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00:00I don't know.
01:08In the mid-70s, the Pittsburgh Steelers established themselves as pro football's dominant team.
01:18In 1974 and 1975, the Steelers won back-to-back Super Bowls on the strength of a basic formula.
01:25Power running and punishing defense.
01:34You always want to get to that big game and play in the Super Bowl.
01:37Once you've won it, it becomes contagious.
01:41You want more and more and more.
01:44There was a mindset in the team that we were the best and there was nobody really even close to
01:50us.
01:51I mean, we were frighteningly good.
02:06Though the Steelers failed to reach the Super Bowl in 1976 and 77, their defense was still dominant.
02:13And the NFL changed rules to help open up offenses.
02:18He called one of them the Mel Blunt rule.
02:22In 1977, defensive linemen could no longer use head slaps at the line of scrimmage.
02:32More significantly, in 1978, the league imposed a rule that would impact the play of cornerbacks like number 47, Mel
02:39Blunt.
02:41Blunt was a premier cover man who punished opponents in the open field.
02:50He's a physical specimen at that time.
02:53He was huge.
02:55Oh, I just pitied those receivers as I was watching them go up against Mel.
03:04Football's a physical game.
03:05Well, it used to be anyway.
03:07And so, one of the things that I always wanted to do was let people know that this is my
03:14territory.
03:14If you come in here, you're going to have to pay.
03:27Prior to 1978, defensive backs have been able to jam receivers downfield.
03:34Under the new rule, defenders could only make contact with receivers within five yards of the line of scrimmage.
03:43The rule forever changed the passing game in the NFL.
03:47It became known as the Mel Blunt rule.
03:52They really was trying to legislate the game to slow the Steelers down, especially on defense,
03:59because we were basically dominating the game.
04:03I think any time a player can have such an effect on the game that they name a rule after
04:09you,
04:10I think it's an honor, and it's something that my kids can read about,
04:14and so it's a part of your legacy.
04:17And I'm honored that they thought enough of the way I played the game
04:21that they would change the rule and call it the Mel Blunt rule.
04:25Defensive backs today, they'll probably look at me and say,
04:27man, that's the guy there right there that's causing us so many problems today.
04:32The new rules would have a huge impact on the team in 1978.
04:36In fact, the Steelers would never be the same.
04:40It would be better.
04:46The Steelers adjusted their offense and really went more from a power run game to an air attack.
04:53And Braschow had a field day.
04:56One MVP.
04:59I think he took home Super Bowl MVP also.
05:03So, they made these rules to take the air out of the Steelers' defense,
05:10and all they did was make the Steelers' offense better.
05:31quarterback Terry Bradshaw got off to the best start of his career.
05:39He threw a pair of touchdowns in each of the first three games,
05:41and the Steelers rolled to a 3-0 record.
05:44Bradshaw backs up.
05:45Bradshaw's very deep now.
05:46Now he lets it fly to the end zone.
05:48There's Thornton for the touchdown.
05:50Straight down the middle to Sidney Thornton in the end zone.
05:54Here's Bradshaw going back deep.
05:56They're coming after him.
05:57Chase him out of the pocket.
05:58Run him to the left, and he fires downfield into the crowd.
06:01Cutting and makes a catch over the shoulder of the defensive back.
06:04Can you believe that?
06:05That rule change in 78 made a significant difference.
06:09It was very obvious the difference in the releases that the wide receivers were getting,
06:14and how quick.
06:21And even a lesser-known tight end was consistently finding open spaces.
06:32Number 84, Randy Grossman, was a former undrafted free agent out of Temple University
06:38who found a place alongside Pittsburgh's more celebrated pass catchers.
06:43My first year being 74, we had a phenomenal draft that year.
06:47I mean, four guys are Hall of Fame guys.
06:50Two of the guys were Swan and Stallworth.
06:52I was obviously the runt of the litter,
06:54but my mindset was there was no way that I was not going to make this team.
06:59I felt that the National Football League made a significant mistake in not drafting me,
07:04and I was going to show them what a big error they made.
07:10I mean, I was a mini tight end, even for back then.
07:12I was 6'2 and barely 215 pounds.
07:17I never had any doubt that I wouldn't be able to perform,
07:20but I think in the coaches' minds and the scouting department's mind,
07:24they always want, you know, the package and they always want better.
07:29I played eight years.
07:30During that eight years, I think they drafted around ten tight ends.
07:35So I guess they didn't have the same confidence in me that I had in them.
07:40In 1976, Pittsburgh drafted 6'5", 250-pound tight end,
07:45Benny Cunningham, in the first round.
07:48In 1978, Cunningham was off to his best thought.
07:52Flyer, Flyer reverses it to Swan, he gives it back to Bradshaw.
07:55Bradshaw firing for Cunningham, a Pittsburgh touchdown.
07:59How about that?
08:00A Pittsburgh touchdown to win the ballgame.
08:06Cunningham's game-winning score improved the Steelers to 4-0.
08:10Two weeks later, however, Cunningham was lost for the season with a...
