5. 1972 Steelers

(11-3)

Lost in Conference Championship Game to Miami (21-17)

After a 5-9 finish in 1970 and a 6-8 finish in 1971, the new and improved Steelers under Chuck Noll appeared ready for a breakout season in 1972, and set their sights on a postseason berth. When you talk about seasons where one can pinpoint exactly where a franchise’s fortunes change for the better, it would be 1972 for the Steelers, and boy was the rebuilding process finally headed in the right direction.  After 40 years of almost perpetual losing, and not even a postseason victory to their names, the Steelers of 1972 changed the culture of the franchise.  Three terrific years of drafting by Noll sprinkled in with some veteran holdovers from the 60’s such as Ray Mansfield and Andy Russell finally blossomed into an 11-3 season, and the franchise’s first ever Division title.

The Offense was of course a ground-based attack, and was led by 1972′s 1st Round Draft pick and future Hall of Famer Franco Harris.  Harris earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and paced the team with 1,055 Yards rushing and 11 total Touchdowns (10 Rush and 1 Reception).  Veterans Frenchy Fuqua and Preston Pearson also shouldered some of the load and rushed for a combined 929 Yards and 4 TD’s (Fuqua: 665 Yards and 4 TD’s, Pearson: 264 Yards).

Yet during a season where the Steelers finished 2nd in the League in Rushing Yards, 3rd year Quarterback Terry Bradshaw showed some marked improvement.  Bradshaw threw 12 TD’s compared to only 12 INT’s with 1,887 Yards Passing and a career-high 346 on the ground with 7 TD’s in 1972.  While those are not necessarily “sexy” totals, they were good considering the fact that he threw 46 Picks combined during his first two seasons and was a turnover machine early in his career.  While Ron Shanklin and Frank Lewis were not a “Stallworth and Swann duo,” they still put up respectable stats for the team (Lewis: 27 Catches for 391 yards and 5 TD’s, Shanklin: 38 Catches for 669 Yards and 3 TD’s), and complimented the Steelers’ ground game enough to rank the Steelers 5th in the League in Total Points for the year.

’72 also saw the beginnings of the “Steel Curtain” Defense, as the unit ranked 2nd in the League in fewest Points Allowed (175) and 1st in fewest Rushing TD’s Allowed (6).  “Mean Joe” Greene, Dwight White, and Andy Russell made the Pro Bowl, and 2nd year Linebacker Jack Ham led the team with 7 INT’s.  The Defense was a turnover driven unit and finished with a League leading +22 Turnover margin, as the Secondary of Mike Wagner (6 INT’s), Glen Edwards (1 INT), Mel Blount (3 INT’s), and John Rowser (4 INT’s) were ball-hawks to be reckoned with that season.

The team started the season a tad sluggish at 2-2 and lost a close game to the defending Champion Cowboys in Week 4 at Texas Stadium.  Yet after the Dallas game, the Steelers reeled off Wins in 9 of their next 10 games to finish the season with an 11-3 record, and avenged their only Loss during the stretch when they beat Cleveland 30-0 in Week 12.  The stage was set for a Divisional Playoff showdown between the Steelers and Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium.

Harris' catch and run is arguably one of the greatest plays in N.F.L. history. Image Courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com

After the Steelers let a 6-0 lead slip through their fingers when Ken Stabler ran for a 30 Yard TD, it did not look good for the Steelers.  But I guess December 23, 1972 was just the Steelers day, because from his own 40 Yard Line, Terry Bradshaw uncorked a pass over the middle which changed football history forever.  I don’t think that I need to refresh anyone on what happened next, so I will let the picture to the right here illustrate the ridiculous combination of luck, hustle, and overall awesomeness do the talking for me:

Because of the N.F.L.’s then-wacky postseason format, the Steelers got to play the Conference Title game at home the following week against the 15-0 Dolphins which had beaten Cincinnati the week before.  The Steelers appeared to be riding high off of “The Immaculate Reception” and the subsequent 13-7 victory, actually raced to an early lead against Miami.  Yet a brilliantly planned and executed Fake Punt-Run by Larry Seiple of the Dolphins swung momentum Miami’s way, and the Steelers eventually lost the game 21-17 in spite of their valiant effort.

Pittsburgh likely would have beat Washington in Super Bowl VII the following week had they won, and it could have been a cherry on top of a “Cinderella Season” had the Steelers advanced to the title game and won.  Still, 1972 was the ultimate “building block” year of the franchise because it paved the way for four decades of greatness which we have witnessed ever since.

