BRADSHAW IS THE MAN AGAIN!
After Terry Bradshaw's return as the Steelers starter that saw him steer his team to victory over the Falcons, he was given the credit for revitalising Pittsburgh’s stuttering running game. With Bradshaw’s passing statistics for the win no better than Gilliam’s previous contributions, coach Noll revealed his reasoning behind the decision for the change. “The quarterback controls it by knowing when to apply certain things,” Noll said.
Bradshaw reflected on regaining his starting job, “It was emotional. I wanted to give all the fans a game ball or throw a TD for every one of them. I felt close to them.
Oh, I heard a few rumbles a couple of times. But I know that you’re not going to have everything your own way regardless of how good or bad you are, so you’ve just got to learn to cope with it or you’ll drive yourself crazy.
I don’t like being booed, but when you’ve been through what I’ve been, you know that it’s just part of the game and it’ll be there as long as you play. I’m sensitive and I know my weaknesses, so now I don’t even read the papers or watch TV anymore.
Fans are fans regardless of where they are and here we’ve got three quarterbacks so everyone wants to make a choice.”
Reflecting on his short career of five years with all the ups and downs, Bradshaw wished he could have arrived without the burden of being a number one draft pick when so much was expected of him. “The press did and labelled me and everybody expected so much,“ Bradshaw said. “A lot of people were disappointed and I’ve been disappointed myself at times. It would have been nice to just sneak in and start playing.
Actually, the quarterbacks always get too much ink. Look at all the good players we’ve got in this locker room. They should be getting more attention. But I guess talking about the quarterbacks is what helps make fans.
I love playing football, even the practices. Nobody does it just for the money. Sure you want to make as much as you can, but you wouldn’t want to do it if you didn’t enjoy playing. I enjoy the atmosphere. Even coming down early and having coffee and talking with the guys. I love every aspect of it.”
The additional impetus to the Steelers ground game against the Falcons had been the pairing of Franco Harris with Rocky Bleier and not rotating his running backs as Noll usually chose to do. “It just happened they went all the way,” Noll commented. “I’m not committed to any one thing. But I don’t like to go a long stretch with just two backs because the other people get rusty. You get contact in games, not practices and I don’t like to see out people get far away from it.
It’s tough to go through an entire season without injuries. I like to keep everybody sharp because it’s a long tough season.”
With four straight wins and with the fifth best record in the NFL, there was no complacency in Noll’s approach to the team's next game against Philadelphia. “You have to get over victories the same way you have to get over defeats. You can’t hang your head when you lose or get satisfied when you win. The test of whether we’re a good team is still ahead of us.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1-1) vs the Philadelphia Eagles (4-3)
On the Steelers’ first possession, Terry Bradshaw confirmed the reason for his return to favour by leading his team 65 yards on eight plays climaxed by his 8-yard touchdown pass to Frank Lewis. The Eagles had an opportunity to reduce the deficit with one of their rare excursions into Pittsburgh territory, but missed a 44-yard field goal.
The Steelers defense that was finally making its presence felt in the season, kept the Eagles from further scoring opportunities while Pittsburgh’s running game continued to flourish.
Joe Greene recovered an Eagles fumble in the second quarter and four plays later, Franco Harris took it in from the five to give the Steelers a 14-0 lead. Roy Gerela’s 35-yard field goal increased the lead, but his 40-yard attempt on the penultimate play of the first half missed.
Philadelphia’s defense dominated the Steelers ground attack in a third quarter that saw Pittsburgh gain only one first down in their first three series.
The Steelers defense then came to the fore. Glen Edwards (picture right with Mike Wagner) intercepted a Roman Gabriel pass, returning it 26 yards to the Eagles’ nine. Gerela’s 28-yd field goal gave the Steelers a 20-0 lead. Mel Blount then picked off a pass and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to complete the scoring.
John Stallworth was ejected from the game midway through the final period with Eagle John Bunting for fighting.
Jack Lambert and Terry Bradshaw both received game balls.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 27 vs the Philadelphia Eagles 0
November 3rd 1974 Three Rivers Stadium; 47,996Noll said he felt Bradshaw had been a lot sharper than the previous week and confirmed it was good to get their first shutout.