08:14Benny Cunningham was actually good.
08:18Why don't we talk to him?
08:22Let's throw a spoiler out there.
08:29Grossman never scored more than one touchdown in any particular season.
08:35He played eight seasons and scored five touchdowns.
08:45The starting job was left to Randy Grossman.
08:55The tight end the Steelers had always tried to replace
08:57turned into a player they couldn't do without.
09:04In just ten starts, Grossman had a career-high 37 catches.
09:09The most by a Steelers tight end in over a decade.
09:13Randy Grossman, the little tight end,
09:16a basketball player at Temple.
09:19People were so concerned when Benny Cunningham went down.
09:22But their effectiveness has not changed
09:24since Grossman has come into the lineup.
09:27A typical Randy Grossman fight.
09:29He says, okay, Brad, shot, throw me the ball.
09:33I'll take whatever kind of a hit that guy can put on me.
09:36Grossman, the soft-spoken one.
09:38Extremely articulate and extremely tough.
09:46The tough little tight end earned a not-so-tough nickname
09:48from his teammates.
09:50You know, you come from Philadelphia and you're Jewish.
09:53I mean, what kind of nickname are you going to get?
09:55I mean, they can't call you the Heave,
09:56so what are they going to call you?
09:57The Rabbi.
09:58So I was the rabbi.
10:00And a couple times when I grew my beard,
10:02I looked pretty Hasidic, yeah.
10:05At that point in time,
10:06I've been the only Jewish player in the league.
10:08I think, actually, that's the only reason they kept me,
10:11you know, for minority hiring or something.
10:15For the rabbi, the NFL was a promised land.
10:20In 1978, it became a season of football.
10:261978 was a great year and a really fun year for me.
10:30I will give Grossman his credit.
10:32He could catch and he was tough.
10:35A player wants to play.
10:37I mean, that's what it's all about.
10:39It was really rewarding for me just to play.
10:48In 1978, Joe Green was still the heart and soul of the Steelers' defense.
10:54For years, Green had been the driving force behind the steel curtain.
11:03Now, he was a different player at the age of 32.
11:07Physically, in 78, I wasn't what I was in 74.
11:10Not as strong, not as quick.
11:16But, 78, I was a lot smarter.
11:20An older and wiser Joe Green was selected to his ninth Pro Bowl.
11:25And he became a mentor to Pittsburgh's young defenders.
11:29It's like three or four yards, you know.
11:31You just got to drive as deep as you can.
11:33And you still just stay in there.
11:34What you ought to do, because he's given off so much,
11:37is to come down and rub it.
11:38Right, right.
11:39The defense, filled with perennial all-pros,
11:42was fortified with fresh talent.
11:47The young player who made the most significant impact
11:49was a second-year nickelback named Tony Dungy, number 21.
11:56He was a smart football player.
11:59In my 14 years in training camp,
12:01I had never seen a guy come through there
12:02who understood the game and knew the game of football
12:06the way Tony Dungy did.
12:09Dungy led the team with six interceptions.
12:11But the dominant force in the secondary
12:13was still ninth-year cornerback Mel Blunt.
12:18The rules designed to neutralize him
12:21couldn't keep Blunt from another Pro Bowl season.
12:24I think when they changed those rules,
12:26it made me prove to the NFL
12:31that, you know, we still can play
12:33and we still be the best.
12:34You got to have a positive attitude
12:36and you got to believe in yourself
12:38and believe in the people that you're working with.
12:40And I think that was kind of the mindset
12:42and the attitude that that whole team took on
12:45that we don't care what you do,
12:46we're going to still dominate.
12:51Pittsburgh adjusted its defense
12:53by blitzing more than ever.
12:59The Steelers gave up the fewest points in the NFL.
13:03In the regular season,
13:04they did not give up a touchdown in the first quarter.
13:10In week six,
13:11they recorded five sacks against the Falcons
13:13and Rocky Blyer scored twice in a blowout win.
13:16And the give is to Blyer.
13:18Blyer over the right side.
13:19He's running for pay dirt.
13:20He's in the end zone for a touchdown.
13:24Blyer scored again the following week
13:26as the Steelers improved to 7-0,
13:28their best start ever.
13:31Blyer was having one of his best seasons
13:33at the age of 32.
13:35At times, I found myself
13:37sitting in front of my locker,
13:39you know, thanking God
13:40for giving me the opportunity
13:41to be able to put this uniform on
13:43and to be able to play this game
13:45and to be able to make a living from it.
13:49It's hard to believe Blyer
13:50could ever make a living playing football.
13:53You weren't even supposed to be able to walk
13:57properly, really.
14:00The running back was a 16th round draft choice
14:02out of Notre Dame in 1968.
14:07Near the end of his rookie season,
14:09he was drafted to fight in the Vietnam War.
14:13And so in a 24-hour period,
14:15I was running back in the NFL
14:17to a maggot in the United States Army,
14:23the lowest of the low.
14:27And my focus, basically, at that moment was,
14:30okay, fine, I guess I can be the best soldier I can be.
