1977 Pittsburgh Steelers

Since becoming part of the top tier of professional football in 1960, the Broncos had never made the playoffs. “We got tired of being laughed at,” Bronco defensive lineman Lyle Alzado told the Post-Gazette. “We never had any respect. All we want is for people to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got a tough game against Denver.’ We just want respect.”

With their 6-1 record on the season, the Broncos are one of the most talked about teams going into their game against the Steelers. Player power in 1976 saw Denver’s coach replaced when they called for Coach John Ralston to be fired. “We didn’t believe we could win with Ralston,” said Alzado. “He’s a good guy, but he didn’t coach. We stood up for something we believed in.”

After the trauma of the previous year, the Broncos were enjoying their best start to a season. Former offensive line coach for the Patriots, Red Miller, was their new head coach.

After the Steelers loss to Baltimore, Joe Green was still confirming his “Mean” moniker three days later as he stalked around the locker room after practice waving his arms around to emphasis his point. “I’m on a crusade now against the striped shirts and I will be until I get out of the game,” he ranted.

Greene had been upset by the offside calls made against him in the Colts game and felt officials were singling out the Steelers instead of staying neutral. Greene was outraged because he was deliberately coming of the ball slower than he normally does in the game to avoid penalties, but to no avail, the flags still fell.

Claiming the game film exonerated him, Greene observed, “I’m not that kind of a person, but I’ve got hate in my heart.” He explained that mere words were unable to convey how angry he felt about the officials and that much of what he did have to say couldn’t be quoted in a family newspaper.

Threatening to do physical harm to the officials, Greene elaborated, “I may not be long for this game, but I’ve had a full career. If I get half a chance, I’ll punch one of them out and it’d give me a whole lot of satisfaction.”

Continuing his tirade, Greene added, “They’re supposed to call it to the best of their ability, but their ability ain’t worth a bleep. I can’t knock ‘em out, but I’d dearly love to. I wish a bolt of lightning would come down and strike one of their hearts out.”

Greene made it clear the officials better not get in his way – even accidentally during a game. “If they get in the way, I’ll just cleat ‘em in the spine. I won’t go around them.” Aware the NFL commissioner doesn’t approve of such aggressive talk, Greene noted, “If they fine me, I’ll let you know.”

Claiming there were double standards, Greene suggested making a bet. “They won’t call a holding penalty on the guy across from me all year,” he predicted

The offside controversy began in the Oakland game. Greene believed that Ken Stabler, with the confidence he has in his offensive line, doesn’t bother with deception, using the same count every time. Greene claimed he was timing Stabler’s count so he moved just as center Dave Dalby started to snap the ball.

“I caused two fumbles that way and they took them away from me,” voiced an aggrieved Greene. He added that as the season progressed the offside penalties have continued and he had become very conscious of them. “You’d have to be when you’ve been called as many time as I have,” he explained.

Describing the change he had made to his alignment that meant he was slower coming of the ball in the last two games, Greene said, “It was making me sit on the line of scrimmage. The first thing you are taught is to get off the ball.” When he was still called for the penalties against the Colts, Greene’s patience lapsed. “I’m on the edge of blowing up,” he suggested.

The first reaction from the NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle on Joe Greene’s comment suggesting that he would deck an official was a cautious one. Rozelle who was in Denver for the Steelers game said, “I was surprised, because he’s a leader – a thinking person.”

Asked by reporters if he had heard remarks as strong as those attributed to Greene from other players, Rozelle replied, “No.” He wouldn’t be pressed on any potential punishment, saying, “I really don’t want to say, because right now I don’t know myself.”

The Steelers off-field player discontent continued with the walkout of Glen Edwards, who left the team and Pittsburgh because he was unhappy with his current contract. The irony for the Steelers is that Edwards would likely be replaced in the lineup by Jimmy Allen, who walked out the previous week.

While the Steelers offense went missing at the start of the game, the Broncos scored after ten minutes with a Rob Lytle’s 1-yard run. When the Steelers punted on their subsequent possession, Rick Upchurch returned the kick 87 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time since 1969 that the Steelers had given up a touchdown on a punt.

Denver’s quarterback Craig Morton only completed 5 of 12 passes for 101 yards, but he made them count. In the second quarter he connected with a 34-yard pass to start a drive before finishing it with 20-yard touchdown pass to Haven Moses, giving the Broncos 21-0 lead at the half.

The Steelers offense continued to struggle in the third quarter and Bradshaw took a series out after being sacked and fumbling. Pittsburgh finally managed a score in the final period when Terry Bradshaw finished a 75-yard drive with a touchdown pass to Lynn Swann of 4 yards.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 7 at the Denver Broncos 24
Mile High Stadium November 6th 1977; 74,967

Passing: Bradshaw 13-26-0INT-1TD-146, Graff 1-0-0-0-0
Morton 5-12-0INT-1TD-101, Penrose 1-2-0-0-12

Receiving: Stallworth 4-57-1TD, Lewis 1-19, Swann 3-32, Bleier 4-29, Harris 1-9

“I have no explanation,” sighed Coach Noll. “We are without question at the bottom,” he suggested before adding, “there’s not much difference between winning and losing. We’ve lost that little bit that makes the difference, whatever it is, and we’ve got to find it.”

“Our kicking game killed us,” noted Noll. “You lose field position of that magnitude, you’ve got problems. We’d have been better off going for it all the time on fourth down.”

Reflecting on the Steelers sitting at 4-4, Joe Greene observed, “There are two things I refuse to believe. One, that we no longer have the talent and two, that we no longer want it. We are trying out there. We’re busting our butts. Mistakes are killing us. It’s not the things that happen off the field; it’s what we’re doing on the field.”

“There’s a fine line between losing and winning and sometimes you cross over the line without knowing it,” Greene added. “We’ve known for a long time that it is getting tougher for us to win… that other clubs are catching up.”

