THE STEELERS BEGIN THE 1974 SEASON IN STYLE
The Steelers began their 1974 season of destiny on September 15th and it can be counted not as a day of infamy, but as the day the Steel Curtain came down for the rest of the decade.
The Steelers were expected to come away with a comfortable win, and the Pittsburgh defense dominated the game in style to shut their opponents out while its offense began to show its full potential.
The Steelers put the only three points of the first quarter on the board with Roy Gerela’s 31-yd field goal. In the second quarter, Lynn Swann fumbled a kick at the Pittsburgh 31, yielding great field position to Baltimore. Advancing to the 7 to give them a first and goal, the Colts had a superb opportunity to take a surprise lead. The Steelers defense stood firm and held back four Colt attempts to cross the goal line.
After the game, Baltimore’s coach Howard Schnellenberger commented, “If you can’t knock it in from there, you don’t deserve it. I thought about the field goal for a long time, but we didn’t know how often we’d be back down there.”
“I looked upon their decision as a sign of respect,” commented Joe Greene (picture left). “They knew a field goal would not win the game and they probably knew their chances for getting back down into a position to score a touchdown weren’t too good. So they went for it.”
Coach Noll was down to earth with his observation, “Goal-line defenses aren’t that complicated. The line penetrates and the linebackers clean it up. That’s what exactly happened.”
The goal line stand provided the impetus for the Steelers’ offense to take advantage of the break their teammates had given them. Starting from their one, Joe Gilliam took his team 99 yards with Swann scoring with a 54-yard touchdown completion.
Gerela’s missed extra point was forgotten within three minutes as Gilliam led his team on another touchdown drive, this time 64 yards in just three plays. Frank Lewis took the honours with a 4-yard touchdown reception and the Steelers were now 16-0 ahead.
Franco Harris, with a four-yard run in the third quarter and Frenchy Fuqua with a four-yard run in the fourth period, completed the scoring.
POST MATCH
“I was anxious before the game because everybody was so confident,” observed Noll. “That can be dangerous, even if it is not over-confidence. We had a bad week too. What with cuts and rain and all that.
The rest of the NFL took notice as the Steel Curtain handed out six sacks while forcing the Colts quarterback Marty Domres out of the game early with a bruised shoulder and ribs. Dwight White admitted, “We were sluggish at the start. I don’t know why, but we were. The goal-line stand kinda shook us up and got us truckin’. No one likes to play a goal-line defense because it means the other team is so close to scoring, but when you survive it, it usually has a definite impact on the outcome.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers 30 vs the Baltimore Colts 0
Three Rivers Stadium September 15th 1974; 48,890
Passing:
Gilliam 17-31-257-1-2
Rushing:
Harris 13-49, Pearson 9-36, Davis 3-9, Fuqua 4-9
Receiving:
Swann 2-94-1Harris 3-19; Grossman 3-52; Lewis 3-26-1; Davis 2-44; Stallworth 2-25; Brown 1-7; Fuqua 1-18; Pearson 1-4AFC CENTRAL:
Cleveland Browns 7 at Cincinnati 33
San Diego Chargers 14 at Houston Oilers 21JOE GILLIAM CEMENTS HIS STARTING JOB
After a great preseason and a 33-0 victory against Baltimore in the season opener, Joe Gilliam had made the Steelers quarterback starting position his own and his to lose. Reflecting on the Colts’ game, Noll was realistic, “Sunday was not his best day by far. But that in no way is meant to knock it. It’s just his potential is so high, you know there are going to be even better days ahead.”
With a 60-40 pass to run ratio with Gilliam at the helm, Noll said that wouldn’t necessarily continue. “It’s really not one man determining that ratio. It’s a lot of things,” he explained. “It’s the pass protection being so good, the receivers, especially the young ones and it’s getting a lot of breaks that wind up leading to a few interceptions. With those things going for us, there is no need to depend on the running game.”
“If we can get out in front of any team, we’re in awfully good shape because we have the kind of defense that makes playing catch-up ball awfully tough. Our pass rush is so strong and our linebacking play so good that not many teams can catch us if we get in front.
Our defensive thinking is geared to winning on first down. If we can force a second and nine or second and eight situation, we can turn our front four loose, force the other team into primarily a passing offensive , and get our sacks. If we can achieve that by passing instead of running, then that is the way we will continue to do it.”
The 103 yards gained on 29 carries against the revamped Baltimore defense pleased Noll. “We aim, not for the cellar, so we think in terms of a 5.0 average being the goal for our running game,” Noll continued. “In 1972, we reached 5.1 and led the league. I was very encouraged by Franco Harris. He ran well, especially on the short run for the touchdown.
He cut back against the grain and found his hole, but what I liked about it was more than just his running. I like the way our line sustained their blocks and gave him that second chance. Mike Webster in particular did a great job, Baltimore’s defensive line was 10 yards downfield, so there was plenty of running room.
The off side part of the line was particularly outstanding on that play. That is one of the things Dan Radakovich has instilled in our offensive line – the desire to hold their blocks instead of making that great first hit, then backing off. That has paid off on our pass protection too.”
Noll praised the guards Webster and Jim Clack with left tackle Jon Kolb for their effective work, but went on to compliment all the offensive line, “You know the whole line is going good when no defensive player ever gets near the quarterback.”
L.C. Greenwood was singled out for his contribution on defense. “L.C.’s pass rush was superb. He was making the primary rush and breaking things up well all day.”
STEELERS FORGET DENVER STATS
Looking forward to the game against Denver, the Steelers had never beaten them. Noll pays no attention to Denver’s high altitude and thin air. “There is no problem,” he commented before confirming the team would follow their normal routine and leave Saturday.
