Midlo Cane Fan
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"Great teams aren't always great, they're just great when they have to be."
The backstory of that quote reminded me of today.
Pittsburgh trailed 19-17 heading into the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XIV.
Bradshaw had thrown three interceptions. Lynn Swann was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier were held in check by Jim and Jack Youngblood. The Steel Curtain defense were being held off balance by backup quarterback Vince Ferragamo and the slippery running of Wendell Tyler.
With the odds stacking up against them, NFL Films narrator John Facenda summed up the 1979 Steelers when he said: “Great teams aren’t always great. They’re just great when they have to be.”
Facing a third and long, Bradshaw hit John Stallworth in stride for a 73-yard touchdown. The duo then set up the touchdown that put the game away on a 45-yard pass just moments after Jack Lambert picked off Ferragamo to thwart the Rams’ attempt to regain the lead. Harris put the championship on ice with his second touchdown of the game.
The 1979 Steelers epitomized the Steeler Way, described by Noll as doing “whatever it takes” to get the job done.
The backstory of that quote reminded me of today.
Pittsburgh trailed 19-17 heading into the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XIV.
Bradshaw had thrown three interceptions. Lynn Swann was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier were held in check by Jim and Jack Youngblood. The Steel Curtain defense were being held off balance by backup quarterback Vince Ferragamo and the slippery running of Wendell Tyler.
With the odds stacking up against them, NFL Films narrator John Facenda summed up the 1979 Steelers when he said: “Great teams aren’t always great. They’re just great when they have to be.”
Facing a third and long, Bradshaw hit John Stallworth in stride for a 73-yard touchdown. The duo then set up the touchdown that put the game away on a 45-yard pass just moments after Jack Lambert picked off Ferragamo to thwart the Rams’ attempt to regain the lead. Harris put the championship on ice with his second touchdown of the game.
The 1979 Steelers epitomized the Steeler Way, described by Noll as doing “whatever it takes” to get the job done.