Art Rooney suggested the Steelers have to stop making “dumb mistakes,” and noted “it was always tough when you get booed at home.”

“We can’t live in the past and we can’t look past the Browns,” said Coach Noll. On the Browns winless record in Three Rivers Stadium, Noll added, “I don’t think it has anything to do with anything. A statistic doesn’t hold itself.”

Not quite two years after winning back to back Super Bowls, the question was being asked about the Steelers, “where are they headed?” Even at 4-4, the opportunity to make the playoffs was still viable, but they had to start with a win over their next opponents. If they failed to make it to the playoffs, would a major overhaul be in order asked Vito Stellino in the Post-Gazette?

Pittsburgh’s next test would come when they host the Browns, who had never enjoyed success in Three Rivers Stadium. After defeating the Browns in Cleveland earlier in the season, Stellino indicated that if the Steelers couldn’t beat the Browns again, their problems may be more serious than even their most pessimistic followers feared.

A young Cleveland team, chasing the division title, would be keen to put one over their opponents. The rivalry was noted for the skirmishes between the Browns offensive line and the Steelers defensive line. Doug Dieken, the Browns veteran tackle was usually in the thick of it and suggested, “You’ve got to do what you have to do to keep them off the quarterback. That’s what offensive linemen are paid to do. It’s just part of the game. That’s the way it is. You do what you can.”

When asked about the flare-ups that often occur, Dieken replied, “When you play Pittsburgh, it’s a physical, emotional game and guys lose their tempers. There’s a lot of pride in this game and we like to play good, aggressive football.”

Joe Greene met with the NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle to discuss the player’s threat to “cleat one of the officials in the spine.” The following day the Steelers publicity director read a brief statement to the press. “Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Joe Greene has been informed by NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle that disciplinary action will be taken in the form of a fine for his remarks last week regarding officials.”

After learning of the Commissioner’s decision, Greene said, “I explained to Mr. Rozelle that I said what I did for effect. I wanted to call attention to the problem that I think exists regarding the officials. I was upset and frustrated. In the future, I will express myself in a different manner. The Commissioner suggested I pick up the telephone and call him if I have any problems. I might take him up on the offer.”

Talking about the Steelers off-field troubles before the Cleveland game, Browns running back Greg Pruitt suggested, “I’d be surprised if it didn’t affect them. They’ve had people not in camp, people they haven’t been able to sign. All those things are distractions away from playing football.”

Pruitt believed that the individuals involved in the challenges would be affected. “I could imagine what effect it would have on me, thinking I’m one calibre of a football player and trying to get what I’m worth and then being turned down for that amount. It would be disappointing to me. I know I’m not going to play as well.”

Turning to his team Pruitt felt the Browns, who everyone thought would begin the season “oh-and-foh,” will never possess a better opportunity of ending their seven year drought at Three Rivers Stadium.

If the Browns manage to break their duck, they would go two games ahead of the Steelers and hold a huge advantage over their rivals. “This will be my fifth year up there and all four times, of course, we’ve lost in Pittsburgh,” Pruitt noted.

Pruitt thought the loss of Jack Lambert would take its toll on Pittsburgh declaring, “Definitely they’re not the same when Lambert is not there. Lambert is a guy who can read run and then get back into pass coverage. He’s all over the field. He’s kind of the controller. You see Lambert quite a bit sending people here, sending people there. He’s the poh-liceman.”

Noting the Steelers still lead the league in defense, Pruitt said, “It’s always difficult to move the ball on Pittsburgh’s defense. They have a lot of pride in their defense. They don’t make any adjustments for anybody – that’s how much confidence they have.”

The Steelers kept up their record against the Browns without breaking out into a sweat. After Cleveland put the first points on the board with a field goal, it was then all Steelers as Terry Bradshaw found the form that took the team to two Super Bowls.

Finding Lynn Swann with a 39-yard touchdown pass put the Steelers into the lead in the first quarter before they exploded in the second period. Rocky Bleier ran in for a 2-yard touchdown before Bradshaw found John Stallworth with a 38-yard touchdown pass to increase their lead.

Just before the half expired, Franco Harris finished a drive of 98 yards with his 16-yard touchdown run that gave the Steelers a 28-3 lead. Bradshaw had completed 8 of his first 12 passes for 226 yards.

Greg Pruitt contributed to a Cleveland drive in the third quarter that put seven points on the board with 5-yard touchdown run from Miller.

Joe Greene recovered a Cleveland fumble at their 43, beginning a Steelers drive that continued into the final quarter and finished with a 9-yard touchdown catch by Stallworth.

Leading 35-10, the Steelers then allowed Cleveland to mop up with three touchdowns helped by fumbles from Bradshaw and Harris.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 35 vs the Cleveland Browns 31
Three Rivers Stadium November 13th 1977; 47,055

Passing: Bradshaw 13-21-0INT-3TD-283, Graff 2-2-0-0-0
Mays 17-32-2INT-3TD-269, Sipe 4-8-1-0-24

Receiving: Stallworth 6-126-2TD, Swann 5-129-1TD, Cunningham 1-21, Harris 2-1

“I was the target,” explained the Browns rookie cornerback Oliver Davis, “And Terry Bradshaw kept hitting the bulls eye. I’ve never played a worse game in my life. I was awful.”

“Bradshaw had the best game he’s had in a long time,” suggested Coach Noll. “He had been throwing a few interceptions and that’s enough to wear on any quarterback. He’s reached a point where he’s throwing with confidence again.”

A bubbling Bradshaw offered, “It was like riding a roller coaster and it keeps going down. “Stall (John Stallworth) says, ‘hey I can by this guy, and bingo, it’s a touchdown. We put in a new play for Swann, a hook-and-go, and bingo it’s a touchdown.”

Looking ahead to the visit of the Cowboys, who lost their first game of the season against St. Louis, Bradshaw added, "A victory over Dallas I think would carry us through the season. I don't think we'd lose another game."