In the previous two seasons, the only defeat Pittsburgh had suffered in Three Rivers Stadium was a 13-23 loss to the Broncos, so the Steelers’ coaches were not taking their next opponents lightly. Defensive line coach George Perles said,” I just feel better about this game than I did a year ago. Last year, we’d come off three big wins in a row over tough clubs and I was worried about a let-down. But this year we respect them more. We know how tough they were last year and we’re healthier than we were then.
Coming off a 10-17 defeat in Los Angeles, Denver would be looking to get their season started and would provide sturdy opponents for the Steelers to maintain their momentum.
STEELERS PASSING GAME
Professional football in the seventies saw NFL teams win more by running the ball than passing it. After a successful preseason and a 31-0 shutout against the Colts, sceptics in Pittsburgh were not totally convinced that Joe Gilliam was the second coming. They suspected that his long passes against good teams would be his undoing.
Coach Noll credited the offensive line for allowing his quarterback the opportunity to pass so much. “If he gets knocked on his butt a few times, he’ll run the ball,” observed Noll.
1974 Game 2: The Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) at the Denver Broncos (0-1)
The Broncos set their stall out when they began the game with a successful onside kick. Although they were unable to take advantage of that possession, ten minutes into the game they were 21-7 ahead after scoring three touchdowns on just eight plays.
Denver scored first with a 45-yd pass by Charley Johnson before Gilliam (picture left) surpassed that with a 61-yd screen pass to Steve Davis for a touchdown that tied the game. The Steelers reduced the deficit in second quarter with Gilliam’s 1-yd touchdown run after an 18 plays, 87-yard drive.
In the third quarter, the Steelers again tied the score, this time with a Davis 1-yd run to make it 21-21.
After conceding 21 points in the first half, the Steelers defense began to help their offense in the second. Joe Greene knocked Johnson out of the game with a sprained shoulder before Andy Russell rammed into Johnson’s replacement, Steve Ramsey, leading to an interception and Fats Holmes sacked Ramsey which led to a L.C. Greenwood fumble recovery.
Those turnovers led to the Steelers taking a 35-28 lead in the fourth quarter with another Davis 1-yd touchdown run, followed by a touchdown from Frenchy Fuqua, also from 1-yard.
Midway through that fourth period, the Steelers held the game by the scruff of its neck before a Gilliam pass was tipped before being intercepted. “That missed being a touchdown by just an inch,” explained Gilliam.
As a result of that turnover, Denver tied the game at 35-35 with 7:06 left. A Roy Gerela missed field goal allowed the game to go into overtime, but a further fifteen minutes proved fruitless in providing a result.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 35 at the Denver Broncos 35
Mile High Stadium September 22 1974; 51,068Passing:
Gilliam 31-50-2Rushing:
Harris 20-70; Pearson 8-47Receiving:
Harris 9-84; Lewis 5-65AFC CENTRAL
Cleveland 20 at Houston 7
San Diego 20 at Cincinnati 17RECORD BREAKING STEELERS
The game made NFL history as the first overtime game after the new rule had been introduced that season. Gilliam threw 50 times for 31 completions, setting new records for the Steelers. Franco Harris ran for 70 yards on 20 carries and set a Steelers record for a back with nine receptions for 84 yards.
THE CURTAIN IS DRAWN
With the drafting of Jack Lambert, the ’74 Steelers defense was provided with the addition that created the Steel Curtain, but it was given that title later. After the 35-35 tie against Denver, that defense appeared to be a sieve. “The defense broke down. We’ll have to look and see what happened,” Coach Noll observed.
“Our biggest fault on defense was our tackling,” Noll explained. “It usually is a pretty good indicator that the intensity wasn’t what it should be. It wasn’t there in the front four, the linebackers and the front four. We missed a lot of tackles.
In trying to explain the lack of passion, Noll continued, “It could be a million little things. Intensity changes from week to week, day to day. It is an outgrowth of habit, but there highs and lows. It is very tough to put into words and, from a coach’s standpoint, all you do is to try and keep control of as many aspects as possible.”
There was no complaint about the offense though. “Gilliam played just a fine game,” the coach enthused. Denver played far back to protect against the deep stuff we’d been throwing. So, they gave him the short stuff and he took advantage of it.
Noll was also complimentary about the team’s comeback from a 21-7 deficit. “You have to be exceptionally pleased with that kind of comeback in a very hostile atmosphere,” he explained. “But, at the same time, I was disappointed that we could not hold the lead once we got it. When a unit of a team or even a particular player has a bad day, there is a tendency to use the word, choke.
But no choking was involved. How many times has our defense carried us when the offense was struggling? This was just a day when our defense was struggling and the offense had to carry us or else we would have been blown out.
You cannot be at the top of every phase of your game all the time for many reasons.”
OFFENSE SHINES WITH JON KOLB AS THE STAR
Steelers left tackle Jon Kolb (picture right) was just one of the reasons Pittsburgh’s offensive was producing performances that prompted compliments from even their critical fans. Kolb managed to extract praise from coach Noll. “They’ve been stern tests for him, but he’s been just about flawless against them,” Noll described Kolb’s games against Baltimore and Denver, while veteran center Ray Mansfield added, “He’s been just super.”
Kolb had produced the goods despite the challenge of playing next to a new guard with the added test of protecting Joe Gilliam when the Steelers opponents were expecting them to pass. In Denver, on first down and 10, Gilliam passed 65 percent of the time meaning the defense could pass rush more than they usually would.
“You just have to get yourself ready and prepare for at least 30 pass rushes a game,” Kolb stoically said. “When you pass block, you have to react to the defensive player, but on a running play you can take the initiative because you go off the ball aiming to do a certain thing.”
After two weeks of the season, the Steelers were first overall in the NFL on offense and second on defense.
RON SHANKLIN - THE FORGOTTEN STAR
A year ago, Ron Shanklin (picture left) was the Steelers number one receiver with 30 catches for 711 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 23.7 yards per catch was the NFL high and he took the Steelers MVP award.