4. 2010 Steelers

(12-4)

Lost in Super Bowl XLV to Green Bay (31-25)

The 2010 season looked doomed before it began as 2x Super Bowl winning QB Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the first four games of the regular season because of some “restroom indiscretions” with a woman of in Milledgeville, Georgia.  Add to that the fact that the Steelers became the “poster-boys” for Roger Goodell’s crusade to eliminate physical football and all its remnants from the League, and cover his and the League’s behinds from future law suits in the process.  Yet this 2010 team seemed to only respond to hard times as they rode to a 3-1 record during Ben’s absence (kudos to Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon), a 12-4 regular season record, an A.F.C. North title, and an A.F.C. crown.

In spite of Big Ben’s absence, a make-shift Offensive Line (aside from Rookie Pro Bowler Maurkice Pouncey), and Bruce Arians’ questionable play-calling, the Offense performed quite well when you consider the circumstances and their production.  Running Back Rashard Mendenhall set career highs in Carries (324), Rushing Yards (1,273), and Touchdowns (13), and totaled 1,440 Yards from scrimmage.  Backup Isaac Redman had 2 TD catches, and none more famous than his all-around stellar catch and run to win the game and Division against Baltimore in December of that season.

2010 also illustrated how terrific the Steelers’ Wide Receiving corps was.  2nd year man Mike Wallace stepped in for the recently departed San-smokio Holmes and caught 60 Passes for 1,257 Yards and 10 Touchdowns.  Between Wallace, the crafty veteran Hines Ward, Rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown, and Tight End Heath Miller the Steelers had quite the group of pass-catchers as Ben threw for 3,200 Yards and 17 TD’s in 12 regular season games.

Yet what I will always remember about 2010 was how incredible the Defense played that season.  As a unit, the Steelers finished 1st in Points Allowed, 2nd in Total Yards Allowed, 2nd in Turnover Margin with +17, and 1st in all major categories against the Run (Fewest Yards, Fewest Attempts, and Fewest Touchdowns).

This is "Steelers Football" in 2010 at its best. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

Inside Linebacker Lawrence Timmons got jobbed when he did not get a Pro Bowl berth, but he was a “Tackling Machine” like the fictional Bobby Boucher in 2010.  Timmons led the team with 134 Tackles, grabbed 2 INT’s, had 10 Passes Defended, and 3.0 Sacks.  Not to be outdone, the ageless James Farrior had his best season since 2004 and made 109 Tackles and 6.0 Sacks as the Steelers’ Inside Linebackers formed the most reliable duo in the League that season.  Undeterred by the League’s campaign to thwart him, Harrison still notched 100 Tackles and 10.5 Sacks as him and LaMarr Woodley (10.0 Sacks) had 10.0+ Sacks apiece during the regular season for the third time as teammates.

The Defensive Line played just as stellar as all the units as Casey Hampton, Ziggy Hood and Pro Bowler Brett Keisel stood firm and allowed the play-makers to do what they do best. The real star of the Defense in 2010 was Troy Polamalu as he earned Defensive M.V.P. honors that year.  Polamalu was a one-man-wrecking crew from his Strong Safety spot and made 7 INT’s on the season to go with highlight reel defensive play after highlight reel defensive play.

The Steelers had an incredible comeback win over the Ravens in the Divisional Round, and then held on for dear life and eventually prevailed over the Jets the following week for the A.F.C. crown.  The only thing which stood between Pittsburgh and their 7th Super Bowl title were the hot Wild-Card Green Bay Packers.  Unfortunately for the Steelers, Super Bowl XLV was simply not their day as they committed too many costly mistakes, and the Packers to their credit capitalized on them when they needed to do it.

2010 was almost a glorious “Eff You” season to Roger Goodell and the rest of his cronies throughout the League.  I know that I would have paid top dollar to see the look on Goodell’s face had he been forced to give the Lombardi Trophy to the Steelers, but it just did not happen.  Regardless, this 12-4 team played consistent football at an extremely high level through the entire season.  Had this group just taken it one step further, you could argue that this team would have been the best one in franchise history over the last quarter century.

This is the most dreaded week of the regular season:  the bye week.   Football is going on but there’s nothing of interest to you because your team doesn’t have a game.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy football and will watch pretty much any game on television.   I’ve even been known to watch a CFL, ArenaBall, or UFL game if Modern Family is a repeat and I’m fresh out of Glee episodes on my DVR.   However, nothing can truly replace the excitement of watching my Pittsburgh Steelers.

Over the summer, I was sent a couple Steeler-centric books to review.   Since there is a lull in regular season action, I thought I’d share my thoughts on them this week.  First up, we have From Black To Gold by Tim Gleason.