Joe Greene commented, “We’re getting better every week and when the time comes for the playoffs, the Steelers will be standing there.”
On the impressive performance from the Steelers’ defense, Edwards cautioned, “We gave them a little and on a championship defense, you don’t want to give them anything. You don’t want to make even little mistakes. That’s the way Miami played the last two years when it was in its stride.”
Passing:
Bradshaw 12-22-146Rushing:
Harris 20-70, Bradshaw 4-48, Pearson 7-47, Bleier 9-39, Fuqua 6-23, Davis 2-13Receiving:
Brown 4-70, Shanklin 4-40, Lewis 3-28, Harris 1-8AFC CENTRAL
Houston 27 N.Y. Jets 22
Cincinnati 24 Baltimore 14
San Diego 36 Cleveland 35THE 1974 STEELERS' TIGHT ENDS
The '74 Steelers’ tight end position usually rotated between Larry Brown (picture right) and Randy Grossman depending on what the play call would be. Before the game against Philadelphia, Noll had offered an opinion on his tight ends, “Brown is a little better blocker and Grossman is a little better receiver.”
During the season, Brown had played almost every down while Grossman had been used primarily in double tight end situations (usually third down and short yardage.)
In the win over the Eagles, Brown caught four passes for 70 yards. “I can look at it this way,” said Brown. “I can have a good game without catching a pass if I block well. When my blocking is good, I’m satisfied. When my receiving is good, I’m satisfied. When they are both good, then I know I had a terrific game.
But I can be satisfied with just one. Of course, the fans don’t see it that way. They judge their tight ends on their catching, not their blocking.”
Selected by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 1971 draft, Brown added, “I’ve come into camp the last three seasons with the positive attitude that I can and should be the regular tight end. Of course, I think more of my ability than anybody else.
But I don’t get down on myself when things go bad and I’ve always had confidence that, if given the chance to play more often, I can be a contributor.”
STEELERS' NEXT OPPONENTS - CINCINNATI
Looking towards the Steelers next game in Cincinnati, coach Noll thought the Bengals would rely heavily on their running game.
“They have been letting their running game take a backseat to their passing attack, Noll observed. “With Isaac Curtis leading the charge, they have been scoring a lot of touchdowns by passing and making a lot of yardage that way. They have two wide receivers with that excellent speed and they have taken advantage of it.
But against us, I don’t think they will operate the same way. I just think they’ll try to run the ball right at us. In the back of their minds they have to be thinking about how well they did that against us last time we played over there.”
Supporting Noll’s belief were the Steelers defensive stats produced against the pass. After eight games of the season, Pittsburgh’s opponents had only completed 39.5 per cent of their passes for a paltry average of 110 yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks had been sacked 32 times and with 17 interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, there were good reasons for opponents to stick to a ground game.
Noll also thought the Bengals had players who had the ability to run the ball well. “They were the last team to move the ball effectively on the ground against us for an entire game and we can’t afford to let it happen again this week.”
With their division rivals 1.5 games behind, a win in Cincinnati would be an important step for the Steelers towards ensuring a playoff spot.
THE STEELERS TRAVEL TO CINCINNATI HOPING TO DECIDE AFC NORTH TITLE
Pittsburgh make the journey to Cincinnati to face division rivals led by the highest rated quarterback in the NFL. Rated 102.3, Ken Anderson had completed 127 of 196 passes for a 64.8 completion percentage and 1,768 yards. His 9 yards per pass also ranks as the NFL’s number one. With 274 rushing yards, Anderson is also the Bengals second rated ground gainer.
Against the NFL’s top ranked defense and second best against the pass, Anderson may struggle to increase his rating. Steelers’ rookie Jack Lambert (picture right) showed respect for the opposing quarterback when he said, “Reacting to a guy like Anderson is going to be some kind of tough. He’s completed… what is it? 65 percent of his passes.
You know why? Because he is patient and never throws into a crowd. If a receiver is well covered he always goes elsewhere. Not some times, but always, Now that makes things tough. Besides he is an excellent runner.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-1-1) at the Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)
The Bengals went ahead in the second quarter when Anderson led his team 70 yards in six plays, finished by a 2-yard touchdown run from Ed Williams. The Steelers next punt was returned 74 yards to give the Bengals excellent field position, but they could only add three points with a 30-yard field goal.