During the build up for the visit of the Cowboys, the question for Dallas centred on whether Tony Dorsett would get his first start in the city where he played his collegiate football. Dorsett had been the Cowboys first round pick in May’s draft and had already rushed for 522 yards with an average of 4.7 and seven touchdowns as a backup.

“It’s a little tough to come in cold off the bench,” explained Dorsett. ”The longer I play, the stronger I get.”
The running back he would be replacing was former Steeler Preston Pearson, who still lived in Pittsburgh during the off-season.

Although Dallas Coach Tom Landry didn’t question Dorsett’s running ability, he wasn’t convinced Dorsett could catch the ball. “I nonchalanted it a bit in practice and dropped some passes,” admitted Dorsett. “I told them I could do it on Sunday, but they told me I had to prove it in practice first.”

Dorsett was looking for a large number of tickets to the game for family and friends. “I’ve always been a Steeler,” he admitted. “It’s thrill for me to play against the Steel Curtain because I know so many guys. I think they have respect for me like I have for them. I am one of their biggest boosters.

It was a good feeling for me when I looked at the schedule. I was disappointed the exhibition game wasn’t in Pittsburgh, but I was happy when I saw this one was.”

Former Eagles safety, was expected to join the Steelers in time to face the team he played twice a year in the NFC East division for nine years. He was never once seen shaking hands with his opponents when the clock ran out. Although the Eagles usually lost, Bradley said it was because he didn’t feel like it.

“I never did get along with them,” he revealed after a try-out in the rain at Three Rivers. “Drew Pearson came off the bench once and clubbed me on the back of the head… I guess for all the tantalising things I’ve probably done to him.”

Traded to Minnesota in 1976, Bradley confessed’ “I’m excited and happy. Shoot, no I didn’t expect to be with the Steelers. I’m happy. This team is putting it together.”

Addressing the media, Coach Landry implied for the most part, the Steelers problems in 1977 have been situated above a player’s chin strap. “Pittsburgh is as good as it wants to be,” he acknowledged.

Franco Harris agreed saying, “You know, that’s right on the button. That’s it right there.” Harris believed that the team was only now repossessing whatever spirit they lacked in the first eight games of the season. “I’m not saying it wasn’t there, but I don’t think everybody was really letting it out. Even now, I don’t think the intensity is where it can be.”

The Pittsburgh Press noted that the team usually followed the pattern of Chuck Noll, their low-key often terse head coach. Noll doesn’t throw himself into a pile of players prior to kickoff. The atmosphere is and has usually been one of business, even though the coach has been known to mention to players the goal of “having fun out there.”

“I don’t want to say it should be like college, you know that rah-rah stuff,” said Harris, “but I think mental attitude is very important – the emotion people have, the emotion they display.”

Harris suggested it was something intangible, but admitted his play falls off when he doesn’t feel it. “I guess a lot of guys don’t need that, but it’s important to me. I think a lot of guys are going to have to show their intensity more. We haven’t reached as far as we can.”

The game began quietly as the teams sounded each other out and it was a Franco Harris fumble at the end of the first quarter that gave the first scoring opportunity. Roger Staubach used Tony Dorsett to advance the Cowboys before the rookie running back carried it over on a 13-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys point after was blocked by Winston.

Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 35 yards to give the Steelers good field position. Harris atoned for his turnover by exploding through the Dallas defense 61 yards for a score.

The Cowboys replied with a 95-yard drive that finished with a touchdown catch of 23 yards by Jay Saldi, but another good kick return, this time from Maxson, enabled Bradshaw to lead his team on a scoring drive completed by his 9-yard touchdown pass to Lynn Swann.

Leading 14-13 at the half, the Steelers built on their advantage as Harris continued to pound the Cowboys defense. John Stallworth pulled in a touchdown pass of 28 yards before an interception from Jimmy Allen returned 48 yards gave the Steelers the opening to kill the game as it placed the ball on their opponents two.

A touchdown run from Harris of 2 yards in the third quarter saw the scoring end, but not his contribution as he finished with a career best 179 yards. Against the NFC’s stingiest defense, the Steelers racked up 228 yards on the ground.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 28 vs the Dallas Cowboys 13
Three Rivers Stadium November 20th 1977; 49,761

Rushing: Harris 29-179-2TD, Bleier 12-39, Deloplaine 2-7, Thornton 1-2, Harrison 1-1, Bradshaw 1-1, Stallworth 1-(-1)

“They took the game to us,” confessed Tony Dorsett before adding, “Everybody knows how good the Steel Curtain defense is.”

“Last week we didn’t prove anything,” admitted Coach Noll. “This week we might have proved something, that when we get our mind to it, we can get it done.”

“I’m so wired up man, we just had to win this game,” remarked Terry Bradshaw. “Everybody caught on fire and we all got caught up in it. It doesn’t ever get easier, but we can’t lose this emotion. We can’t say, ‘Hey, we beat Dallas’ and go up to New York and get our butts kicked.”

AFC North
Cleveland 21 N.Y. Giants 7
Cincinnati 23 Miami 17
Houston 22 Seattle 10

At his weekly press conference, Coach Noll revealed he has tired his projector finger button savouring footage of the 61-yard romp by Franco Harris. “I was happy to see it and we played it over and over,” he confessed.

He lauded Jimmy Allen for his efforts at safety, particularly for his interception that set up a touchdown. Allen had been his own distraction earlier in the season when he left the team and then returned two days later.

“I hope we have reached the point where we’ve eliminated the mistakes,” he told the reporters. “If we can play mistake-proof football against Dallas, we should be able to do it against everybody.”

Ever since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, fans had debated the strengths of both conferences. When questioned on the 13-3 record the NFC held over its younger conference, Noll noted, “It’s the National Football League as far as I’m concerned. I think we have some holdouts who want to separate it, but the NFC has a lot of good teams in it.”