After the first two weeks of the 1974 season, he had caught zero passes. He was the forgotten man while nine of his teammates had combined to catch 49 passes. His record of catching at least one pass in 54 of his previous 55 games was now being stretched.
“I’m not too worried about it,” he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I don’t feel like I’m in a slump or anything like that. I know my know will come, but who is to say when? Two years ago, I caught only three touchdown passes. Last year, I caught 10. It’s conceivable in this business that I could catch three on the same day.
I set no goals. If I did, I feel like I’d be limiting myself unnecessarily. I don’t look upon success from an individual point of view. I don’t say Ron Shanklin will play in the Super Bowl this season, I say the Pittsburgh Steelers will play in the Super Bowl will play in the Super Bowl this season.
I wish I had caught a few passes by now, but I don’t feel empty or useless because I haven’t. There are too many factors involved. The style of defense, the condition of the field, the play called, the position of the cornerback – all of those determine how many passes I catch. A quarterback can usually determine how many passes he’ll throw, but a receiver cannot determine the number he’ll catch. The team has been successful, so I’m not depressed”
The Steelers had managed to produce a rivalry with Oakland, their next opponents, that was cemented in intensity and bitterness. Not that the Immaculate Reception of 1972 had anything to do with that.
“We haven’t really played them too often, but it doesn’t seem like any of the games have been routine,” Shanklin observed. “ They’ve all been weird. Personally, I can’t say they’ve ever played any illegal tricks on me, but they are physical. I don’t worry much about it because that doesn’t stop me from doing what I have to do, but it is a fact. They are more physical than most teams we’ll play. But I’m sure Oakland would tell you we’re more physical than most teams they play.
OAKLAND NEXT
Reminiscing , Andy Russell said, “There was a time a few years ago when we were playing at Pitt Stadium when some of the fans thought it was a funny joke to throw snowballs at us when we came onto the field for the pre-game introductions.
There was a lot of cynicism and pessimism pent up in those crowds back then, but since 1972 everything has changed. Now the crowds are much larger, better and full of optimism.
A lot of players tell you they don’t notice the crowd. Those are the ones playing for teams who are losing. When you are losing, you have to block out the fans.
But winning teams hear the crowds; believe me they hear the crowds. And they make the difference between winning and losing sometimes. A lot of our success in 1972 and 1973 I think can be traced to the great crowds who backed us at home."
Meeting for the first time since the Immaculate Reception playoff game in 1972, the Steelers didn’t rise to the occasion, while Oakland were emphatic in seeking payback.
1974 Game 3: The Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) vs the Oakland Raiders (1-1)
Helped on their way with a dismal Bobby Walden punt of 30 yards that set the Raiders up on their opponent’s 28, Oakland needed just five plays on their second possession to make their point. Ken Stabler finished the drive with a 1-yd run to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, a Joe Gilliam (picture left) pass intended for John Stallworth was intercepted by George Atkinson and returned 26 yards to give the Raiders good field position again. On first down at the Steelers’ 19, Stabler’s touchdown pass to Cliff Branch increased Oakland’s lead. George Blanda’s 25-yard field then gave the Raiders a 17-0 at the half.
With defenses dominating in the second half, Noll decided a change of quarterbacks was needed with 1:52 remaining in the game. Terry Bradshaw took to the field for the first time in the regular season, but there was no fairy tale finish as he had little time to make any contribution.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 0 vs the Oakland Raiders 17
Three River Stadium September 29 1974; 48,304Passing:
Gilliam 8-31-106; Bradshaw 1-2-11Rushing:
Davis 10-49; Fuqua 8-26; Bradshaw 2-18; Harris 1-6; Gilliam 3-15; Bleier 1-2; Pearson 2-4Receiving:
S. Davis 2-43; Stallworth 1-19; Swann 1-14; Pearson 2-18; Brown 2-21; Fuqua 1-2On pulling Gilliam, Noll commented, “If it had been a case of one man not performing well, I might have handled my quarterbacks differently. But when a quarterback’s supporting cast is bad, he is going to be bad too.
There were times when I thought about replacing my offensive line and my receivers, but I didn’t have enough people to do it.
They used more man-to man than we had been seeing and they used their prevent defense more often than most teams have. But this was a team loss in the truest sense. I cannot think of any phase of the game in which we excelled. “
Noll believed the previous week’s overtime game had taken its toll on the players. “We had a lot of people hurt in that game and we missed them more during the week than we did today. We just didn’t have enough people available this week to practice like we wanted to. We hadn’t seen much defense like Oakland uses and we needed to work against it more than we were able to.
The only way to describe this is to say we got our butts kicked. I still think this team has a lot of potential, but that’s a personal opinion. The fans won’t agree with that now because they only go by the last result.
The Steelers offense was stifled by the Raiders 3-3 defense restricting Gilliam to just eight completions from 31 attempts producing a paltry 106 yards. “Down on myself. Never,” Gilliam commented. “We just had a bad day and lost to a strong football team. Their pass rush is always good; today it was terrific. They covered well, but they used just what we expected them to use.”
Jon Kolb commented, “When we win, I try to say as little as possible. When we lose, I say nothing.”
Cincinnati 21 at San Francisco 3
St. Louis Rams29 at Cleveland 7
Kansas City 17 at Houston 7AFC CENTRAL
Cincinnati 2-1-0
STEELERS 1-1-1
Houston 1-2-0
Cleveland 1-2-0THE STEELERS TO RUN MORE?
Reviewing the 17-0 loss to Oakland, Chuck Noll observed, “We have to establish a consistent running game. We are going to stress it more this week more than we have in the past. When you are as successful with the pass as we had been until last Sunday, you have to run into a situation where the value of the run is pointed out. We have now run into that situation.”