14:35In August of 1969,
14:37a grenade explosion left Blyer
14:39with serious wounds to his leg and foot.
14:46I was in Tokyo,
14:48and I asked the doctor whether I'd come back and play it.
14:50Of course, he said, uh, no.
14:56Shortly thereafter, I got a postcard in the mail.
15:00Very simple, two lines, and it said,
15:03Rock, the team's not doing well.
15:05We need you.
15:06Art Rooney.
15:09You have somebody to take the time and interest
15:11to send you a postcard,
15:13something that he didn't have to do.
15:14You have a special place for those kind of people.
15:19One year after he was wounded,
15:22Blyer reported to Steelers training camp.
15:25When he came back, he could barely walk.
15:29We watched Rocky work his tail off
15:32to get back on that football field.
15:36You'd always see him in the weight room.
15:38He was always working out.
15:40Why is he doing that?
15:42This guy can't play football.
15:45One day, Rocky was laying on the bench
15:48in the training room,
15:49and he had his shorts on,
15:51but Rocky was purple
15:53in his chest, in his hips, in his thighs,
15:57from bruises.
15:58And Rocky practiced that day.
16:00And that left an impression on me
16:02that I just never forgot,
16:05that if he could practice
16:07with his body looking like that,
16:09and I'm sure feeling where he was looking,
16:15then we all got to practice.
16:20Blyer worked two full years
16:22trying to regain a spot
16:23on the Steelers' active roster.
16:26He spent most of 1971
16:28on the practice squad,
16:30but wouldn't give up on his NFL dream.
16:33Football for me was something I wanted to do,
16:36and so I tried to take advantage
16:38of that opportunity
16:38by doing the only thing I knew how to do,
16:41and that was to work hard
16:42so that sometime in the future,
16:44you didn't have to ask yourself,
16:46what if?
16:50Blyer's dedication paid off.
16:52By 1974,
16:54he was a starter alongside Franco Harris.
16:57What he lacked in speed,
16:59he made up for in heart.
17:01Rocky was slow,
17:03real slow.
17:05One of the stories
17:06that he shared with us
17:07is that he always wanted
17:08to be fast enough
17:12so that when he ran,
17:14his hair would blow in the wind.
17:20And one day,
17:22he had a breakaway,
17:24and he said he felt the wind
17:26blowing in his hair.
17:36Rocky Blyer's long,
17:37unlikely road trip.
17:38And it probably looked faster on TV.
17:41This is the slow guy?
17:43No way.
17:45The NFL showed no signs
17:46of ending in 1978.
17:50Blyer scored a career-high
17:52six touchdowns,
17:53including the game-winner
17:55in the final minutes
17:55against the Saints.
17:56Bradshaw's back,
17:57the rush is on,
17:58he has to unload it,
17:59he does to Blyer,
17:59to 19,
18:00Blyer to 15,
18:01to 10,
18:01to 5,
18:02Blyer going in
18:02for the touchdown.
18:04Oh, defendable Rocky Blyer.
18:06Age hadn't caught up
18:08with the 32-year-old
18:09Rocky Blyer,
18:10or the Steelers.
18:11They were proving
18:12to be as good as ever.
18:17And those special kinds
18:18of people
18:19are the ones
18:19we're looking for,
18:20and I think we have
18:21those kinds of people.
18:26The people the Steelers had
18:28were the best in the game.
18:35In 1978,
18:3610 Steelers
18:37were named
18:37to the Pro Bowl.
18:40Of their 22 starters,
18:42nine were
18:42the future Hall of Famers.
18:44East drafted
18:45by head coach
18:46Chuck Knoll.
18:48I don't think
18:49Chuck gets anywhere
18:50near the credit
18:51for the evaluation
18:53of talent
18:54and the orchestration
18:56of that talent
18:56on the field.
18:58He was tremendous.
19:01He was not a motivator,
19:03and I think that was
19:03actually one of the strengths
19:05of the team
19:05in that the players
19:07had to be
19:08self-motivated.
19:10There wasn't
19:10a false sense
19:11of enthusiasm,
19:14there had to be
19:15an inner fire
19:16on the guys,
19:17and I think that was
19:18evident all the way
19:19through the roster.
19:22I remember being
19:22on the sidelines
19:23with Chuck,
19:24and we're all talking,
19:25you know,
19:25you've got to support
19:26your teammates,
19:26you know,
19:27and you're going,
19:27come on, guys,
19:28come on,
19:28hit them,
19:28let's go,
19:29let's go,
19:29let's pick it up.
19:30Let it stop,
19:32and I can remember him
19:33turning around
19:34and saying,
19:37we don't have any
19:38of that here.
19:38We don't do that here.
19:41I mean,
19:41because that lasts
19:42only this long.
19:44Because when you're
19:45out there on the field,
19:46the thing that gets you
19:47through is the habits
19:48that you create,
19:50is what you do
19:51in practice
19:51that carries on
19:52to the field.
19:53All that emotional stuff,
19:55the rah-rah stuff,
19:57doesn't win ball games.