With two of their six defensive linemen injured, the Steelers needed every available player and that included the walking wounded. Steve Furness suffered a bruised shoulder during the Dallas game leading to trainer Ralph Berlin asking Furness in the locker room with the game over, “Didn’t this hurt before, why didn’t you say something?”

“It’s part of the game,” Furness observed. “It’s part of the game. It didn’t enter my mind to come out. I was programmed to play no matter what.” The player suffered what he described as a “slight” shoulder separation during the first half when he fell on his shoulder and never missed a down.

If Furness had stayed on the sideline, it would have left his team with no real replacement. Linebacker Robin Cole would have been required to fill the gap. Vito Stellino suggested in the Post-Gazette that it’s doubtful Furness would have come out as the player had waited too long for his chance.

“It was a chance to play against Tony Dorsett, a million dollar player and everybody’s watching on TV,” explained Furness. “Once you’re in, you’re in. It’s a challenge and you want to play.” Furness has spent most of his career as the fifth man in a musical chairs game with only four seats and now he had one of those chairs, he didn’t want to lose it.

When he moved from right tackle to left end after L.C. Greenwood and John Banaszak went down in the Denver game, Furness had the unique record of starting at four different positions in three years.
He started in seven games in 1975 at left defensive tackle when Joe Greene was injured and last year he opened the season at right end when Dwight White was ailing and started three games. An ankle injury forced him onto the sideline.

“I never had any doubts I could play,” he said. “It was frustrating mentally. A lot of times you don’t get any answers. You can’t achieve any goals if you don’t play.” When Ernie Holmes showed up at camp overweight and distracted, Furness stepped in and won the right tackle spot.

His versatility enabled Furness to switch positions with the injuries to Greenwood and Banaszak. He doesn’t worry about where he plays, as long as he is playing. “I can’t tell myself I made mistakes because I moved from tackle to end,” he said. “I suppose I could let it blow my mind, but I am used to moving around and being told this, put here and subbed in and out.”

Working with Joe Greene is a benefit Furness enjoys. “I think we work together well. We’re about the same height and he helps me psychologically. He doesn’t want me to get down on myself.”

Struggling for three weeks with a knee injury that had kept him off the field, Jack Lambert remarked, “Now at least there’s light at the end of the tunnel,” before joking, “And as somebody once said, ‘I hope it’s not a train.’”

With the playoffs back in the Steelers sights, Lambert was realistic, “Just because we beat Dallas doesn’t mean we are in the playoffs,” although he did admit, “We keep playing the way we are now, we’re going to be all right.”

Talking about his enforced layoff, Lambert said, “This knee thing really opened my eyes. I’ve played for three and a half years and I’ve never had any kind of serious injury, and this time I came close to surgery. I’ve always said, ‘Well my career would be over – I might not ever be able to play again – but it wasn’t a realisation.”

Reflecting on the team’s turnaround since his injury, Lambert noted, “It’s just the last two weeks we’ve cut down on our turnovers,” before adding, “I could tell before the Dallas game that these guys were ready to play, all fired up.

The Steelers were once again feeling on top of the world. After two wins to resurrect their season, bookies made them two touchdown favourites to beat the Jets. With Terry Bradshaw back in command and interception free those two games and with the Jets quarterback Richard Todd doubtful with a knee injury, confidence was high.

Coach Noll urged caution noting the Jets had beaten New England and only came up short by one point against Oakland. Bradshaw agreed saying, “People don’t take them seriously and if you take them lightly, you’ll be in trouble.”

The Steelers found themselves without Joe Greene who suffered back spasms before the game and that left the team with six starting linemen, not quite enough for a 4-3 defense. The ever versatile Steve Furness moved to left tackle with Robin Cole moving into the left end slot.

Playing in a gusting wind, the Jets struck first, kicking a 33-yard field goal, but the Steelers went 77 yards on the next series finishing with a John Stallworth touchdown of 37 yards. Gerela’s point after attempt was blocked. New York kicked a 47-yard field goal to tie the game.

A Dennis Winston interception at the end of the first quarter saw a Steelers’ drive continue into the second period and produced their next score. Lynn Swann pulled in a 5-yard pass to increase Pittsburgh’s lead to 13-6.

With the reorganisation in the Steelers defense, New York’s running back Scott Dierking prospered and contributed to a Jets scoring drive that he finished with a touchdown catch of 5 yards as even the scores again at 13-13.

After Robin Cole recovered a muffed handoff, the Steelers found themselves on their opponents 19 and exploited the excellent field position. Four plays later Franco Harris dived in from the one for the touchdown and the Steelers were back in front with a 20-13 score line at the half.

The Jets blocked a punt in the third quarter and returned it for a touchdown, but an offside penalty nullified the score. The Jets conspired to self-destruct with Matt Robinson throwing two consecutive interceptions, but in the swirling wind, Bradshaw found it difficult to exploit the turnovers.

Coach Michaels decided to try something different at the beginning of the final quarter and replaced Robinson with Todd, but his enterprise failed. His first two passes were picked off making it four straight interceptions for Pittsburgh. The Steelers attempts to add to their score with the takeaways saw Gerela hit the crossbar with a 40-yard field goal attempt before he was successful with one from 37 yards.

As the clock was winding down, the Jets scored on a 4-yard touchdown pass by Bruce Harper, but the Steelers managed to survive against a team that had succeeded in handing the game to their opponents.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 23 at the New York Jets 20
Shea Stadium November 27th 1977; 47,385

Passing: Bradshaw 10-28-1INT-2TD-143
Robinson 7-19-3INT-1TD-80, Todd 2-6-2INT-1TD-8

“It’s nice when you play with Robin (Cole) because he’s so quick,” said Steve Furness. “I had a couple of sacks because the quarterback was being chased out of the pocket.” With Greene out, Furness admitted, “It was a let-down because Joe calms us in the huddle. He controls things when we pass rush.”

“It was a struggle out there today,” confessed Terry Bradshaw. “”We didn’t do anything in the second half.”