Noll didn’t put the blame Joe Gilliam for the loss or the Steelers' anti-run tendencies. He also dismissed the suggestion that he calls the plays for Gilliam. “I don’t think that serves any constructive purpose in developing a quarterback,” Noll commented. “We alter our game plan accordingly and Joe will follow that game plan.”
Facing the hapless Houston Oilers in their next game would give the Steelers an ideal opportunity to work on their ground game. Against a team that only managed one win in each of the previous two seasons, the Steelers were hoping Gilliam’s passing game would become more effective with a better balanced strategy for their offense. The Steelers have beaten the Oilers four straight and also won six of the previous seven meetings.
The Steelers success against the Oilers did not breed complacency with their players. Ray Mansfield commented, “Of all the teams we play, the toughest team for us in a physical sense is the Oilers. For some reason, they just seem to hit harder and more often than anybody else.”
Like the Raiders, the Oilers play a three man defensive line, but have four linebackers as opposed to the five preferred by Oakland. “The best way to force people out of those three-man fronts and out of those early-down prevent defense,” said Noll, “is to establish the running game and present a more balanced offense than we have so far.”
The Steelers opponents were not the most stable of franchises. The three different stadiums they called home and with eight coaches in fourteen years wasn'tt the foundation to build any success.
Coach Noll would be facing Sid Gillman. Noll began his coaching career as a defensive assistant under Gillman with the Chargers in 1960 in the old AFL. "Congratulations on your choice of Chuck Noll," wired Gillman to Art Rooney the day the Steelers announced their choice. "He's the future coach of the year." If Gillman was as successful on the field as he was in predicting Chuck Noll’s achievements, he would have already taken a team to the Super Bowl.
The Steelers were likely to be without their leading rusher Franco Harris, who had been injured on Pittsburgh’s first play against Oakland. “I got hit from behind and then I fell backwards and got tangled up,” Harris explained. “I knew it was hurting, but sometime you can work it off so I stayed in for the next two downs. But it wasn’t getting any better so I thought I might as well get out of there. We’ve got too many good backs for me to stay in when I’m not right.”
Frenchy Fuqua will replace Harris alongside Steve Davis with Preston Pearson making the third back.
In a revealing attack on ABC’s TV analysts, Noll commented, “All they are is a play-by-play man and two entertainers. They don’t want an honest job of analysing. That dumb defensive tackle (Alex Karras) does not know anything about offense. Then there’s my favourite kick coverage analyst, Alex Hawkins. All those guys talk about is pressure. Most guys don’t choke. They simply run into situations where the other man has more ability.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers (1-1-1) at the Houston Oilers (1-2)
The Steelers running game started the game in Houston at its usual lacklustre pace while Joe Gilliam offered the Oilers visions of a victory by turning the ball over twice in the first half. Coach Noll’s intent on running the ball more was stifled by the lack of yardage provided by Frenchy Fuqua and Steve Davies in the first half.
Houston’s Billy Johnson opened the scoring with a 47-yard touchdown run and Houston could have extended their lead with Pittsburgh presenting their opponents with two turnovers. A missed field goal and a Mike Wagner interception prevented Houston from taking advantage of those mistakes. With 49 seconds remaining in the half, Roy Gerela’s 37-yard field goal reduced the deficit and gave the Steelers some stimulus.
In the locker room, Preston Pearson (picture left) and Rocky Bleier were told by Dick Hoak they would be starting the second half. That change was the spark the Steelers needed and certainly led to Pittsburgh dominating with their 241 yards of offense to Houston’s 81.
A field goal from 27 yards from Gerela in the third quarter and a 9-yard Pearson touchdown run in the fourth meant the Steelers ran out 13-7 winners confirming the Steelers ground attack was not reliant on Franco Harris. Fumble recoveries by Jack Lambert and Jack Ham contributed to the Steelers’ victory with coach Noll enthusing, “Our defensive play was excellent. They came up with some big plays when we really needed them.”
Noll’s justifiably heaped praise on Pearson and Bleier, “The blocking of the backs in the second half was a big thing. Bleier made a sensational block to spring Pearson for that last big run (53 yards) and Pearson made some good blocks for Rocky.
Passing:
Gilliam 16-32-202Receiving:
L. Brown 3-46, Pearson 3-42, Shanklin 4-49, Lewis 3-33, Fuqua 3-32Rushing:
Pearson 15-117, Bleier 8-37, Fuqua 7-16, S. Davis 8-14The Pittsburgh Steelers 13 at the Houston Oilers 7
the Astrodome October 6 1974; 30,049The team’s first half stats of 14 carries for 31 yards was dwarfed by the second half’s figures of 24 carries for 153 yards, yielding a 6.4 average that had Noll confirming, “That is what happens when you use your running game properly.”
Pearson was awarded the game ball with his first career 100-yard game with 117 yards on 15 carries.
Terry Bradshaw did not figure in his coach’s game plan as he was suffering from spasms in his back before the game.
AFC CENTRAL
Oakland 40 at Cleveland 24
Cincinnati 28 at Washington 17SAM DAVIS PLAYED WITH A BROKEN HAND
Chuck Noll sang the praises of left guard Sam Davis for his performancein the team’s win against the Oilers playing with a broken right hand.
“It’s been awkward playing with the broken hand,” Davis (picture left) explained. “You try to blot out the pain, but it’s there. The more you think about it, the worse it gets, so I tried to think as little about it as I could. But even taking my stance was tough because there was pain every time I put much weight on my hand.
You know people think the only time an offensive lineman uses his hands is when he holds. That just isn’t true. In fact, we’ve spent a lot of time this season working on drills that teach us to use our hands to push and shove the defensive linemen out of the way. They’ve been a great help to us too.