Terry Bradshaw struggled. After completing his first pass, he threw eight straight incompletions. When he finally snapped the streak with a 20-yard completion to Randy Grossman, it provided the energy for a clock-beating drive that saw Roy Gerela kick a 24-yard field goal with the final play of the first half.
Cincinnati increased their lead to 17-3 with another Williams touchdown run of one yard. The Bengals drive of 47 yards was aided by the ejection of Glen Edwards for a hit on Anderson.
Edwards thought his hit was legitimate. “I could have been late and the momentum carried me out of bounds,” he said. “But they should never have put me out of the game.” Coach Noll pointedly commented, “Aren’t you allowed to tackle in this game anymore?” before adding cynically, “Why didn’t they throw Anderson out of the game? He could have hurt Edwards on the play.”
Pittsburgh came back with a six minute drive that finished with Preston Pearson’s one yard touchdown run to reduce the Bengals lead to 17-10 with eleven minutes left in the game. The teams then exchanged turnovers before the Steelers came up short with their final possession.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 10 at the Cincinnati Bengals 17
November 10th 1974 Riverfront Stadium; 57,532Passing:
Bradshaw 13-35-140Rushing:
Harris 17-75, Bleier 8-31, Bradshaw 6-31, Pearson 7-18, Fuqua 1-6Receiving:
Shanklin 2-39, Lewis 3-29, Grossman 2-29, Fuqua 1-16, Bleier 2-14, Harris 2-10, Pearson 1-3The respect that Lambert showed to the Bengals’ quarterback was justified with Anderson completing 20 of his 22 passes for 227 yards to tilt the game the Bengals way.
Bradshaw put up abysmal figures, frequently throwing into double and triple coverage and above or beyond open receivers. “That’s what got me,” he commented. “We’d have a receiver open and I’d miss him bad. That frustrates me. It has to. But we knew we’d throw into that kind of coverage and we had passes designed to handle them.”
AFC CENTRAL
Houston 21 Buffalo 9
Cleveland 21 New England 14Pittsburgh 6 2 1
Cincinnati 6 3 0
Cleveland 4 5 0
Houston 3 6 0THE STEELERS FAILING TO MAKE THE GRADE
Following their loss to Cincinnati, pundits were questioning the strength of the Steelers’ 6-2-1 record for the season. At coach Noll’s weekly press conference, he was asked about the failure so far of the Steelers to beat a team with a winning record. “I don’t judge a team just by its record,” he replied adding that all 26 teams in the NFL were tough. Noll thought his team was good enough to win in the playoffs. “The ‘experts’ may not agree, but I think so,” he said.
After the poor performance of Terry Bradshaw against the Bengals, the weekly quarterback controversy returned. Noll commented, “Whatever way I go, I’m going to be wrong in someone’s eyes, so it doesn’t matter. I’m paid to make the decision and everybody else in the world can second guess – and will.”
THE STEEL CURTAIN IS MOLDED
The Steelers’ defensive line coach, George Perles (picture left), believes that no player can get emotional on their own – that it has to be a group thing. “With our front four, there is so much compassion for one another that it is a real thing and not some phony kind of emotion,” he explained.
“Look at the four guys we have up front. Forget about talent for a minute. Three (Dwight White, Ernie Holmes and Joe Greene) are from Texas and one (L.C. Greenwood) is from Mississippi. All four are blacks, so their backgrounds are pretty similar.
Greene and Greenwood (the left side) started out here together the same year and White and Holmes (the right side) did the same thing a few years later. So those guys are close to one another in a personal and social way, too. All that helps and leads the way to an emotional situation.”
The quartet leads the NFL with 36 sacks for 289 lost yards while anchoring the league’s second best defense. “They are highly motivated and very much goal-oriented individuals,” explained Perles. “Their drives are similar and they express them in a similarly aggressive manner.