“I don’t know if we would have been any better with Joe in there,” Coach Noll said. “The Jets had a good game plan and we just weren’t tackling very good.”

AFC Central
Cincinnati 30 NY Giants 13
Houston 34 Kansas 20
Los Angeles 9 Cleveland 0

The Steelers defense was finding it difficult to put together eleven starters with L.C. Greenwood doubtful for their next game and Ernie Holmes suffering a pinched nerve in the Jets game.

Joe Greene missed practice during the week with fans waiting for news concerning his health after he missed the game in New York because of back spasms.

John Banaszak was placed on injured reserve with a sprained knee leading to the Steelers signing linebacker Brad Cousino, who played fourteen games with Cincinnati in the 1975 season and six with the Giants the following year. Cousino was expected to play mainly on special teams.

The Steelers were playing the new Seattle Seahawks, who were 21 points underdogs. The Seahawks strengths were quarterback Jim Zorn and wide receiver Steve Largent. “They’ve thrown 19 TD passes,” noted Steelers defensive coordinator Bud Carson. “When they’re making a ball game out of it or if they win, they’re getting a couple of bombs.”

For the Steelers, John Stallworth’s five touchdown catches in four games sees him leading the team with seven on the season. Former Steelers’ number one draft pick Dave Brown, taken by Seattle in the expansion draft, would be trying to prevent Stallworth from increasing his numbers.

The Steelers played lacklustre football for the first half although they did put the first points on the board at the end of the first quarter. Starting on their own 36-yard line, the Steelers needed a pass interference penalty to continue their drive that finished with a run from Terry Bradshaw of five yards.

Seattle was made to settle for a 20-yard field goal at the beginning of the second quarter. On the Steelers subsequent series that was again aided by a penalty and a one handed catch from John Stallworth, Roy Gerela kicked a 22-yard field goal.

A Loren Toews fumble recovery gave the Steelers prime field position on their opponents 31, but their advance was thwarted by Seattle and Gerela added another field goal, this one from 27 yards, for the Steelers to take a 13-3 lead into the locker room.

The Seahawks began the second half sprightly and on their first drive, Jim Zorn found Sam McCullum with a pass of 65 yards that he took into the end zone. A fumble by Franco Harris on the next series enabled the Seahawks to tie the game 13-13 with a 27-yard field goal.

The Seahawks returned the turnover and the Steelers were forced to settle for a 43-yard field goal at the start of the final period that put them back into a lead they never relinquished. On the Steelers next series,

Bradshaw showed his leadership style, first with a gain of sixteen yards through a run on fourth and two and then with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Lynn Swann.

Mel Blount’s interception on Seattle’s next series he returned 37 yards ensured a Steelers victory when Bradshaw ended the 56-yard drive with his 1-yard run.

The Seahawks star duo of Zorn and Largent combined for a touchdown catch of 30 yards to provide some respectability to the score and beat the handicap.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 30 at the Seattle Seahawks 20
Three Rivers Stadium December 4th 1977; 45,429

“We were never out of control, we just didn’t have the killer instinct,” offered Terry Bradshaw. “I really can’t imagine us losing to an expansion team, but we should have beat them easy.”

“When they tied it 13-13, I thought ‘Oh brother,’” Jack Lambert said. “I thought, ‘We’re gonna goof around and goof around and lose this thing… those things can happen… yeah, I was concerned… he no, we couldn’t beat Cincinnati (the Steelers next opponents) the way we played.”

“Overall, I’d say we won,” observed Coach Noll. “That’s the bottom line,” he added before conceding they would have to play better against Cincinnati.

AFC Central
Cincinnati 27 Kansas 7
San Diego 37 Cleveland 14
Denver 24 Houston 14

Pittsburgh 8-4
Cincinnati 7-5
Cleveland 6-6
Houston 6-6

With two games of the 1977 season left, the Steelers would guarantee playoff football with a win over their next opponents, the Cincinnati Bengals. “I want to take my tired, old body out to the coast without having to worry about a ‘must game,’” Joe Greene suggested, a reference to the Steelers final game in San Diego.

“The Bengals simply don’t think they can beat the Steelers in a big game, or some of them don’t,” Greene added. “You can hear it in their conversation.”

The Bengals had lost six straight against their division rivals and Greene couldn’t see that changing with the Steelers offense peaking at the right time. “I like our offense,” he enthused. “I couldn’t say that a few weeks ago when they had all the turnovers. But I’ll tell you this, they are going to put points on the board against anybody. Anybody.”

At his weekly press conference, Chuck Noll stated, “Our season is on the line right now,” before explaining, “Our backs are to the wall in a sense.” Noll’s concern was a defeat in Cincinnati by more than six points combined with a win for the Bengals the following week would snatch the division title from the Steelers’ grasp under the NFL’s tie-break procedure.

The Steelers could still see post season football if they lost to the Bengals by less than six and then beat the Chargers. Reporters questioned whether that would affect the way his team would play. “The only interest we have is in winning the game,” Noll assured them.

Bengals defensive end Gary Burley stressed the importance of the matchup to his team, “We know what’s at stake. If we knock off Pittsburgh it’s a sure shot to the playoffs.”

Fellow end Coy Bacon noted, “The whole thing has changed. The Bengals have a different attitude. Last year when I came here the Pittsburgh game was a panic thing. Everybody sat around hoping and crying and praying. Being afraid of Pittsburgh was a traditional thing. But you’re not talking to the same team this year. We have guys who are hungry and care, guys who want to win like it’s their last meal.”

Bacon acknowledged the Bengals’ main task would be to stop Franco Harris while Terry Bradshaw explained the Steelers had been passing more in recent games because their opponents were playing their safeties in run support and leaving the pass open.

Lynn Swann made the Steelers intentions clear. “All I know is that the team with the best record is the champion. We want to have the best record. That’s all I’m thinking about.

The game at Riverfront Stadium was expected to be played in sub-zero temperatures with the ground crew discovering the day before the game a sheet of ice covering the artificial turf after a snow storms had caused seepage in the tarpaulin covering the field.