19:59You know,
20:00how I approach it
20:01really doesn't affect
20:02how the games turn out.
20:03Let me tell you
20:04that right now.
20:05Set the record straight
20:05on that.
20:06Because it happens
20:08with the players
20:09on the field.
20:10He was a man
20:10of few words,
20:11but he could look at you
20:13and you knew
20:14kind of what he meant
20:15and what you needed
20:16to do.
20:18Our pregame motivation
20:19was,
20:20okay,
20:21we had a good week
20:21of work,
20:22you know what to do,
20:23let's be professional,
20:24go out and get them.
20:25Half time.
20:25All right,
20:26we made the corrections,
20:27we went over it,
20:28you know what to do,
20:29let's go out
20:30and play the second half.
20:31That was it.
20:35Noel rarely deviated
20:36from his standard speeches.
20:39On a few occasions,
20:41he attempted to motivate
20:42his team by telling stories
20:44with little success.
20:46The gentleman,
20:47he said,
20:47like the two squirrels,
20:49one lived high in the tree,
20:52in the branches
20:52and the other one
20:54lived on the bottom.
20:57And what we really
20:58have to do
20:59is pull back together
21:01and go back
21:01to the basics
21:02and concentrate
21:03on good habits.
21:04And so I want you
21:05to think about that
21:05and I'll see you guys
21:06tomorrow.
21:07What?
21:09Oh,
21:10what happened
21:10to the squirrels?
21:12And I'm sure
21:13the other guys
21:14are,
21:14what happened
21:15to the squirrels?
21:18He was the classic guy
21:19that couldn't tell a joke.
21:21I mean,
21:21even when he told a joke,
21:22he'd get to the punchline
21:23and you'd just look at him.
21:26And,
21:27I mean,
21:27it's almost like
21:28a little kid.
21:29You know,
21:29the only thing
21:29he didn't say was,
21:30do you get it?
21:31Do you get it?
21:34Noel was in no mood
21:35for jokes
21:35on a Monday night
21:36in week eight.
21:39Oilers rookie
21:40running back
21:40Earl Campbell
21:41ran over Pittsburgh
21:42for three touchdowns
21:43and dealt the Steelers
21:45their first loss
21:46of the season.
21:52In week 11,
21:54Pittsburgh lost again
21:55in Los Angeles.
22:00The Steelers were
22:01nine and two,
22:02but their offense
22:03was struggling.
22:04What we really needed
22:06was somebody
22:07to put their boot
22:08right up our butts.
22:10I mean,
22:11that old-fashioned
22:13yelling,
22:13screaming
22:14kind of an inspiration.
22:17But we have Chuck.
22:20And Chuck
22:21pulls us together
22:22and he said,
22:22gentlemen,
22:23I'd like to tell you a story.
22:26About two monks.
22:28And they're on a journey.
22:31Sometime down the journey
22:32they stopped in a clearing.
22:33And near the clearing
22:34was a stream
22:34and the far side
22:35of the stream
22:35was a fair maiden
22:37who wanted to come across.
22:38And the first monk
22:39without any hesitation
22:40crossed that stream,
22:41picked up that fair maiden,
22:43forwarded her back
22:43and set her down.
22:44And the two monks
22:45in silence
22:46continued on.
22:48Now sometime
22:48further down the journey
22:50they stopped again.
22:51And the second monk
22:52spun on to the first monk
22:53and said,
22:54you know,
22:54you know it's against
22:55our belief
22:56and our religion
22:56to not only come into contact
22:58with a person
22:58of the opposite sex
22:59but actually to speak to one.
23:01He said,
23:01you disregarded that
23:02back to when you
23:03crossed that stream
23:04and picked up that fair maiden,
23:05footed her back
23:06and set her down.
23:07The first monk
23:08responded to the second monk,
23:12I set her down back there
23:14but you
23:16carried her all the way here.
23:19I'll see you guys tomorrow
23:20at 10 o'clock.
23:22Well,
23:23we broke up that huddle
23:25saying to one another,
23:27what the hell did he say?
23:31And that was Chuck.
23:33I mean,
23:34we're looking for somebody
23:34actually who
23:36was going to explain it to us.
23:39Nothing.
23:40It was dead silence.
23:41And we just figured,
23:42well, that's it.
23:45Noel was about as far
23:46from a Zen master
23:47as you could probably get.
23:49He was so serious
23:51all the time.
23:52I mean,
23:52it was miserable
23:53listening to Chuck talk.
23:54I mean,
23:55that was not his strength.
23:56But it wasn't a weakness either
23:58because of his
24:00fundamental mindset.
24:02We were amazingly
24:03well-schooled
24:05in the basics.
24:06If you did things
24:07exactly as he
24:08and the assistants
24:09drew it up,
24:10it was going to work.
24:11And it did.
24:12And that's where
24:14the success came from.
24:15It didn't come from
24:16a bunch of
24:17wild banshees
24:18flying all over the place
24:20with reckless abandon.
24:21It was a controlled machine.
24:23And it was a great one.