Look at Holmes. He hasn’t had the recognition the others have and he is out to get it. The way he is playing right now he will, too. But, as much as he wants that recognition, he doesn’t show any jealousy when White, Greene or Greenwood beats him to a sack or a fumble, He shares in their success just like they share in his on both the emotional and material level.
I don’t want to take any credit for their success either. They are the best front four around, but I only show them what has to be done and want none of the credit for the fact that they can get the job done so often."
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggested that with such a mobile, combative and intimidating front four, the Steelers defensive approach is to hold the opposition to three yards or less on first down. It is however the kind of strategy that plays into the hands of an offense such as Cincinnati or Cleveland use.
“Actually, against us most teams have switched to the play-fake passes and ball-control offenses,” Perles observed. “Minnesota and Miami have proven they can work, but Cincinnati does it better and more often than anybody,” a reference to the previous Sunday’s 17-10 victory over the Steelers.
“So when we gave them that kind of offense and stripped them of Isaac Curtis’ big play potential, we played patient enough to make it into their strength. They were patient enough to make it work, but the key to it working was them getting the first score. If they fall behind, it takes too many plays and too much time to score points. When you let them get ahead like we did Sunday, they can afford to do it.
As it was, we got four sacks and gave up only 17 points. If you get three sacks a game, you’ve got to figure your front four people are doing one helluva job. To get four is great, especially against that kind of offense.”
GLEN EDWARDS – NO REGRETS AND NO APOLOGY!
“If it was my brother, my mother, my father or someone else dear to me, I would have delivered the same blow,” Glen Edwards (picture left) told reporters.
During the third quarter in the loss to Cincinnati, the Bengals’ quarterback Ken Anderson was scrambling for eight yards when Edwards knocked Anderson out of bounds with what the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette describes as a clothesline tackle. Edwards was ejected from the game for a personal foul the TV commentator branded it a “cheap shot.”
In his defence, Edwards commented, “I don’t think I owe anybody an apology. I’m not sorry. I felt like I was just playing football.
The refs never said anything to me. They just went over to the coach and told him I was out of the game. I guess the crowd got to the officials. I didn’t feel like I should have been ejected. I can’t understand the big blowup about it.”
Edwards watched the replays the evening after the game. “They kept saying things like it was a ‘classic cheap shot’,” Edwards observed. “They made it sound like they’d never seen anything in sports like it. It seems as though someone thought I had committed the cardinal sin. But I’ve seen situations worse than that.”
The incident happened so fast that Edwards had trouble describing it and there was no obvious premeditation involved. “It was just an instinctive thing,” Edwards continued. “I don’t know he’s going out of bounds. I know the sidelines are closing, but when I locked onto him, I couldn’t tell exactly where the sideline was. All I knew was that he was running with the ball and I was going to try and stop him.
People are acting like I hit him 10 yards out of bounds, but they showed it from two or three different angles and one foot was in and his other foot was in the air when I got to him.”
The nationally televised game meant hate mail was arriving from across America, but strangely enough not from Cincinnati where the game was played. Some of it was racially motivated. “I don’t let stuff like mail bother me. I opened it and just hung it on my locker for laughs and a lot of the guys looked at it.”
Edwards didn’t want the event to affect his future play. “It’s over and done with and I’m not going to let it stop me from doing what I am supposed to do on the field. As long as the people who pay my salary aren’t dissatisfied. I’m not going to let the fans bother me.”
Coach Noll obviously defended his player with an observation that made a lot of sense. Anderson was bigger by over 25 pounds so Edwards had to hit him hard to ensure he brought the quarterback down.
FRENCHY FUQUA THE FORGOTTEN MAN
With coach Noll’s policy of rotating his backs, Frenchy Fuqua found his playing time cut in half. After his coach found a winning formula with the pairing of Rocky Bleier, first with Preston Pearson and then with Franco Harris, Fuqua was feeling the effects of being out in the cold.
“Things have gone so bad for me this season that I’ve almost forgotten the greatest feeling pro football has to offer,” Fuqua said. When the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asked him what that feeling was, Fuqua snapped back, “Being sore on Monday.”