In freezing conditions, the Steelers struggled in a game that would have seen them crowned division champions with a win. On the Steelers first series, Terry Bradshaw’s first pass attempt intended for Lynn Swann was picked off by the Bengals’ Lemar Parrish and returned 47 yards for a touchdown.

On the Steelers next drive, a Rocky Bleier fumble recovered by Coy Bacon on the Steelers 15, saw Jack Ham and Jack Lambert prevent a touchdown with a goal line stand. With the Steelers offense failing to ignite, Cincinnati was given another opportunity to add to their score, but Chris Bahr’s field goal attempt went wide left.

With a drive that began at the end of the first quarter and Bradshaw putting some passes together, on the first play of the second period, Franco Harris powered in from the five and the game was tied 7-7 with Roy Gerela’s conversion.

Cincinnati’s quarterback left the game for one series after taking a nasty hit from Ernie Holmes while Harris racked up the yards providing an opportunity for Gerela to kick a 32-yard field goal to give the Steelers a 10-7 halftime lead. Harris rushed for 101 yards on 20 carries while the Steelers gained 240 totals yards of offense compared to the Bengals 103.

Mel Blount prevented Cincinnati going ahead when he intercepted a pass in the end zone, but the Bengals defense suddenly found a way to stop the progress of Harris. Despite Bradshaw finding rookie receiver Jim Smith for his first pro reception, the Steelers began to struggle on offense with a fumble from Harris resulting in a Cincinnati 24-yard field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, Smith fumbled the kick return and the Bengals recovered to start a drive on Pittsburgh’s 43. Cincinnati took the lead when Anderson’s pass of 43 yards found Pat McInally for a touchdown.

In the final quarter, Harris fumbled again, but the Bengals failed to take advantage when they rolled the snap on a field goal attempt and Bahr hit the right upright with his kick. Both teams toiled in the cold and failed to add further points resulting in a 17-10 Cincinnati victory.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 10 at the Cincinnati Bengals 17
Riverfront Stadium December 10th 1977; 36,067 (15,325 no shows)

“No doubt about it, we had some costly fumbles,” confessed Franco Harris. “Especially bad because it happened in scoring territory. You turn the ball over, that hurts. It really does.”

“I think we are in trouble,” admitted Jack Ham. “When you’re in a position where you got to root for someone else to get you in the playoffs. I think it’s kind of a grave situation. I’m usually the eternal optimist, but…”

In a reference to the Bengals next game, defensive end Coy Bacon declared, “There’s no way Houston can stop us.”

“All that garbage about Pittsburgh’s superiority and psychological edge is gone now,” argued Bengals’ coach Bill Johnson. “We beat them and we beat them right,” he added before stressing, “this game is nice, but the big game is next week.”

After suffering a broken arm when he slipped on the ice the day before the game, Coach Noll faced the prospect of his team not making the playoffs for the first time in seven years. “We willed our destiny away,” Noll acknowledged. “It was a helluva game between two good teams under lousy circumstances, but it wasn’t exactly a fun afternoon out there for us today.”

AFC Central
Houston 19 Cleveland 15

Cincinnati 8-5
Pittsburgh 8-5
Houston 7-6
Cleveland 6-7

When Terry Bradshaw was voted the Steelers MVP, he was elated and said, “It’s a great honour. I’m kind of overwhelmed by it. Especially when it comes from your teammates who know more than anyone what you’re going through. I want to accept it on behalf of the whole offensive line. They’re the guys who are taken for granted. They make me look good.”

Since the award was created in 1971, Andy Russell, Franco Harris, Ron Shanklin, Glen Edwards, Mel Blount and Jack Lambert were the previous winners. “I’m not accustomed to getting awards,” Bradshaw said. “I’m not supposed to be MVP.”

After a poor start to the season when he threw three interceptions against Oakland, four against Houston and five against Baltimore, Bradshaw only threw four in the Steelers last seven games when they had put themselves on the edge of division champions.

With 2,384 passing yards, a career high for the Steelers quarterback, he is second in the AFC. Bradshaw felt he was becoming more mature on the field. “You grow up,” he said. “Maturity plays a great part in anybody’s career. I used to put too much pressure on myself. When I threw an interception, I wanted to run up in the stands and apologise to everybody. I lost confidence.

I look back on those days and shudder now. I’m more relaxed. I feel comfortable.”

Reflecting on his early days in Pittsburgh after being drafted out of a small school in 1970, Bradshaw was philosophical, “All that publicity and attention, I wasn’t used to it. I couldn’t handle it. I said some things I shouldn’t. I didn’t know what it was like to be the center of attraction.”

Bradshaw had also had problems with his relationship with Coach Noll, but gradually they got to understand each other. “I was scared,” Bradshaw told the Post-Gazette. “I was never scared of a coach, but I was scared of him. He had the power to play me or not play me. I tried too hard to win his confidence. I expected too much of myself.”

The more Bradshaw tried, the worse he got and when Noll benched him, his confidence reached rock bottom. “Those were trying years,” Bradshaw said. “But it was necessary for what happened since then. I’m glad that positive things have come out of it."

“The in and out routine is gone,” added Bradshaw. “I think I understand him. He lets me gear the offense around things I like to do.”

Now in his eight season, his teammates have recognised his contribution. “I don’t think anybody ever called me cocky,” Bradshaw explained, “I just want to leave a mark as a good person and a nice guy.”

Referring to the division leading Bengals’ next game in Houston, Coach Noll told reporters at his weekly press conference, “I think it should be a very interesting game from our standpoint.” When the Steelers take to the field in San Diego at 4pm, the result of the Cincinnati game should be known.

“Houston’s a very fine team,” Noll stated. “They’re very capable of winning the game. I just hope we can concentrate on what we have to do – which is win our game in San Diego.”