24:30Long road
24:31to success
24:33in the NFL.
24:35The Steelers quarterback
24:36had endured
24:37years of struggle
24:38booing from hometown fans
24:40and a stormy relationship
24:42with his head coach.
24:46Bradshaw eventually
24:47matured
24:48into a championship quarterback.
24:50By 1978,
24:52the ninth-year passer
24:53was in his prime.
24:551978
24:56kind of dawns on him
24:58what he can
24:59and can do.
25:00He can read defenses.
25:01He knows what plays
25:02to call now.
25:03And he feels
25:03very confident,
25:05I think,
25:05in his own ability
25:06and his ability
25:08to be able
25:08to change
25:09whatever Chuck
25:10might want him to do.
25:15Bradshaw was one
25:16of the few quarterbacks
25:17who called his own plays.
25:20He did a masterful job
25:22of balancing
25:22his high-powered
25:23air attack
25:24with a steady dose
25:25of running plays.
25:26And Bradshaw
25:27on a draw
25:28gives it to Harris
25:28straight to the middle
25:29and into the end zone
25:30for a Pittsburgh touchdown.
25:31They were looking
25:32for the pass.
25:33Bradshaw called it
25:34perfectly at raw play
25:36to Braco Harris.
25:37Terry did a good job
25:38in third down conversions
25:40running the football,
25:41throwing it,
25:42mixing it up,
25:42mixing his offense
25:43real well.
25:44So I've started
25:44going to more play action
25:45now.
25:46I've got some confidence
25:46and today we threw
25:48on first down,
25:49we threw on third,
25:49we threw on second.
25:50We mixed it up,
25:52we ran on first.
25:53We just threw a lot
25:54of different stuff
25:55at him all the time.
25:56We trapped him sometimes
25:57and just used a lot
26:00of offense today.
26:01And we had success.
26:05Everything Bradshaw
26:06called seemed to work.
26:10The quarterback
26:10was suddenly leading
26:11a charmed life
26:12on the field.
26:14Off it,
26:15he was making
26:15country music albums.
26:17And in 1978,
26:19he appeared in the movie
26:20Hooper
26:20with Burt Reynolds.
26:23Burt, if you're watching,
26:25talk to my agent
26:26about my next movie.
26:28Make it a Western.
26:30You gonna let me be in it?
26:30Yeah.
26:32Oh,
26:33it's beautiful
26:34Pittsburgh Steelers.
26:35Pittsburgh Steelers.
26:36The finest team around.
26:38When the weather gets cold,
26:40the black and gold
26:41are gonna be
26:42super bold.
26:43Bound,
26:45bound,
26:45bound,
26:46bound,
26:46bound.
26:52I guess that's one of the reasons
26:53why Terry is such a fun guy.
26:56He can really,
26:57really laugh at something
26:58and he can really laugh
26:59at himself, too.
27:01Some people say that
27:02football teams are like a family.
27:04Would you agree with that?
27:04Oh,
27:05I hate all these guys
27:06and I don't enjoy them at all.
27:12I think it's true
27:13in a sense.
27:14We're close.
27:15Heck,
27:16you're together six months a year.
27:17You're sleeping with one another.
27:18You shower together.
27:19You meet together all day long
27:21and we got a beautiful family.
27:23In the Steelers family,
27:25the two star receivers
27:26were sibling rivals,
27:28vying for their quarterback's attention
27:29on and off the field.
27:32Brad was very good
27:34at playing
27:35both Swan
27:37and Stallworth
27:38against one another
27:40in kind of a joking way.
27:42One week he decided,
27:43I'm gonna just kind of hang out with Lynn
27:45just to see what John would say.
27:48And so,
27:49he'd go over to Lynn
27:50and cross the locker room
27:52over to the other side
27:52just to kind of hang around his locker
27:54and then he'd come back
27:55and then Brad would giggle.
27:59Terry is a scream.
28:01He played it,
28:01you know,
28:02to the hill.
28:02All of a sudden,
28:03wherever he turns around,
28:05there's Lynn
28:05and there's John.
28:07He would,
28:08you know,
28:08out loud say something like,
28:10boy,
28:10I could really go for a donut
28:12and all of a sudden,
28:13there's a dozen donuts there.
28:16So it was fun to watch
28:18but it was obviously
28:19a great thing for the team too.
28:23On a Monday night
28:24in week 13,
28:25Bradshaw hit Stallworth
28:26for one score
28:27and Swan for two others.
28:36The win snapped the Steelers
28:38out of their mid-season slump.
28:41The following week,
28:42Pittsburgh traveled to Houston
28:44for a rematch
28:45with the division rival Oilers.
28:48It was the second time
28:49the Steelers faced Earl Campbell
28:51and the rookie phenom
28:53got off to another fast start.
28:56Looked like he was about
28:57to have a good day
28:58and Donnie caught him
28:59right in the ribs.
29:01When Donnie Shell hit you,
29:03you knew you'd been hit.
29:06That was a statement
29:07and that kind of told you
29:09what that game
29:10was all about.
