legacy of Steelers linebackers that dates all the way to the teams of the Chuck Noll era. The list of Steelers greats isn't limited to Hall of Famers like Ham and Lambert; it includes the likes of Mike Merriweather, David Little, Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown, Jason Gildon and Joey Porter.

As long as the Steelers have been in the NFL, they've produced great linebackers.

The latest edition probably won't send anyone to the Hall of Fame, but collectively they represent arguably the best unit in the NFL and without question the major reason why the Steelers have the No. 1-rated defense in the league.

"As a young kid, I watched some of those guys, so I understand the tradition," said Woodley, an emerging star in just his second season. "I embrace it. The one thing about all of those guys is their attitude. They played aggressively and so do we. We know about the tradition and we are trying to be part of it."

On their way to the Super Bowl this year, the four starters produced 32 ? sacks, two interceptions, nine forced fumbles and 26 quarterback hurries.

Harrison led the way with 16 sacks, an interception and seven forced fumbles, numbers that earned him NFL defensive player of the year honors. A former undrafted free agent, Harrison was moved from inside to outside linebacker where he made the Pro Bowl last year in his first season as a starter.

Woodley, a defensive end at the University of Michigan, provides the rush from the other outside linebacker position. After a somewhat disappointing rookie season, he replaced Clark Haggans as a starter on the left side and put up 11 ? sacks this season.

Inside, 12th-year veteran James Farrior is the orchestra leader, making all the line calls and working with safety Ryan Clark to coordinator the front and back of the defense. Farrior led the team in tackles with 100 solos and chipped in 3 ? sacks and six passes defended.

Joining him inside is Larry Foote, seven-year veteran who has known nothing but the Steelers' 3-4 defense since entering the NFL as a fourth-round pick. Foote added 56 solo tackles and 1 ? sacks.

The most remarkable part is that only Woodley weighs more than 245 pounds. The others are 5-11 to 6-1 and weigh between 239 and 243. They more than make up for it with core strength and an attitude that no one can block them.

"The guys I have, all are competitors," said linebackers coach Keith Butler. "Two characteristics I look for in linebackers are, No. 1, are they competitors and, No. 2, are they physical."

Butler said what makes the group special is their chemistry on and off the field. As a former NFL linebacker, Butler knows the ways of the world, and the players respect him. He coaches both the inside and outside linebackers and when he sees something he doesn't like he lets everyone in shouting distance know about it.

In the Steelers' 3-4, the linebacker assignments are so precise that the smallest mistake, the slightest miscommunication, the tiniest bit of sloppiness can ruin the whole thing. But Butler's approach is to hammer into his players every piece of information they'll need during the week and then let them loose on Sunday.

"Have you ever seen the movie 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' " Butler said. "That's what our meetings are like. I'm Nurse Ratched. They're great guys, but I have to yell at them every now and then and tell them to shut up."

The Steelers are consistently good at linebacker because they spend tremendous time and resources trying to find good ones. They train them, too. Few are thrown into the mix right away. Until they understand the system and show they can play with Steelers intensity, they are special teams players.

A thread that runs through the Steelers' recent success at linebacker is Butler, who joined the Steelers in 2003 and has seen his group account for eight Pro Bowl berths in six seasons. Butler would have been a defensive coordinator candidate this off-season - the Green Bay Packers studied him - but he is off limits until the Steelers' season is over.

PREVIEW

Teams: Steelers vs. Cardinals

When: 5:18 p.m. Sunday

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

Television: NBC

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Tom Silverstein posts news and notes on the Packers and Super Bowl at www.jsonline.com
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