“Man, it has been so long since I’ve been sore on Monday that I’ve forgotten how good it feels,” Fuqua continued. “I’ve forgotten how to handle interviews too. Until today, I’ve been interviewed only once since the regular season started. I’ve missed it too.
I’ve tried not to take it home with me, but I’ll say this, no one has seen the Count leave home very often lately. I’m a stay at home when things are down. I can’t fool me or others. When I’m down, I’m down.”
With injuries to Pearson and Bleier there was a good chance of Fuqua starting in the Steelers next game away to the browns. “Well, no one has told me I’m not starting this week,” Fuqua offered. “I figure it’s me or Steve Davis, and the way things have gone for me this season that is as certain as it’s likely to be.
I haven’t had much trouble practicing even though I’ve known I’m not going to play much, but game days have been awful. The worst feeling in the feeling in the world is seeing a formation, knowing the play and not being able to do anything about it once it starts. I can’t say that getting up and down on the sidelines has been a real good trip either. That’s a bad scene.”
Fuqua doesn’t hold any bitterness. “Hey, it’s not the World Football League signing or anything like that. Coach Noll has been fair with all of us. He’s gone with his hot backs and I haven’t been too hot. Of course I think playing so little has magnified that situation a lot.
I’ve always started before this year so it has been a tough role for me. As tough as it has been for Rat (Terry Hanratty) to watch the other two quarterbacks play. I think the bench scene has been tougher on me. Rat hasn’t ever been a regular starter and I have. There is a big difference there. But a lot of people think I haven’t been playing because I signed with the WFL. Man, I can’t even consider that.”
STEELERS QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY ABOUT TO INCREASE
The Post-Gazette put humour into their article on the eve of the Steelers game in Cleveland. “It’s either an elaborate practical joke or Noll is planning a stunning switch in an apparent effort to give a psychological boost to a team that has been stumbling on offense.
When asked whether Terry Hanratty would line up under the center in Sunday's game, Noll replied “I don’t know what we’ll do. If we are going to do something, we’d want it to be a surprise.”
Terry Bradshaw added to the conundrum saying, “I’m charting the plays Sunday, Hanratty’s starting.”
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2-1) at the Cleveland Browns (3-6)
The Browns’ coach, Nick Skorich, had prepared his team for the visit of the Steelers around Terry Bradshaw’s running game and Joe Gilliam’s passing game. The coach must have been dismayed to see Terry Hanratty take to the field as the Steelers’ starting quarterback for the first time in the season.
When Hanratty was intercepted in the first quarter, it began a series of eleven turnovers that dominated the game’s sixty minutes.
On a day the Steelers defense played such an important role, they began by holding the Browns to just six yards after the first turnover, forcing a Don Cockroft 44-yard field goal to give Cleveland a three points lead.
Reacting to the turnover, Hanratty led his team on a 69 yards, five plays drive completed by a 28-yard touchdown pass to Ron Shanklin. In the second quarter Franco Harris ran 54 yards up the middle to set up a Roy Gerela 32-field goal to increase the Steelers lead to 10-3.
Cleveland made a 35-yard field goal to reduce their deficit before Pittsburgh added three more points before the half ended with a 32-yard field goal following a Joe Greene (picture left) interception making it 13-6.
When the game went into the third quarter, Van Green stole the ball out of Larry Brown’s hands and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown that tied the scores. Hanratty added to the traumatic game he was having by fumbling a handoff. The Browns recovered and added three points to take the lead with an 18-yard field goal.
Having lost their previous nine games in Cleveland, the Steelers must have thought the curse had returned. “Here we go again,” crossed Greene’s mind. “I thought ‘this is the same old stuff in Cleveland.’ I shouldn’t have been thinking that, but I was. They’ve been a nemesis for us. There’s no such thing as a jinx, but it builds up when you keep losing.”
The Steelers defense was being urged by Andy Russell to keep the faith. “Every so often there’s a game the defense has to win,” said Russell. “We were sure we’d make the play that would win the game. “
At the beginning of the final period, Russell hit the Browns quarterback from behind on a blitz and L.C. Greenwood recovered the fumble ball. Gerela’s 23-yard field goal tied the game again 16-16.