When your hand is broken though, even pushing is tough. Each week now the pain has subsided a little more and I think I’ve played better too. I don’t think last week was anything so special. I missed as many blocks as I made as far as I am concerned. I thought Jon Kolb and Gordon Gravelle and the other guys were just as good, if not better.”
Speaking about the Steelers potential, Davis said,”One of the things we’ve run into this year and last year is that the other teams treat us as if we were the Super Bowl winners. I think we’re good enough to be thought of that way, but we haven’t won it yet. Still, because we have had some success, the other teams treat us with a lot more respect than they used to.
When I first came here, people figured they could beat us with less than best effort and they might have been right. Now, they all feel it takes a super-human effort to beat us and that is what they put out against us.”
L.C. GREENWOOD’S SWANSONG STEELERS SEASON?
L.C. Greenwood’s signing with the World Football League gave rise to fears that his final year with the Steelers would be one of less commitment than the standard intensity he brought to his position as their defensive left end.
After four games of the 1974 season, those doubts had been quickly cast aside with his performances. “What makes him so good is his speed,” Dan Rooney volunteered. “Not many people move as quickly as he does. Sometimes he moves so quickly, you can’t appreciate what he has done.”
On his signing with the WLF Rooney said, “We urged him to come back from his meeting with them and talk to us before he signed if he could. It became a case where he couldn’t. I wish he could have. There’s been no animosity because of his signing though.
There’s has been a lot written about the fact he can get out of his WFL contract for next season if he wants. Well, I don’t know about. I doubt if that is true. Apparently his agent told people that. She said he could get out of it, but if he can, I don’t know about it.”
Greenwood’s had a blasé attitude towards his signing with the Birmingham Americans. “I don’t think about it at all,” he said. “I’m here to play for the Steelers this season. I want it to be a great year and I still think it is going to be.
My performance this season has been about the same for every game. No big ups, no big downs. I’m penetrating well, getting a good rush on the passer and getting my licks. There is a little different feeling here this year though. I don’t feel the defense has to carry as heavy a load as it has the last couple of years because our offense is better.
It’s not a question of wanting to get rid of any responsibility; it’s just we know the offense can bail us out some of the time now. We still have a terrific defense. When the offense lets us get some rest we’re functioning just as well as we always have.
No defense though can always be effective, especially if it has to be on the field a lot. It’s up to the offense to control the game.”
CHUCK NOLL ON PRESSURE IN SPORT
Coach Noll had previously aired his (non-complimentary) views on sports TV commentators and confirmed them again in the build up to the game in Kansas. “The kids are picking it up and it’s affecting a whole generation,” Noll observed. “They say they can’t do something because of the pressure on them. Even when my kid misses a shot while he’s playing basketball in my backyard, he says it’s because of the pressure.
There’s only pressure if you’re not capable of doing the job you’re supposed to do. If you’ve got the ability to accomplish something, there’s no pressure.”
Having announced Rocky Bleier and Preston Pearson as his starting running backs, Noll had not confirmed Joe Gilliam would be his quarterback. “It’s a fact,” Gilliam said. “There’s no pressure on me. There would be pressure if I put on a hockey suit and tried to play hockey, but not this.
I have to keep improving. I wasn’t outstanding last week and that’s what I am looking for. But I’m more familiar with what’s happening every week.”
After waiting six years for his shot, Bleier was honest about the opportunity. “It’d be easy to be tense and tight and say this might be the only chance I get, but I don’t want to do that. I’m just trying to get ready and make sure I know my assignments. I know I’ll never be an O.J. Simpson, but I want to prove I can be a running back in this league.”
ROCKY'S OPPORTUNITY TO SHINE
Having announced early in the week that Rocky Bleier and Preston Pearson would be his starting running backs, Coach Noll played a guessing game regarding his quarterback. Whether that was to keep his players on their toes or genuine doubt over who would perform better against the Chiefs’ solid defense, Joe Gilliam was showing no nerves.
“It’s a fact,” Gilliam said. “There’s no pressure on me. There would be pressure if I put on a hockey suit and tried to play hockey, but not this. I’ve got to keep improving. I wasn’t outstanding last week and that’s what I’m looking for. But I’m familiar with what’s happening every week.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1-1) at the Kansas City Chiefs (2-2)
Despite all the speculation, Joe Gilliam began the game at quarterback. On a rain sodden field, the Steelers fumbled their first two possessions away as the Chief’s defense dominated and put the first points on the board with a 31-yard field goal.
It was Pittsburgh’s defense that made the biggest impression though. The Steelers’ front four were showing the aggression they would become well known four. The Chiefs Mike Livingston felt the full force in the first quarter when Andy Russell blitzed Livingston, knocking the ball from his hands before he recovered on the Chiefs’ 34. Six plays later, Rocky Bleier swept around the right end to score the touchdown that put the Steelers 7-3 ahead.
Kansas came back on the first play of the second quarter with a 13-yard touchdown pass to former Steeler Barry Pearson. Roy Gerela missed a 37-yard field goal for the Steelers before Jack Lambert’s interception set his team up for Preston Pearson’s touchdown run of three yards.
Five plays later, Glen Edwards stepped in front Livingston’s intended receiver and saw a wet open field of 49 yards as he collected the interception and put the Steelers further ahead. In desperation, the Chiefs’ coach Hank Stram put Len Dawson in at the helm, but his first pass was collected by Jack Ham and led to a 32-yard field goal and a Steelers lead of 24-10 at the half.
Any thoughts of a Pittsburgh rout were discarded when the Chiefs, again led by Livingston, went 83 yards in eleven plays, completed by a 10-yard touchdown catch from Otis Taylor.
