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1974
AFC Divisional Playoff Another in a series of stories about
the 47 playoff games in Steelers history. At last, Noll's offense catches up
to his defense
By BOB
LABRIOLA
Steelers.com Through the magic of time it has
come to be remembered as a smooth ride to a championship, and therefore to
greatness as well. But in fact, the 1974 NFL season was a trying one for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, a season pockmarked by injuries and a persistent
quarterback controversy that might have divided a lesser
team. It started with a players' strike
that upset the normalcy of training camp, and for the Steelers that meant
veteran quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Terry Hanratty stayed away while
third-year pro Joe Gilliam reported. Gilliam quarterbacked the Steelers to a 6-0
preseason record, and Noll's decision on an opening day starter was made simple
when Bradshaw missed two weeks with an injury once the strike was
settled. The players' strike may have been
settled, but the same could not be said about the all-important quarterback
position for the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers. The offense would wander about
aimlessly through most of the regular season as a result. With the arrival of Franco Harris in
1972, the Steelers had been crafted as a team that depended upon its defense and
running game, but things changed with Gilliam under center. Noll allowed his
quarterbacks to call their own plays, and Gilliam was fond of selecting those
that allowed him to exercise his powerful right arm. In a 30-0 rout of the Colts in the
opener, Gilliam completed 17-of-31 for 257 yards; the next week he was 31-for-50
for 348 yards in a 35-35 tie with the Broncos in Denver, The Steelers fell to
1-1-1 when they were shut out, 17-0, by the Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in a
game that had the fans turn ugly. Chanting, "We want Bradshaw … we
want Bradshaw," throughout a game in which Gilliam was 8-for-31 with two
interceptions, Steelers fans drew a biting rebuke from Noll following this
bitter defeat against an intense rival. "We played in With this renewed emphasis came the
reality of an ankle injury to Harris that would sideline him for the next two
games. But Preston Pearson rushed for 117 yards in a key win over
There were plenty of positives,
including a defense that was averaging four sacks a game and was among the
league leaders in takeaways, but the quarterbacks were erratic, and the fans
grew more impatient with every incomplete pass. "We didn't get a great deal of help
(from the fans)," said Noll after one win in Noll had pulled Gilliam and replaced
him with Bradshaw against the Falcons, but a couple of games later, at
But despite the sniping and the fact
Hanratty completed just 2-of-15 with three interceptions, the defense was at its
marauding best to help the Steelers get to Noll went back to Bradshaw, but the
offensive emphasis now was on Harris, who had been joined in the lineup by
blocking back Rocky Bleier, and the defense was working out the kinks with a
wrinkle in the alignment of the defensive line that would torture offenses for
years to come. A win over the Saints was followed
by a loss at home to the Oilers that had the very real potential to fracture the
locker room. But the defense rose up in The Stunt 4-3 put Greene directly
over the center but in a stance at a 45-degree angle. Sometimes it used Holmes
that way. Sometimes offensive linemen would swear both Holmes and Greene were
coming at them at angles. "It started out as a pass technique," said Noll, "but
we found out it really screws up the offensive blocking. It's an aggressive
defensive play because our front four isn't sitting and reading the offense.
Instead, they're the ones making things happen." If the offensive line tried to
double-team Greene, Holmes often found himself with a free path into the
backfield; if the offensive line allocated someone to block Holmes, it was
counting on one guy being able to stop Greene's charge. Neither option offered
much of a future for the guy with the football. The first group to get a crack at
deciphering this in the playoffs was the Electric Company, as the
In 1972, Simpson had gored the
Steelers for 189 yards on 22 carries, including a 94-yard sprint for a
touchdown, but when the 1974 playoffs began on Dec. 22 at Three Rivers Stadium,
this was a different Steelers team, a much better Steelers
defense. "I've had a good feeling about this
team all year," said Noll. "We're capable of running and passing. The
improvement of the offensive line has been overlooked. The pass protection has
been much better this year. I'd say all of the offensive linemen are having
their best years. This team is a good one and will represent the city
well." It was a good one because the
offense finally had hit a stride where it was capable of complementing a great
defense. Simpson would manage 49 yards on 15 carries, but the biggest thing to
come out of the game was a Steelers offense that rolled up 29 first downs and
235 rushing yards. There was a 26-point explosion in the second quarter
t It was the first of Bradshaw's four
playoff starts in which he didn't throw an interception, and for the first time
all season there wasn't anyone who watched the game who had any doubt as to whom
the Steelers' starting quarterback should be. A full season's worth of
quarterback controversy ended with a love-fest at Three Rivers
Stadium. "It's always nice to get a hometown cheer like that," said Bradshaw, "but don't forget, I've been on the other end, too. But today, we're all in love."
Bills 7 0 7 0 14 Steelers 3 26 0 3 32
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