“Have Art Rooney send us an incentive bonus for this week’s game,” Houston’s veteran guard Curley Culp joked. If the Oilers beat the Bengals in the season finale, the Steelers would make the playoffs with a win over the Chargers.

“It wont’s ne any different than any other game,” Culp added. “We’re going out there to win the ball game. No, we don’t have anything to prove other than the fact we are a great team and we’re trying to win a ball game.”

Culp believes the AFC Central is the most competitive division in pro football, and would like to see its most talented team face Denver in the first round of the playoffs. He suggested the Bengals were not that team. “I think Pittsburgh is just a better representative of the division than Cincinnati. I think they’re the better team. It’s as simple as that.

They’re both competent teams, but I think Pittsburgh is stronger than Cincinnati. What I’m trying to say is it really doesn’t mean a damn to me who we play each week. I’m just out there trying to do my job.”

While Coach Noll focussed on the Steelers game in San Diego, it was natural for his players to be preoccupied with the game in Cincinnati. “Justice will prevail,” noted defensive captain Joe Greene. “Justice” meaning a Houston victory.

“Maybe I’ve got a whole lot of optimism because I want Houston to win. But I don’t think Cincinnati can play two tough games back-to-back,” before Greene decided, “We’re done feeling sorry for ourselves.”

Reflecting on the defeat in Cincinnati, Greene added, “I can’t remember any time I was so irritated and so disappointed at the way a team responded to a victory. I can see them being happy, but there was a lot of celebration and rubbing it in. We never rubbed it in against Cincinnati, even when we pounded them. And it wasn’t just one guy. There were a lot of them. It showed a lack of poise.”

John Stallworth was philosophical. “I really don’t see any incentive for them to go out and win,” he said of Houston. “But there’s still hope, even if it’s just a flicker of hope.”

With Bobby Walden suffering with a knee injury suffered when he slipped on the ice in Cincinnati, the Steelers brought in Rick Eagles who averaged 38.3 yards as a third round draft choice with the Seahawks in 1976. Eagles beat out Phil Waggenheim in a shootout.

Walden was placed on the injured reserve list to make room on the roster for his replacement.

Lynn Swann, Franco Harris and Jack Ham were named to the Pro Bowl to be played at the end of January in Tampa. Harris would be making his sixth straight appearance, Ham his fifth straight and for Swann it would be his second appearance.

The final weekend of football in the regular season saw Cincinnati travel to Houston where a win would see them crowned division champions. With an earlier kickoff time than the Steelers on the west coast, Pittsburgh would know their fate when they took to the field as they held a superior division record than the Bengals.

After Cincinnati lost 16-21 to Houston to put the Steelers into the playoffs, the Bengals’ frustration was exposed. “People are always talking Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh and it’s getting tougher and tougher,” declared Cincinnati’s offensive tackle Vern Holland. “We had them on the ropes this year. Our schedule wasn’t too bad. I don’t know where it slipped off to. You only get so many chances.”

The Chargers went 62 yards on their first possession finishing with a 2-yard touchdown run from Clarence Williams. A muffed snap on the point after attempt prevented a successful kick as San Diego took a 6-0 lead.

The Chargers went further ahead on a 38-yard field goal in the second period while their defense was dominating the Steelers restricting them to just 23 yards on the ground. The Steelers one scoring opportunity ended with Terry Bradshaw’s fumble on San Diego’s 19 with 42 seconds left in the half.

Midway through the third quarter, the Steelers began to find some form, Bradshaw connecting with John Stallworth for a 46-yard completion to the Chargers one that enabled Sidney Thornton to carry it over for the score. Bradshaw suffered a pinched nerve on the play and was replaced by Neil Graff.

An interception by J.T. Thomas at the end of the third quarter was the opening for the Steelers to take their first lead of the game when Roy Gerela kicked a field goal from 27 yards.

The Chargers missed an opportunity for a win in the final quarter when Dan Fouts floated a perfect pass to Charley Joiner who juggled the catch before Donnie Shell who stole an interception.

The Steelers edged a victory and progressed to the playoffs, while Cincinnati spent Christmas at home.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 10 at the San Diego Chargers 9
San Diego Stadium December 18th 1977; 50,727

Passing: Bradshaw 8-17-1INT-0TD-139, Graff 4-8-0-0-53
Fouts 11-22-3INT-0TD-157

Rushing: Maxson 16-51, Thornton 9-31-1TD, Harris 11-15, Swann 1-(-8), Bradshaw 1-0, Graff 2-0

“Call it fate or whatever, but we feel extremely fortunate,” said Terry Bradshaw. “We gave Bum Phillips (Houston’s coach) the game ball.”

“We are now in control of our destiny,” acknowledged Joe Greene. “Until now, our fate was in the hands of others. I think we will be the true Pittsburgh Steelers when we play Denver next week.”

“It was sure of great satisfaction,” added Greene. “I truly believe we’re the team that can best represent this division, especially after the way Cincinnati taunted us after their victory last week.”

“We will accept anything that comes our way,” said John Stallworth. “I felt that Cincinnati experienced an emotional peak for us last week and would have difficulty maintaining it against Houston.”

AFC Central
Houston 21 Cincinnati 16
Seattle 20 Cleveland 19

Pittsburgh 9-5
Cincinnati 8-6
Houston 8-6
Cleveland 6-8

At times this season, the Steelers Steel Curtain appeared on the verge of crumbling. The steel looked corroded and the curtain sometimes resembled a moth-eaten blanket.

Some believe that the once legendary defensive line descended to an inferior role among mortals. That’s when defensive line coach George Perles reacts and defends his players

“I’ve been hearing a lot of people saying that they are old and fat; that the Steel Curtain was turning to dirt,” declared Perles. “They’re not,” he affirms. “We don’t need any house cleaning. We really had a good year.”
As the Steelers head to Denver for their playoff game, Perles was happy that, except for John Banaszak, he will have an intact defensive line to take to the field. “This is the healthiest we’ve been all year,” he told the Pittsburgh press.