29:13Didn't want to see him
29:14get hurt
29:14but first time
29:15in my entire career
29:17that I ever was glad
29:18to see someone
29:19they could see him.
29:22With Campbell out,
29:23Houston was helpless.
29:30The Steelers improved
29:32to 12-2.
29:34All Houston had at that
29:35in the late 70s,
29:37early 80s on offense
29:38was Earl Campbell.
29:41...plenched their
29:41fifth straight division title.
29:43It was a first step
29:45towards another championship.
29:47I am hungry for another
29:50Super Bowl.
29:51We have a great opportunity
29:52here to do something
29:53no team has ever done.
29:54That's when three of them...
29:58This was Pittsburgh's
30:00time of year.
30:05In the Steelers'
30:06final regular season
30:07home game,
30:08Bradshaw threw
30:09for three more scores.
30:14He finished the year
30:15with a league-high
30:1528 touchdown passes
30:18and was named
30:19the NFL's
30:20most valuable player.
30:23Bradshaw had survived
30:24his early career storms
30:26and had produced
30:27his best season.
30:29Now, he and the
30:3014-2 Steelers
30:31were ready to conquer
30:32the postseason.
30:34We get on fire.
30:36We get confident.
30:36We get that fever
30:37and we're hard to play.
30:40We're hard to...
30:41I'd hate to have to play
30:41against us.
30:43It's going to be hard to beat.
30:45Hard to beat.
30:49And this year,
30:50an extra dimension
30:51in the passing game.
30:53Terry Bradshaw,
30:54a great year.
30:55This year,
30:56we've had a revival
30:57of the terrible cow.
30:58The terrible cow
30:59is poised to strike
31:01and so are the Steelers.
31:03The Steelers are so great
31:05and they play the best
31:06of all
31:07to take our feet
31:09to the Super Bowl.
31:14South!
31:23Bradshaw's back
31:24need good protection.
31:25Going deep for Swann.
31:27There's Swann
31:27to catch it
31:28for the touchdown.
31:29Swann caught it
31:30up in the air.
31:36Going deep
31:37in the end zone.
31:37There's Starworth
31:38with a man
31:39with a man.
31:41Swann has caught it
31:42for the touchdown.
31:44Starworth
31:44with a circus catch
31:45at the end line.
31:49After dominating Denver,
31:51the Broncos had beaten
31:53the Steelers
31:54the previous year
31:55in the playoffs.
31:57So this was
31:58a little bit of revenge.
32:00Pittsburgh got
32:01in a C reception
32:01for a huge
32:02in the AFC championship.
32:05The Oilers were
32:06a division rival
32:07on the rise.
32:08and they had already
32:09won in Pittsburgh
32:09earlier in the season.
32:12Whenever you're
32:12competing
32:13and somebody
32:14thinks that they're
32:14on your level,
32:16it's an incentive
32:17to prove to them
32:18that they're not.
32:20We just wanted
32:21to prove to them
32:22that they can't
32:22compete with us.
32:24I don't know
32:25if they had a chance.
32:35Earl Campbell,
32:37the rookie of the year
32:38who had run over
32:38the Steelers
32:39in week eight
32:40was shut down
32:41in his return
32:42to Pittsburgh.
32:48Joe Green,
32:49Mel Blunt,
32:50and the defense
32:51punished Houston.
32:53both teams
32:54were punished
32:55by the elements.
33:00Of all the games
33:02that I've played,
33:03that was the coldest.
33:05Anytime you hit
33:06the turf,
33:07you just got wet.
33:08Back back!
33:09There was no way
33:11of getting rid
33:12of that wet,
33:13cold feeling.
33:21The Steelers'
33:22offense never
33:23got waterlogged.
33:25Terry Bradshaw
33:26and Rocky Blyer
33:27helped Pittsburgh
33:27build a 31-3
33:29halftime lead.
33:31Rocky breaks
33:32the tackle,
33:33stumbles,
33:33comes over the
33:34right side,
33:34the 10 to 5,
33:35he's headed
33:35for the goal line,
33:36touchdown!
33:38Rocky Blyer
33:39on a slam
33:40up the right side.
33:43In the third quarter,
33:45Blyer began
33:45feeling effects
33:46of the weather.
33:48I was on the sidelines.
33:51You know,
33:52your jaw just
33:53starts to click
33:54back and forth
33:54and you have
33:55no control
33:55and you're just
33:57going and you
33:57can't get warm.
33:58Team doctor
33:59was standing there
34:00and doc says,
34:01well,
34:01I think maybe
34:02we should send you in.
34:04Well,
34:05outwardly I'm going,
34:06oh no,
34:06I can play the game.
34:08Inwardly I'm going,
34:08yeah,
34:09yes,
34:09I want to go in,
34:10I want to go in,
34:11I want to go in.
34:11So he said,
34:12okay, fine,
34:12I got to tell Chuck
34:13that I'm taking you in
34:14and I'm going,
34:15oh,
34:16don't tell Chuck,
34:16don't tell Chuck,
34:17let's just go in.