Tim, who writes under the name “maryrose” for the Behind The Steel Curtain website, pitched the book to me as written by a fan for the fan.   Being a curmudgeon, I was highly skeptical.   But I can honestly say that is a perfect description for this book.  Please don’t take that as my saying it’s written in an amateurish way; the writing is quite good.   What I’m saying is the book being “from a fan’s perspective” gives it a unique tone quite unlike any other Steeler book out there (and I’ve read them all).

Let me try to explain.   When a sportswriter writes about a game or a player, many times they were either too young to see them first hand or *gasp* grew up in another city following another team.  They’re writing based on interviews or newspaper clippings.   That’s fine but it sometimes misses the finer details.  Let’s take last Sunday’s game for example.   A sportswriter’s account might say, “Ike Taylor made an interception.”   But only a fan would write something like “Holy Crap!   Ike actually came down with a pick!” because only close followers of the team would be aware of Ike’s reputation for having the worst hands in football and then make a joke based on his stone-handedness.

Gleason’s book is full of little details that only a fan would remember.  Although instead of things from recent years, his memories primarily deal with the Steelers of the 60s and 70s.  I was extremely impressed with his detailed recollections of specific plays from forty years ago that only those who experienced them first hand would remember.   He even got to stand on the field during Super Bowl X!   Between that, having lunch with the great Johnny Unitas, and attending Kent State when they had a linebacker by the name of Jack Lambert, his story unfolds as almost like the Forrest Gump of Steeler Nation.

I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t point out some constructive criticism.  My only real problem with this book is the near 300 page count seems a bit padded at times.   Most notably is the chapter devoted to the helmet you see pictured above.   It’s been signed by 33 all-time great Steelers.  Gleason promises to recount the stories behind the signature but this amounts to a short paragraph biography on each player and a “story” which usually amounts to not much more than, “I went to a card show.”

Anyway, that’s just one chapter which amounts to only about 25 pages of the book so it’s by no means a deal-breaker.  Tim identifies a lot of Steeler history with his personal experiences (watching his first Steelers game with his dad, Rocky Bleier serving in Vietnam just like his brother, etc) which gives the narrative a very personal quality missing from other books.   But don’t let the fact he’s not a reporter lead you to believe he just wrote this from memory.   He conducted several interviews (primarily with Art Rooney, Jr and Rocky Bleier) and even tracked down the oldest living original Pittsburgh Steeler, Ray Kemp.

If you’re interested in purchasing the book, you can order a copy by clicking here. or visiting http://fromblacktogold.com

If you’re a youngster interested in Steelers history or an old-timer wishing to relieve some memories from days gone by, I highly recommend From Black To Gold to any member of Steeler Nation interested in the story of their team told from a perspective you don’t often get:  that of one of their own.

Our true natural rival should be our cross-state counter parts, the Philadelphia Eagles.  Sure we play them in the Battle of Pennsylvania every preseason but who cares about the preseason?  If not for the fact we play one meaningful game every 4-5 years, the rivalry between our two cities would be unmatched.   In fact, there’s still a pretty healthy dose of antagonism between the Steel City and the City of Brothers on Crack Brotherly Love without the added dimension of sports.With that in mind, here are 5 reasons why the Pittsburgh Steelers absolutely positively cannot lose to the Iggles this Sunday.

#5:  Our players aren’t idiots.

The above video shows Eagles WR Desean Jackson celebrating his touchdown catch this past Monday night.  Unfortunately for Desean, he celebrated about a yard and a half before he scored the touchdown.  Luckily for him, the team got the ball back and managed to score on the next play.   It still doesn’t erase the fact he’s one of the biggest tools to ever set foot on a field.

Contrast that with our players.  When Hines Ward caught two touchdowns against the Texans, did he spike the ball, thump his chest, and do the Superman?  No, he handed the balls to some guy in the front row wearing a XXXL #86 jersey.

When Willie Parker scores, does he launch into a choreographed set of hip hop moves like he’s auditioning to be one of Justin Timberlake’s backup dancers?  No, he flips the ball to the ref and goes about his business.  Does Big Ben jump around and pump his fists like he’s never thrown a TD pass before?   Of course not, he’s too busy congratulating his teammates.

Jackson isn’t the first self-promoting idiot employed by the Philthydelphia Eagles.  They used to have a guy by the name of Terrell Owens.  Perhaps you’ve heard of him.  He takes self-indulgent jackassery to new levels on a weekly basis with his ridiculous touchdown celebrations.  And before T.O. brought his circus to town, the Eagles were coached by Buddy Ryan.  Ryan went to the Bill Belichick school of “Win if you can, lose if you must, but always cheat” coaching.   He would encourage his players to take cheap shots on opposing players and even put bounties on other team’s star players.  Yep, only the classiest of the classy get to wear Eagle green.