Still in the third quarter, the Steelers managed to extend their lead with a Gerela 45yard field goal before Loren Toews recovered a fumble to set up the Steelers once more. Gilliam, recognising a blitz, called an audible and hit Frank Lewis with a 31-yard touchdown pass that had Noll enthusing, “That was a super play. Gilliam missed on some third down plays, but he made some great plays on third down too.”
Taking a seventeen points lead into the fourth quarter, any Steeler complacency would have been dispelled on the first play when Livingston hit Elmo Wright with a 13-yard touchdown pass. Despite attempting the most passes in one game in franchise history, Kansas failed to score again.
Passing:
Gilliam 14-36-214Rushing:
Bleier 12-45; Fuqua 9-29; Pearson 12-27; Gilliam 3-7; Davis 4-8; Lewis 1-3Receiving:
Lewis 3-55; Bleier 3-41; Pearson 3-45; Swann 2-28; Stallworth 2-25; Shanklin 1-20The Pittsburgh Steelers 34 at the Kansas City Chiefs 24
Arrowhead Stadium October 13th 1974 ; 65,517The Chiefs head coach praised Gilliam. “He’s a tremendous quarterback. He has poise and confidence and a lot of daring. He threw some balls that were unbelievable and he completed them. He’s a brilliant young quarterback. We tried to create as many different looks as possible, but he read them extremely well.”
Noll was more realistic with his comment on the game, “We made too many mistakes on offense. Fumbles and penalties hurt what could have been a great offensive performance."
But Noll labelled the Steelers pass rush as the most significant factor in the win. “Greene moved around a lot better today and Fats (Homes) and White were great on the rush too. They penetrated a lot and forced a lot of mistakes. When you pressure quarterbacks like that, interceptions usually follow.”
After five games of the 1974 season, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette questioned whether the Steelers were a team on the threshold of greatness or just one that has the muscle to overpower the weaker team but lack the class and finesse to be real Super Bowl contenders?
AFC Central
Cincinnati 34 at Cleveland 24
Minnesota 51 at Houston 10QUARTERBACK CONTROVERSY?
As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette put it in their October 15th sports section, the master of the non-answer, coach Chuck Noll was in rare form at his weekly gathering with the media. Before the Kansas City game, Noll hemmed and hawed about the quarterback situation. Gilliam? Bradshaw? How about Hanratty? Noll just shrugged off the controversy with a calm, “we’ll wait and see.”
Joe Gilliam actually played the whole game putting in an average performance with 14 completions from 36 attempts for 214 yards and a touchdown. When asked if Gilliam would start against the Browns, Noll sidestepped the question with his response, “We’ll go with what’s best for the team.”
When pushed on the subject when asked if that meant Gilliam was number one, Noll was evasive with his reply, “I didn’t say he was… and I didn’t say he wasn’t. I’ll let you reporters speculate. You need something to speculate on this week. I prefer to avoid the subject.”Terry Bradshaw, who had led his team to eight victories and one loss the previous season when they finished 10-4, lost his starting position to Gilliam during the preseason initially due to a hand injury. Despite Gilliam’s 3-1-1 record, the couch potatoes that consider themselves head coach material were always looking for excuses to dump a quarterback.
Noll was emphatic that the Steelers impotent running game was not due to Gilliam. “The fault’s not with Joe,” the coach said. “If anyone’s to blame, I am. When the team makes mistakes the fault is mine. It’s a team effort. “
RAY MANSFIELD AT THE CENTER OF THINGS
At the centre of the Steelers offense was Ray Mansfield. Drafted in 1963 by the Eagles, Mansfield moved across Pennsylvania the following year to play left defensive tackle for two years before becoming the Steelers starting center in 1966. Mansfield was proud of his string of 160 consecutive appearances for the Steelers although he observed that “Starting now, centers won’t be putting together long streaks because they are going to take more punishment. Those odd-man lines everybody is using now puts a man head-up on you for every play and the wear and tear will show just like it does on the other offensive linemen.”
Reflecting on his eleven year career Mansfield said, “Winning the division title in 1972 when we beat San Diego out there was so big a moment for Andy Russell and I, no one else could understand. We’ve been with this club through some lean years and we appreciated the success. We have more significant things to accomplish, like winning the Super Bowl, but nothing can top that for a great thrill.
You only do something for the first time once and that was our first championship – of anything. Nothing can beat that.”
The Cleveland Browns were the next opponents. Pittsburgh were ranked first in total offense in the AFC, first in passing and eighth in rushing while Cleveland were eighth in total offense but first in passing and last in passing.
Defensively, the Steelers ranked third overall while the Browns were eleventh overall.
ROCKY BLEIER MAKES THE GRADE
Chuck Noll, who in the words of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, tossed around words of praise for his players as if they were manhole covers, claimed the play of Rocky Bleier in Pittsburgh’s win against Kansas was one of the “bright spots” for the Steelers.
The Post-Gazette began their article on Bleier with these magical words – Bleier, who survived six years, one war and a player’s strike before he finally got his first chance to start a NFL game, knows he’s got almost as much job security as a refrigerator salesman in Alaska.
Still waiting for their coach to announce who would be the starters against Cleveland in the Steelers' next game, Bleier was looking over his shoulder at Franco Harris who had recovered from his sprained ankle that had kept him out of the previous two games. The pundits considered Bleier had the better game compared to Preston Pearson the previous week, but Bleier appeared to be the likely candidate for replacement by Harris as they were both fullbacks.
For someone that carried the ball only fourteen times in his previous years with the Steelers, Bleier had turned in a performance that showed his coach he was more than just a player who made up the numbers on special teams.
Reflecting on his 12 carries for 45 yards, Bleier said, “I feel I got my assignments completed last week.” Commenting on his early fumble in the game Bleier said, “It didn’t bother me personally because I have fumbled before and it’s just one of those things, but I felt bad because we put the defense right back on the field. Joe Gilliam had fumbled the time we had the ball before and I didn’t want things to die for us.”