34:19Chuck's standing
34:19on the sidelines
34:20and taps him
34:20on the shoulder.
34:21He said,
34:22Chuck,
34:22I'm sending Blyer in.
34:25Why?
34:28Well,
34:28he's cold.
34:29Are you serious?
34:31Oh,
34:32I could have died.
34:34But I get to go in.
34:38The Steelers
34:38that remain outside
34:39were soon warmed
34:40by thoughts
34:41of a trip to Miami
34:42for Super Bowl XIII.
34:45We got the best office,
34:47the best defense,
34:49the best QB,
34:50the best running back,
34:51the best everything,
34:52the best coach of staff,
34:53the best front office,
34:54and we got the turn of the time.
34:57What more do we need?
34:58Hey,
34:58third ring.
34:59Dig it.
35:00Third ring.
35:02After a two-year absence
35:04from the Super Bowl,
35:05the Steelers
35:06were headed back.
35:08They once again
35:09had the look
35:10of a champion.
35:14Super Bowl X.
35:16Now,
35:17the Cowboys
35:18were defending champions.
35:22Dallas' sleek,
35:23sophisticated style
35:24was in direct contrast
35:25to that of the
35:26blue-collar Steelers.
35:28We didn't like each other.
35:30The Cowboys
35:31just had this mindset
35:33that almost like
35:34they were better
35:35than everybody else.
35:36You know,
35:37any time you start
35:38proclaiming yourself
35:39as America's team,
35:40it was disrespectful
35:41to the rest of the league.
35:44The most disrespectful
35:45Cowboy that week
35:46was Thomas Hollywood Henderson.
35:50The linebacker
35:51had made headlines
35:52by questioning
35:52the intelligence
35:53of Terry Bradshaw.
35:58He took verbal shots
35:59and several other Steelers.
36:00It's okay if you
36:01spotted him
36:02the C and the T
36:03or something like that.
36:04...as well.
36:05His comments about me
36:07was that, you know,
36:08I was just a backup
36:09who didn't belong
36:09in the Super Bowl
36:10and basically
36:11was no good.
36:11And the only reason
36:12I was there
36:13is if somebody died
36:14or something.
36:15So I took it
36:16pretty personal.
36:20When somebody actually
36:21questions your ability
36:22as a player,
36:23I mean,
36:24that's a throw-down
36:24sort of event.
36:26So from my perspective,
36:27I was really looking
36:29forward to the game.
36:40Randy Grossman
36:41may as a catch
36:42behind Henderson.
36:44The love mask
36:45wasn't able to cover
36:46Randy Grossman,
36:47the guy who can only
36:48play when somebody dies
36:49or breaks the legs,
36:50so said Henderson.
36:52How does Bradshaw
36:54sneak that past
36:57waters?
37:01Bradshaw,
37:02as usual,
37:03thrived under
37:03the big game pressure.
37:05Bradshaw loved
37:06being the limelight.
37:08It was almost as if
37:09when the lights went on,
37:10it was showtime
37:11and he was ready to go.
37:17Bradshaw
37:18has a face
37:18and he'll throw
37:19deep for Stallworth
37:20in the end zone.
37:21Touchdown!
37:22Pittsburgh!
37:23Johnny Stallworth
37:24caught it
37:25between two
37:26Dallas Cowboys.
37:28But a win
37:29wouldn't come easy
37:30for Bradshaw
37:31and the Steelers.
37:34Super Bowl XIII
37:35turned into an epic
37:37back-and-forth struggle.
37:40One big play
37:42after another,
37:43produced by the game's
37:44biggest stars.
37:48I'll tell you,
37:49I'm out of breath
37:51because this is
37:51some kind of
37:52a Super Bowl.
37:54Stallbox is back deep
37:55and he winds up
37:56and throws.
37:57Intercepted by
37:58Blunt at the 20.
37:59Merrill Blunt
38:00came up
38:00with the interception.
38:02You hear that
38:03ball?
38:03He should get
38:04after that.
38:04They're out.
38:08Joe Green
38:09throws through
38:09to nail
38:10Stallbox
38:10and caused
38:11a bubble.
38:12Ball's gone
38:12and Steve
38:13did have his mitts
38:14on that football
38:14but he couldn't
38:15quite handle it.
38:17I think I played
38:18probably a quarter
38:19of that game
38:20being
38:24incoherent.
38:25They had this
38:26big guard.
38:27There was one play
38:28where
38:28I can't remember
38:36a whole lot
38:36after that.
38:37I was
38:39out.
38:42But I never
38:43left the game.
38:44It was a game
38:45no one would
38:46want to leave
38:47early.
38:48Come on!
38:48It's an old-time
38:49great Super Bowl.
38:54Green should have
38:54gotten his jaw
38:55broken from that.
38:57Players seem
38:58to stretch
38:58beyond his limits.
39:03Ratshaw rolling
39:03to the right.
39:05Thereafter him
39:05he throws
39:06on the move
39:06into the
39:06D.S.