#4:  Our local cuisine is better than their local cuisine.

Philly is, of course, known for the invention of the cheesesteak sandwich.  This is a fine contribution to American culture and one which I am personally thankful for.  However, the only problem with claiming “ownership” of this culinary masterpiece is you can literally go into any bar, pub, or sub shop in any place from Tampa, Florida to Bumfuck, Alaska and order a cheesesteak sandwich.

Pittsburgh is famous for, and the only home of, Primanti Brothers fry-topped sandwiches.  They have an entire menu of unique concoctions, such as the Roethlisberger, the cole slaw slathered monstrosity you see pictured here.  Take it from me, one bite of the Big Ben will make your taste buds sing and your toilet cry for days.

#3:  Our football hero is more heroic than their football hero.

Marky Mark, best known for underwear ads and the Funky Bunch, recently starred in a movie about the short lived football career of Vince Papale.  Papale was a 30-year-old bartender who attended the Eagles open try-outs back in 1976 and made the team.  The movie was a sappy piece of fluff which was supposedly about the triumph of the human spirit, the will to live your dreams, and a bunch of other inspirational crap Disney likes to peddle.

The unfortunate thing is most of it was untrue.  In the movie, they showed Papale scoring a dramatic touchdown.  He never evem sniffed the endzone.  In fact, he spent most of his 3 NFL seasons hurt and not playing.  When he did play, he was just one of the taxi squad on special teams.  Is his story interesting?  Sure.  But the story of a guy who made the team only to catch ONE pass his entire “career” isn’t exactly the stuff of legends.

Now if you want to talk true legends, you have to talk about Rocky Bleier.  Back in 1969, Rocky was on patrol in a Vietnam rice paddy when he was shot in the left thigh during an ambush.  While down, an enemy grenade landed nearby, littering his right leg with shrapnel. He was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star although all he ever really wanted was a Super Bowl ring.   That seemed unlikely as doctors told him that he would be lucky to walk, never mind play professional football again.

But Rocky did play again.  In fact, he worked his way back into the starting line-up as the blocking back for RB Franco Harris.  In 1976, he even rushed for 1,000 yards.  Oh and Rocky did get his Super Bowl ring.  Plus, in 1980, he had a tv-movie made about his life starring Robert Urich of “Spenser For Hire” fame.

Now both stories are nice and uplifting.  But the Rock played 11 years, had 3,865 rushing yards, 136 receptions for 1,294 yards, and scored 25 touchdowns.  Comparing him to some schmuck who played sparingly in parts of 3 seasons while managing to catch all of ONE pass is like comparing Jim Brown to Bobby Boucher.

#2:  Our coach isn’t a deadbeat.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was named Victoria Secret’s Sexiest Head Coach last season.  Not that it matters to Mike as he appears to be happily married to smokin’ hot wife Kiya and content to raise his three young children in the family-oriented atmosphere of Pittsburgh.  Best of all, Mike’s daughter is named Harlyn Quinn which makes him automatically double-cool for being a comic book geek.

Meanwhile, Eagles head coach Andy Reid‘s idea of “quality time” with his family is appearing in court when his two drug-addled sons are charged with various felonies related to drug use, possession, and related crimes.   Both these bad seeds are currently serving time in the clink, thus showing what kind of parental instruction they had at home.  Well, that might not be fair as the judge in one of their cases described the Reid house as an “Emporium of drugs.”  I know it is shocking that *gasp* one might have easy access to illegal substances in such a fine city as Philly but this shows exactly how much attention Eagle-Eyed Andy paid to his brood.

I’m sure Mike Tomlin works long hours and I’m sure he doesn’t spend as much time with his children as he used to but I doubt he’d be so oblivious as to not notice his kids being whacked on goofballs 24-7.

#1:  They booed Santa.

Seriously, what’s Philly most famous for?

Not the cheesesteaks.  Not the Flyers.  Not the Liberty Bell.  Not even Rocky Balboa.

They’re famous for booing Santa Claus.

Which is just a nice way of saying, they’re famous for being assholes.  If that’s the rep you want to have, more power to you.  I prefer to be named the country’s Most Liveable City but maybe that’s just me.

The game this Sunday will definitely be more than just a football game.  It’ll be more than the Battle for Pennsylvania.   It’ll be a battle between good and evil.  Between the Good Side of the Force and the Dark.  Faith I do have that victory ours will be.