Bleier had a simple theory on why the Steelers’ running game had struggled for the first five games of the season – injuries. “Because of injuries, we’ve had guys playing two positions in our offensive line. That means they’ve had to work on the blocking at two positions. And when an audible is called, it takes an extra instant for them to think about blocking for the position they’re at, so we’re just a little bit late coming off the ball. It’s a question of timing, but I’m sure it’ll come as the season goes on.”
With the pro scouts dismissing him as too slow and too small when he entered the draft in 1968, Bleier was the only current NFL player to have seen combat action in Vietnam. Missing all but the final game of the 1970 season because of his leg and foot injuries, he had made the squad as a special team’s player the next three years. Bleier had no regrets about his time in Vietnam or his pro football career. “I think things worked out well for me,” he said philosophically. “I might not be here now if it hadn’t happened that way.”
STEELERS TO TRADE A QUARTERBACK?
Las Vegas oddsmaker Jimmy the Greek predicted the Steelers would trade one of their quarterbacks before the trade deadline two days after the Cleveland game. The rules dictated the Steelers can only trade within the AFC. With Gilliam playing well, highly paid Terry Bradshaw and Terry Hanratty looked the likely candidates to move franchises.
A spokesman for the team said there was no substance in the speculation. “Jimmy’s spending too much time in Las Vegas. It’s not the sun, it’s the light from above those tables,” he joked.
CLEVELAND NEXT UP
Following their hit and miss start to the season, the Steelers were hoping to shrug off their spluttering progress against Cleveland, who had managed only one win so far and that was against the equally inept Houston Oilers.
For the first time, the Steelers had all 47 players ready to play including Franco Harris (picture left), although it was anticipated he wouldn’t start. Coach Noll was expected to continue with Rocky Bleier and Preston Pearson leading the ground attack.
With the quarterback controversy taking a temporary back seat, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette highlighted the important question now was not how the quarterbacks perform, but how the entire squad does. If the Steelers were a potential Super Bowl team, the Post-Gazette suggested they started playing like one.
The Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1-1) vs the Cleveland Browns (1-4)
The Steelers took a 14 point lead after touchdowns from Preston Pearson and Franco Harris in each of the first two quarters. From an explosive beginning for the Steelers ground game, like previous weeks it then fizzled out.
The Browns came back strong before the half with two touchdowns that should have tied the game, but L.C. Greenwood blocked the second point after attempt to take the teams into the locker room with the Steelers edging it 14-13.
Roy Gerela, who pulled a thigh muscle during warm-up, was called upon in the third quarter to successfully kick a 31-yard field goal. Cleveland closed the gap in the fourth period with a 21-yard field goal before a Pittsburgh 26-yard field goal gave them a 20-16 lead.
With 6:18 remaining in the game, the Browns took the ball from their own 29 to a first down on the Steelers' 20. Needing more than a field goal to win the game, Cleveland’s Mike Phipps tried too hard for a touchdown resulting in an interception by Glen Edwards sealing a Pittsburgh win.
Passing:
Gilliam 5-18-78Rushing:
Harris 14-81, Bleier 9-48, Pearson 10-21, Fuqua 5-11, S. Davis 3-9, Gilliam 3-4, Stallworth 1-minus 9Receiving:
Shanklin 2-42, Stallworth 1-14, Lewis 1-10, Grossman 1-12The Pittsburgh Steelers 20 vs the Cleveland Browns 16
Three Rivers Stadium October 20th; 48,100“We haven’t played as well as we think we can,” coach Noll admitted. “We were pleased with the way our defense stopped their rushing game, but the offense is still struggling. It’s the year of mistakes. They continue to plague us. I guess we need more work, maybe we’re still suffering from missing training camp.”
Franco Harris gained 81 yards on 14 carries. “My cutting isn’t as sharp as I’d like it to be, but I thought I did OK considering I’d missed three weeks,” Harris said. He added that he understood why coach Noll had taken him off. “Personally, I’d like to play the whole game. When you get warmed up, you don’t want to be taken out. You can’t turn it off and on. It worked today, but when it gets rougher, you have to be more in the groove before you can bust things. Of course you have to look at the situation and Rocky has been doing a beautiful job so you can’t just say he’s going to the bench.
The Post-Gazette observed that Harris and Bleier never play at the same time because they are both fullbacks but it might be time to work Bleier as a halfback so he can block for Harris.
STEELERS PREPARE TO HOST ATLANTA FOR MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
After the win against Cleveland, coach Noll had to field questions from the media regarding the Steelers erratic offense and failing passing game. Noll’s theory on the fans’ disappointment with Pittsburgh’s close victory was that they were expecting too much.
“Cleveland is a much better team than their advance press,” asserted Noll. “People usually hear what they want to hear. When I said last week that Cleveland has a tough team that had lost to tough teams, all the ears were turned down. All I heard about was their losses. One of the reasons we were inconsistent is because of the opponents we ran up against. Some people think if you’re 1-4, you’ll roll over and play dead. But they were functioning on their pride and that’s one of the better motivating forces.”
Looking ahead to the Monday Night game against the 2-4 Atlanta Falcons that fans also figured to have an easy outcome, Noll said, “I don’t want to belabour the point, but Atlanta have a similar record and they’ve got the talent to beat any team in the league.”
When the talk turned to Joe Gilliam’s performance, Noll confirmed, “He wasn’t as good as the previous week if you look at his stats (5 for 18), but you have to look at the whole picture. There were four or five drops and one catch that were called out of bounds. It’s really tough to evaluate him alone.”
The coach hinted that he would team Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier in the same backfield. “Offensively, we did a lot of good things,” Noll explained. “Harris, Bleier and Davis all ran well and on occasion, our offensive line blew people off the ball.”
