Pittsburgh Steelers Legend Terry Bradshaw

No team in the National Football League has won more Super Bowl games than the Pittsburg Steelers. In fact, they have been one of the most prolific franchises in the League since their founding in 1933. With more AFC title wins and more AFC title games played than any other team, they are definitely one of the top franchises in the NFL.

Unlike other teams that have had periods of greatness followed by long periods of mediocrity, the Steelers have consistently competed for football's highest honors in every decade of the modern era. The team manages to find its way into the Super Bowl game at least once every ten years since the 1970s began. Even their greatest dynasty was sandwiched between periods of steady success. That dynasty, of course, occurred in the period that resulted in the Steelers winning four Super Bowl trophies in one decade - all behind the legendary arm of the great Terry Bradshaw.

Mister Steel Arm

Though modern fans may not know it, given his current status as a sports analyst and commentating partner of the great Howie Long, Bradshaw was once better known as Mister Steel Arm. During his fourteen years with the Steelers, he had one of the strongest arms in the game - an arm that was only dwarfed by his ability to project an image of solid steel on the field. As a player who made the play decisions from the huddle himself, Bradshaw was undoubtedly one of the finest quarterbacks ever to lead any team. Though credit is often given exclusively the Pittsburgh's famed Steel Curtain defense in the 1970s, the play of Terry Bradshaw was as responsible as anything else for the incredible success those Steelers teams enjoyed.

As a leader

When he was drafted before the start of the 1970 season, many anticipated that he would immediately be the starting quarterback. He did not, in fact, start until the 1971 season. As it turns out, this number one draft pick from Louisiana needed time to get his game in line with NFL expectations. This, of course, gave many people around the NFL and in the media the idea that he was too dull-brained to quarterback at the NFL level - a notion that may have been bolstered by Bradshaw's "aw shucks" accent and demeanor. Within a few short years, he began to demonstrate the style and skill level that enabled his Steelers team to win eight titles in their division, and become Super Bowl Champions four times.

How good was he?

Forget everything you have heard about how Bradshaw was good only because the Steel Curtain defense was great. That's sheer nonsense. The fact is that much of that defense's strength came from the fact that Bradshaw had an arm like a cannon. With the ever-present threat of a Bradshaw long ball, opposing defenses had to loosen their grip at the line, allowing the Steelers running game to be more powerful than it otherwise might have been. The Steelers defense was thus able to get plenty of rest while their offense dominated the clock. Bradshaw was never as dumb as he was accused of being either. His response to such insults has always been to remind the listeners that football has never been the equivalent of rocket science - though if it was rocket science, Bradshaw would have been a PhD.