“L.C. Greenwood missed five games with a knee injury, Steve Furness has been playing with a separated shoulder, Joe Greene had his bad neck while Fat Holmes came into camp out of shape and had had injuries during the year.”

“Dwight White has been our only consistent performer,” Perles confirmed and Greenwood’s return brought some life back to the fading legend. Against San Diego, the line aided by effective blitzes sacked Dan Fouts six times.

“I’m kinda going on one leg, but then I’ve played on one leg most of my life,” observed Greenwood. “I’ve always had some kinds twist or bruise on one of my legs so I’m used to it.”

“L.C. takes the pressure off everyone because of his quickness,” noted Perles. “He’s so quick at pressuring the quarterback. Most players come off a knee injury and need one or two games to tune up. He looked very fresh in his first game back against San Diego.”

Another energised addition to the pass rush is One-Armed Blitzer, Robin Cole. Linebacker Cole broke his arm in the season opener. Part of his return was spent at defensive end due to injuries. “I knew Robin would be good on the blitz after seeing him on the defensive line,” explained defensive coordinator Bud Carson.

“He’s strong and quick,” added Carson. “He did a good job Sunday in our 3-4 defense.” Cole acknowledged that he didn’t do that much against San Diego. “I was in the game for a couple of blitzes. Our blitz is just starting to come around now.”

Greenwood and Cole have been the missing links in the Steelers defense. Greenwood intensifies the pass rush while Cole provides the versatility as a linebacker who can blitz and cover the pass on third-down play.

“We’re not as good as last year, but that’s coming off a season when our defense had one of the best years ever,” noted Cole. “We had five shutouts. This year we played a hellish schedule and had a lot of injuries.”

The Denver Broncos were the surprise package in the AFC with a 12-2 record built on their defense and special teams producing turnovers that set their offense up with good field position. Since their formation in 1960, the Broncos’ only previous winning season had been 9-5 in1976.

Denver’s veteran defensive end Lyle Alzado explained the effect success was having, “We’re all very excited, but we haven’t been in the playoffs before and I hope we can handle the pressure. Pittsburgh might handle the pressure a little better. They may be in a more relaxed situation.”

Acknowledging the enthusiasm of the fans, Alzado said, “They’re crazy. They’re painting the buildings orange, they’re painting the Christmas trees orange. Some guy even dyed his hair orange.”

For the Steelers, Joe Greene offered his perception, “This is a team ready to explode. We might come out on the short end of the stick, but we’re gonna go down fighting, blind, crippled or crazy. Probably, later we’ll go down crazy.

It’s like the coach said, we’re going into a lion’s den and it’s gonna be in a frenzy the whole game. The only way for us to stop them is to be in a bigger frenzy.”

Denver took a lead in the first quarter after John Schultz blocked a punt to that was recovered on Pittsburgh’s 17 yard line. Four runs later from rookie Rob Lytle finished with his 7-yard touchdown run. Pittsburgh hit back in the second quarter with a Terry Bradshaw touchdown run of 1-yard.

A hit on Franco Harris by Lyle Alzado saw a fumble recovered by Tom Jackson and returned 30 yards to the Steelers 10. On the next play, Denver took full advantage scoring with an Otis Armstrong touchdown run.
While turnovers were keeping Denver in front, Pittsburgh went 65 yards to their next series to strike with a touchdown plunge of one yard from Franco Harris.

The intensity boiled over at the end of the first half when Joe Greene punched Denver’s guard Paul Howard. On the next play, Greene was penalised for putting one on center Mike Montler with players and coaches from both teams having to be restrained. The tussle reflected the Steelers frustration at having a 183-44 advantage in offensive yards, but with a scoreboard showing a 14-14 tied game.

In the third quarter, a goal line defense by the Steelers prevented Denver from adding to their score, but after the Steelers went three and out, the Broncos found themselves in good field position. Morton hit tight end Riley Odoms with a 30-yard touchdown pass to hand Denver the lead again.

The Steelers were not prepared to lie down and Larry Brown’s first reception of the season was a 1-yard touchdown toss that saw the teams draw level again.

The Denver defense dominated the final period. After breaking the tie with a 44-yard field goal, on the Steelers next series, a leaping Tom Jackson picked off Bradshaw and returned it 32 yards to the Steeler 9 to set up a 25-yard field goal.

Bradshaw was intercepted again and this time the Broncos added seven points with Jack Dolbin’s touchdown catch of 34 yards plus a point after.

The Pittsburgh Steelers 21 at the Denver Broncos 34
Mile High Stadium December 25th 1977; 75,000

Receiving: Stallworth 4-80, Cunningham 3-42, Maxson 3-11, Belier 2-10, Grossman 1-7, Swann 1-6, Brown 1-1-1TD

Franco Harris became the first player to gain 1,000 yards rushing in post-season.

Chuck Noll acknowledged the interceptions really hurt the team adding, “You can’t make mistakes against a good team in the playoffs,” adding, “It was a hard hitting, physical game. There were only teams out there that wanted it very much.”

“We wanted to run the ball today, but we weren’t able to do it,” said Terry Bradshaw. Bradshaw completed only 17 of 37 attempts and was complimented Denver when adding, “They have a super defense. The best I’ve faced all year. They were the better team today.”

Reflecting on the Steelers season, Steve Furness offered, “You have to look back to camp. We started off on the wrong foot. You can’t look back and say those are the reasons, but they’re contributing factors.” On their exit from the playoffs, he added, Losing is losing. It’s depressing. You look back on all the hours we put in and how hard we worked and now it’s over.”

Denver’s Tom Jackson noted, “We took it out of them in the end,” before adding, “Our motto is, “’Whatever it takes.’”

AFC Championship game
Denver Broncos 20 vs Oakland Raiders 17

NFC Championship game
Dallas Cowboys 23 vs Minnesota Vikings 6

The 1977 Pittsburgh Steelers regular season games 8-14