On the Browns’ next series, their quarterback collided with his running back on the handoff. As the ball squirted loose, Greene recovered it before tossing it to J.T. Thomas who returned it 14 yards to give the Steelers a 23-16 lead that finished the game’s scoring.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 26 at the Cleveland Browns 16
November 17 1974 Cleveland Municipal Stadium; 77,739Passing:
Hanratty 2-15-63-1TD-3intRushing:
Harris 23-156, Davis 9-52, Fuqua 8-31, Hanratty 1-(-6)Receiving:
Shanklin 3-81Hanratty had been forced to retire in the fourth quarter with leg cramps and when Gilliam replaced him, it indicated that Bradshaw had been relegated to third string. Hanratty had completed more passes to the Browns (3) than his own players (2).
Preston Pearson returned three kick-offs for 103 yards while Harris gained a career high 156 yards on 23 carries.
Coach Noll told reporters, “Joe Greene got the offensive game ball for his broken field running.” None of the reporters queried the remark.
AFC Central
Cincinnati 3 Houston 20THE QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY RAGES ON
Despite the weekend’s win against the Browns, coach Noll admitted, “If there was a deficiency in our play against Cleveland, it was our passing attack. I started Hanratty against Cleveland because of the way he has performed in the big games last year. I had a hunch he might do it again.”
Unfortunately for Noll and the Steelers, Hanratty (picture left) only had a completion rate of 13%. Noll hadn’t declared who was to be Sunday’s starter until the end of the week. “Why did I wait so long before announcing the decision? Because I didn’t make up my mind until late in the week. I don’t know that I’d want to do that again.”
Looking ahead to the game against New Orleans next weekend, Noll confessed, “I don’t know what I am going to do this week either. I don’t know what the factors in the decision will be either. Our policy has been to give all three quarterbacks a lot of work, but maybe we need to alter that approach. Maybe that had something to do with our weak passing attack.”
Noll reflected, “Earlier in the season our passing percentage was higher, but then we got a few receivers injured and it dropped off. There are other factors beside the quarterback.”
Both John Stallworth and Lynn Swann missed the Cleveland game. Coach Noll updated the media saying, “Stallworth is out of the hospital and they found a swelling on his arm. It is supposed to be going away and we hope to get him back for practice this week. We’re trying to be cool on the Swann thing.
His finger is still not completely healed, but we don’t want to use him unless there is an emergency until it heals completely. He could play if needed, but he might dislocate the finger all over again and there is no percentage in that.”
Compounding the receiver problems was the challenge with the running backs. Both Preston Pearson and Rocky Bleier missed the game in Cleveland. Belier is due to return to practice, but Pearson was hospitalised for further treatment on a contusion in his hamstring muscle. Adding to those problems was the dislocated wrist of Frenchy Fuqua that could mean him missing four to six weeks.
Noll was philosophical stating, “I’d like to pick up a back somewhere, but we’d want him to be in shape and of sufficient quality so he could help us immediately. That’s a hard item to find.
We can’t bring back our cuts from training camp after the first six weeks of the season without securing waivers and we can’t go to the World Football League because of NFL rules. So, picking a guy up will be tough. I might be willing to put Fuqua on the injured list for the rest of the season if I could find a replacement though.”
TERRY HANRATTY REFLECTIONS
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette observed that Terry Hanratty learned rather early in his big time football career to keep it all in perspective. As a sophomore at Notre Dame when he made his collegiate debut before a national TV audience, Hanratty made the kind of debut that kids dream about – teaming with Jim Seymour to beat Purdue.
Hanratty completed 16 of 24 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns, all to Seymour, who had 13 receptions. “Jim and I were feeling pretty good that day, but at our first meeting after the game coach Parseghian made us feel not so good,” Hanratty recalled. “He didn’t want anybody to get a big head and he chewed us out for every little mistake.
That was a very big year in my life… being so young and away from home. I was only eighteen then. I guess it could have been tough to cope with, but not the way Ara handled it. It was a big factor for me… probably the biggest influence in my life. It set the tone for my whole career.
If Hanratty doesn’t start against the Saints he won’t be protesting. “Complaining doesn’t get you anywhere. It hurts the team and it hurts yourself,” he said.