In reply to a question asking why he believed so strongly in rotating his running backs while using only one quarterback, Noll observed, “The difference is in the position. Quarterback isn’t a contact position unless the pass blocking breaks down.”
Joe Gilliam, Terry Bradshaw with coach NollJOE GILLIAM IN THE KITCHEN
“I can take the heat,” exclaimed under fire Joe Gilliam. “I understand it; the quarterback always takes it.”
With the weekly quarterback controversy in spite of a win or loss the previous weekend, Gilliam continued, “I feel I’m an aware person. I try to think I’m simply not reacting in any way to all of this. I just worry about the things I have some control over. I don’t have any control over what is in other people’s minds.
I’ve worked a long time for this opportunity and I’m not going to let any boos take it away from me. I’ve always prided myself on licking adversity and using it as an inspiration to work harder.”
Reflecting on the racial facet or the abuse he receives, Gilliam said, “No white guy ever had to go through what I have. I can handle it. Ignorance is what’s wrong with people today. If we can knock down these barriers, we’ll be halfway to a harmonious world. But it’s not just a racial thing. I know that.”
THE STEELERS ABUNDANCE OF RECEIVERS
With the arrival of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth through the draft, the Steelers starting wide receivers Ron Shanklin and Frank Lewis were now sharing playing time with the rookies.
“It is a little strange not playing all the time,” offered Lewis (picture left) before adding, “There are two sides to it. The advantages are that by resting more, you bruise less, meaning that most of us are going to play more often in the long run. We won’t get as many injuries. Besides that, when you are in the game, you are fresher, which means you should be able to go at full speed for a longer period of time.
The disadvantages are pretty obvious too. First of all, you probably aren’t going to catch a lot of passes. I’m not that big on statistics – I’d rather win games – but I lead the team and I haven’t really caught that many passes. The other big disadvantage is that you might go for weeks and never be in the game for a long pass situation. Or you might not be called upon to run a particular route under game conditions for weeks at a time.”
Responding to a question asking if he liked the new system, Lewis replied, “No comment. This would be the wrong time for me or anybody to answer that. It would sound like I’m trying to coach and I don’t want to be put in that position. This is the wrong time for that and talking about quarterbacks, I’d rather not do that either. The less said about that right now, the better.”
Lewis was keen though to talk about attacking the suddenly popular 3-8 defenses. “You have to be more patient,” he said. “That’s probably the big thing. The long bomb is not available as often, but it is available more often than a lot of people think. You just have to guess on coverages. If you guess right, it is there.
You’ve got to show a lot of potential receivers because of the coverage. I think that is probably another advantage to our present system. A lot of guys have caught more than one or two passes, so the defense has to be concerned with more people. You get more balance that way too.”
Supporting Lewis’ theory were the season’s stats. Ten Steelers had caught five or more passes with only Franco Harris averaging less than 10 yards per catch. In the AFC, the Steelers’ 93 completions for 206 attempts with 1,169 yards lead the teams.
MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL IN PITTSBURGH
In front of a national TV audience, Terry Bradshaw once again shone as he lit up the Pittsburgh night with a virtuoso performance against Atlanta that continued the Steelers winning streak.
Pittsburgh woke up on the Monday morning of the Falcons game to a strong rumour, denied by the team, that Bradshaw was back as their starting quarterback. Joe Gilliam, who had led Pittsburgh to a 4-1-1 record, had been errant in the team’s last couple of victories found he was now side-lined. The fans’ prayers had been answered. The question now – how would Bradshaw respond?
The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1-1) vs the Atlanta Falcons (2-4)
Coach Noll not only changed his starting quarterback, but he also adjusted his offensive line with Jim Clack replacing Gerry Mullins at right guard who was moved to right tackle. Noll also kept his veterans receivers, Frank Lewis and Ron Shanklin, on the field for most of the offensive plays while the rookies saw little playing time although they did contribute.
Noll also abandoned the rotational system of his running backs pairing Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris for most of the game.
Lynn Swann’s 52-yard return of the Falcons’ first punt of the game set up the Steelers first scoring drive, finished by Rocky Bleier’s 10-yard touchdown run. Jack Ham’s interception on the Falcons’ next possession led to the Steelers second series that was completed by Bradshaw’s 1-yard run on the twelfth play.
Atlanta’s quarterback Bob Lee suffered from the Steelers’ aggressive defense throughout the game, being sacked seven times for a total loss of 63 yards. But in the second quarter, Lee led his team to two scoring drives leading to a 14-14 scoreline at half-time.
In the third quarter, Pittsburgh began to restore its dominance, but Roy Gerela missed a 35-yard field goal before successfully kicking one from 33-yards to edge his team in front.
At the beginning of the fourth period, Bradshaw’s 29-yard pass to Franco Harris set up Harris for a touchdown run of seven yards. Atlanta completed the scoring with a 32-yard field goal.
Former Steeler stars Bobby Layne and Bill Dudley attended the game that saw a season high 235 rushing yards from their team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 24 vs the Atlanta Falcons 17
October 28th 1974 Three Rivers Stadium; 48,094“It was a wonderful feeling,” offered Bradshaw after the victory. “I savoured it like a good New York sirloin. Of course, I know it can go the other way too, but it was certainly nice this time.” Although Bradshaw’s figures were not inspiring, the way he led his team to victory was sufficient to keep the fans on his side.
Passing:
Bradshaw 9-21-130
Rushing:
Harris 28-141, Bleier 15-78, Bradshaw 9-16
Receiving:
Harris 2-37, Lewis 3-26, Bleier 1-25, Shanklin 1-22, Stallworth 1-14, Brown 1-7
AFC CENTRAL
Houston 34 Cincinnati 21
Cleveland 23 Denver 21
Steelers 5 1 1
Cincinnati 4 3
Cleveland 2 5
Houston 2 5
