It's Steeler week on NFL Network.

[sick beats]

They have been showing all Super Bowls; right now 2005 is on.

Funny thing, but when you watch the old games in entirety you realize that Bradshaw was not that good. Sure, he came through when he needed to, but he had so many passes that were over-thrown and inaccurate. No wonder he is not mentioned when it comes to great QBs, even with 4 rings. Terry really wasn't all that good, to be honest. I wonder how many other QBs would have won as many (or more) rings QBing that team?

Oh, and watching the 2005 club; I forgot what it looked like to watch a Steeler team with a solid OL; those were the days...the last days of a decent OL since.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Funny thing, but when you watch the old games in entirety you realize that Bradshaw was not that good. Sure, he came through when he needed to

What more do you really need? If it's all about winning Super Bowls, and he "came through when he needed to," that's good enough for me.

[ramblinjim]

What do Bradshaws numbers look like compared to others of his time? Staubach? Tarkenton? Stabler? Morton? I may be wrong and don't have the time to go look them up but IIRC most of the guys back then were sub 60% completion quarterbacks right?

[papillon]

The game was so different in the early 70s that its impossible to compare quarterbacks, defensive linemen could head slap, there wasn't any legalized holding (as long as your hands are inside the shoulder bull$h1t), cornerbacks were allowed to reroute (putting it nicely) receivers until the ball was in the air, and the safeties were basically allowed to assault receivers to tackle them as long as there was no death, it was all good. Jack Tatum, Donnie Shell and George Atkinson were three of the most vicious hitters ever, they couldn't play in today's game. Bradshaw was great, yea his stats say otherwise, but I'd take him all day, Ben is tough as nails, but Terry makes him look like a pansy.

Bradshaw wasn't a bad quarterback and when you needed him he was at his best, even in the 35-31 Super Bowl with two INTs and a fumble in the first half, he willed the team on to victory and when he had chances to make plays he made them. He really was quite remarkable.

Pappy

[sick beats]

Do me a favor and actually watch a full game of TB's, not just the highlights. If Ben played that poorly, we'd be screaming for him to be shipped out of town. I know it was a different era, etc. But if you actually watch an entire game with TB, you will be surprised how awful he looks for most of his passing attempts. He often tried to force balls into coverage, threw the ball too hard, giving the receiver little hope in making the catch, etc.

[Sugar]

Do me a favor and actually watch a full game of TB's, not just the highlights. If Ben played that poorly, we'd be screaming for him to be shipped out of town. I know it was a different era, etc. But if you actually watch an entire game with TB, you will be surprised how awful he looks for most of his passing attempts. He often tried to force balls into coverage, threw the ball too hard, giving the receiver little hope in making the catch, etc.

I've thought the same when watching some of the old games on ESPN Classic. Sometimes our memories of things morph to where we remember all the good and not the bad or vice versa. I see it all the time when watching old fights as well.

[D Rock]

Do me a favor and actually watch a full game of TB's, not just the highlights. If Ben played that poorly, we'd be screaming for him to be shipped out of town. I know it was a different era, etc. But if you actually watch an entire game with TB, you will be surprised how awful he looks for most of his passing attempts. He often tried to force balls into coverage, threw the ball too hard, giving the receiver little hope in making the catch, etc.

Do you think QBs back then grew up going to camps and having personal coaches like they do now? Back then, quarterback was a position on a football team that guys played. Now it is more of an art form that some football players train in.

I would bet if you took Bradshaw and had him be born in 1990, you would think he was a great quarterback today. He had the intangibles. The stuff he lacked is the stuff QBs are now trained to do specifically from probably about age 10.

[sick beats]

Do you think QBs back then grew up going to camps and having personal coaches like they do now? Back then, quarterback was a position on a football team that guys played. Now it is more of an art form that some football players train in.

I would bet if you took Bradshaw and had him be born in 1990, you would think he was a great quarterback today. He had the intangibles. The stuff he lacked is the stuff QBs are now trained to do specifically from probably about age 10.

Perhaps. I just know what my eyes tell me: He wasn't that great like most of us assume he was.

[Slapstick]

...Ben is tough as nails, but Terry makes him look like a pansy.

I wouldn't go quite that far...the Ngata broken nose thing is still legendary....

[sick beats]

I wouldn't go quite that far...the Ngata broken nose thing is still legendary....

The one thing I will say is they sure allowed defenders to cream QBs much more back then, no doubt about that. TB was a big dude and he could take some licks. But to say he made Ben look like a pansy....I don't think so.