There are several iconic plays in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the Immaculate Reception, Lynn Swann’s incredible Super Bowl catches and Santonio Holmes’ game-winning grab in Super Bowl 43. However, maybe no play exemplifies the gritty, tough nature of the Steelers more than Willie Parker’s 75-yard touchdown run in Super Bowl 40. Parker’s speed and vision were key on that play, but the thing that most people point out is Alan Faneca pulling and delivering a bone-crushing block to create a massive hole. Faneca’s name isn’t often brought up when people outside of Steelers fandom talk about all-time great players, but it appears one former Pro Bowl guard sees Faneca as one of the best players ever at his position.
Richie Incognito was a guard in the NFL from 2005 to 2021, making four Pro Bowls during that time. Recently, Incognito appeared on The Rush With Maxx Crosby and was asked to name his Mount Rushmore of guards in NFL history. Incognito named Faneca as one of his four, alongside other Hall of Famers in Larry Allen, Will Shields and Steve Hutchinson.
“Alan Faneca. Alan Faneca was a hell of a player with the Steelers,” Incognito said.
Looking at his accolades, Faneca deserves that praise from Incognito. Not only was he a key contributor on a Super Bowl winning team, but he was named First-team All-Pro six times, Second-team All-Pro twice and also made nine Pro Bowls. However, despite all of that, he still had to wait several years to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with Hutchinson being inducted before him despite having worse accolades.
All of that shows what an amazing player Faneca was, but they aren’t even his most impressive feats. During an extremely physical era of football, especially for an offensive lineman playing in the AFC North, Faneca only missed two games after earning the starting job. His career was 13 years long and he embraced the Steelers’ physical style of play. That’s the definition of toughness.
Faneca played left guard his entire career, except for in 2003, when the Steelers were forced to move him to left tackle due to injuries along their offensive line. Faneca had already been in the league for five years at that point, establishing himself as one of the NFL’s best interior linemen. Making the move outside to tackle would have been disastrous for almost any other player. It isn’t often that guards can make the switch to tackle. However, Faneca embraced the role and excelled, being named an All-Pro and Pro Bowl player that year.
Faneca may not have been the flashiest player in the world, but he was the most resilient, and should have heard his name called to Canton much sooner than it was. Thankfully, that’s all in the past now, and Faneca clearly has the respect of his peers based on Incognito’s ranking. Being an offensive lineman in the NFL can be a thankless job at times, but the Steelers have a Super Bowl ring that should always remind fans to be thankful for Faneca.