39:07And for a
39:09touchdown
39:09to Rocky
39:11Flyer.
39:12As I was
39:12going up
39:14thud
39:14I mean I felt
39:15this thud
39:16over my head
39:17into my hands
39:19and I knew
39:20I had it.
39:22Great
39:23leaping
39:24finger
39:24catch by
39:25Rocky
39:26Flyer
39:26who has
39:27never been
39:27known as
39:28something
39:28to watch.
39:31It's like
39:31a three-second
39:32play.
39:34But Rocky
39:34can talk
39:34about that
39:35play for
39:36thirty minutes.
39:37People didn't
39:37think I could
39:38jump that high
39:39as I like to
39:40tell people
39:40I don't know
39:41it was
39:41eighteen
39:42nineteen
39:42twenty feet
39:43you know
39:44I'm so sick
39:45of this
39:45Rocky Flyer
39:47skying
39:47to get this
39:48ball.
39:50The guy
39:51who took
39:51the picture
39:52is sitting
39:53on the
39:53ground
39:56and he's
39:57got the
39:57camera
39:57pointed
39:58I think
39:58Rocky
39:59was about
39:59four inches
40:00off the
40:01ground
40:04but it
40:05was a
40:05good catch.
40:07You might
40:07go back
40:08and look
40:08at Super
40:08Bowls
40:09over the
40:09years
40:10they won't
40:10find a
40:10better
40:11first half
40:11than this
40:12one.
40:15The second
40:16half was
40:16equally
40:17dramatic
40:17and even
40:18more
40:18emotional.
40:19Thomas
40:20Henderson
40:20came in
40:22to nail
40:22Terry Bradshaw
40:23it was
40:24whistle
40:24dead.
40:25When
40:25Thomas
40:26Henderson
40:26hit
40:26Bradshaw
40:27after the
40:27whistle
40:27running back
40:29Franco
40:29Harris
40:29came to
40:30his
40:30quarterback's
40:30defense.
40:32He gets
40:32in Franco's
40:33face and
40:34Franco
40:34responds.
40:36Franco's
40:36a very
40:36easygoing
40:38guy he
40:38doesn't say
40:39a lot
40:39and he
40:40comes back
40:41in the
40:41hot hall
40:41and this
40:41is a
40:42first time
40:42I've
40:43ever
40:43heard
40:43Franco
40:44really
40:45say
40:45anything.
40:46He's
40:46got
40:46this
40:46look
40:48on
40:48his
40:48face
40:48and
40:49all
40:50he
40:50says
40:50is
40:50give
40:51me
40:51the
40:51ball.
41:02I mean
41:04he
41:04I mean
41:04he
41:05hits
41:05that
41:06hole
41:06before
41:06anybody
41:07reacts
41:07and
41:07we
41:07score.
41:08he
41:09do
41:10what the
41:11ref is
41:11doing
41:11with
41:12waters
41:12though
41:13Charlie
41:14waters
41:14or
41:15his
41:16name
41:16is
41:19there's
41:19a solid
41:20argument to be
41:20made that
41:21he could make
41:22that tackle
41:23if the ref's
41:24not in the
41:25way.
41:28he could make it
41:34on Pittsburgh's next possession
41:45Bradshaw completed his fourth touchdown pass.
41:52Swan makes a circus catch in the end zone.
41:55Unbelievable catch for the touchdown.
41:57He was up in the air and made a circus catch.
42:00He looked like a flying circus.
42:07It was the first time Bradshaw ever threw for more than 300 yards.
42:12And he was named the game's most valuable player.
42:16Super Bowl XIII captured by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
42:20The first team in the history of the NFL to win it three times.
42:25An incredible season.
42:27Some teams you see they're celebrating.
42:30They're shaking champagne and spraying champagne all over each other.
42:33We never did that.
42:34I think the ball club as a whole played well.
42:38My feeling was that we won the Super Bowl.
42:41That's what we're supposed to do.
42:42I guess it was just a different mindset of the team.
42:46None of the Super Bowl wins felt like conclusions.
42:49Like it was the end.
42:51It was just another point on the path.
42:54You know, I said one thing to our football team after the game, and I sincerely believe it.
43:00I don't think we've peaked yet.
43:02And we're looking forward to even bigger and better things.
43:05Yeah.
43:06Congratulations.
43:07We definitely peaked.
43:09Because this was an all-time great team.
43:12The following year, the Steelers would win a fourth Super Bowl title.
43:19I consider myself very, very lucky and blessed.
43:27When I got into business, I wanted to be a part of the best team and to win.
43:33The motivation was always the Super Bowl.
43:48Whether they were Hall of Famers or role players, every Steeler shared the same drive to be a champion.
43:55I mean, it's almost like it was a wrinkle in time.
43:58It almost gives me the shivers thinking about it.
44:02That many good people came together at that point in time.
44:05I don't think there ever was, and I'm sure there never will be again, a team of that magnitude.
44:16That probably was the pinnacle of the 70s teams.
44:20Let's do it.
44:20Let's do it.
44:21Let's do it.
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