As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to face the New York Jets this week in a crucial game to maintain pace while dealing with a struggling offense and injuries on defense, it hearkens back to perhaps the most significant regular season match-up between the two teams in 1983.
Former Steelers quarterback, Terry Bradshaw was desperately needed in 1983 to save the Steelers' season. | Credit: USA Today
Pittsburgh was coming off a tough playoff loss to the San Diego Chargers and the controversial decision not to select Dan Marino in the 1983 draft. Quarterback Terry Bradshaw had a phenomenal 1982 season in which he led the NFL in touchdown passes. But three months later, an off-season elbow injury that initially was not thought to be very serious was mishandled. As a result, Pittsburgh's training camp began with the astonishing news that Bradshaw wasn’t yet cleared for throwing. Bradshaw’s elbow was not healing nor responding. To make things worse, it stemmed from the lack of communication and a strained relationship between head coach Chuck Noll and Bradshaw.
Terry Bradshaw per Chuck Noll: His Life’s Work:
“We had words, serious words," Bradshaw started.
“Chuck would say, why did you get this thing operated on? You threw the ball great last year.’ And I’d say, ‘Chuck, I know I threw it great, but my elbow hurt constantly," Bradshaw finished.
With Bradshaw unavailable to start the 1983 season, Noll went with veteran Cliff Stoudt as his starter, who beat out Mark Malone for the job. With Tom Moore calling most of the plays for him, Stoudt and the team started the season out strong at 5-2.
Former Steelers quarterback, Cliff Stoudt was under center for a strong start in 1983, but the fans were soon calling for the return of Terry Bradshaw. | Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
One of the reasons for the team's great start was their great defense and terrific pass rush, which was being anchored by rookie defensive lineman Gabriel Rivera. But on a Thursday evening on October 20, 1983, Noll and his wife Marianne had just got home from dinner when they received a call from Dan Rooney informing him of the news. Rivera had been critically injured in a car accident, which we would find out later, left him paralyzed and ended his career.
Pittsburgh was shaken, but continued to win, extending a winning streak to seven games with a defeat over the Baltimore Colts and extending their record to 9-2. However, cracks were beginning to show in the Pittsburgh offense and how the Steelers were winning was beginning to become exposed. Franco Harris had a 1,000-yard season, but just barely, finishing with 1,006 yards rushing off a 3.6 yards per carry average. Harris was no longer the game-breaking threat that he once was and managed only 5 touchdowns. Lynn Swann had retired in the off-season and John Stallworth suffered an injury that limited him to only 8 catches all season.
Former Steelers defensive lineman, Gabriel Rivera showed promise before a car accident ended his career. | Credit: WTAE
The fans were anxious to see the return of Bradshaw and the pedestrian Stoudt was struggling to win the crowd over. He was seen as the weak link of a team that the fan base believed could “win one for the thumb” and questions mounted about the return of Bradshaw when the team was winning. But things were about to get a whole lot worse.
After a horrendous outing by Stoudt, who completed just 13 of 30 passes, versus the Minnesota Vikings resulted in a 17-14 loss that halted the winning streak, things were about to heat up. It was a devastating loss in that Pittsburgh was favored to win, but were dismal in the outing. The game would have all but sealed the AFC Central Division for the Steelers, but instead, they lost pace with the Los Angeles Raiders for the AFC’s top seed. As expected, Noll was asked in the Monday press conference what he thought of Bradshaw’s chances of returning and his response was something that neither the fans nor Bradshaw, wanted to hear.
Chuck Noll per Michael MacCambridge per Chuck Noll: His Life’s Work:
“I don’t know if he can throw or not. Maybe he’s ready for his life’s work," Noll said.
The inference to the end of Bradshaw’s career did little to boost the team’s performance. On Thanksgiving Day, the Steelers suffered a 45–3 blowout loss to the Detroit Lions, the worst of the Noll era. Stoudt completed 9 of 25 passes and was lifted for Malone. The following week the Steelers dropped a 23–10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, a performance in which Stoudt completed 8 of 19 passes for just 88 yards, and the team gained only nine first downs.
With a three-game losing streak and the Cleveland Browns making a run at the division with a potential winner-take-all matchup in Cleveland Week 16, the Steeler faithful were getting nervous. The crowd was getting increasingly hostile and impatient with the struggling Stoudt, and it led to more questions about when Bradshaw might return, prompting a snarky response by Noll.
Chuck Noll per Michael MacCambridge per Chuck Noll: His Life’s Work:
“Look, he’s getting close, but so is Christmas," Noll said.
With a Week 15 game versus the New York Jets in the final game at Shea Stadium and the team’s playoff chances hanging in the balance, Noll finally announced Bradshaw would play. But just as Bradshaw obfuscated the extent of the elbow in the offseason, he did the same by concealing his troublesome elbow was sore again by Friday. Bradshaw was in a tough spot. The team and the fans were counting on him, and he knew it, so he said nothing.
Terry Bradshaw per Chuck Noll: His Life’s Work:
“If I went to Chuck and told him I couldn’t play, it would make Chuck look bad and put me in a terribly embarrassing position and it would have made the Steelers look like fools," Noll said.
Steelers legendary coach Chuck Noll and quarterback Terry Bradshaw always had a strained relationship. | Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
On December 10, 1983, Bradshaw led the Steelers onto the field on a sunny Saturday afternoon and ignited the Steelers' offense to a 14-0 lead on the first two drives of the game. Bradshaw threw two touchdown passes, but the second one would be one he’d never forget. On the fateful 10-yard scoring pass to Calvin Sweeney, Bradshaw would later recall that he’d felt something snap in his elbow. He took himself out of the game and Stoudt managed the rest of the way, as the Steelers were able to propel the early momentum engineered by Bradshaw into a 34-7 win to clinch the AFC Central Division Championship.
The Steelers struggled under the maligned former quarterback Cliff Stoudt down the stretch of the 1983 season | Photo: Twitter
It would be the last time Bradshaw ever played for the Steelers and the team’s playoff run was a short one, ending with a 38-10 loss to the Raiders. Stoudt quickly left for the USFL and Bradshaw did try to make a run at returning for the 1984 season, though it did not last long. Bradshaw tried to rehab his elbow with the intention of starting at quarterback, but on the first day of minicamp while casually throwing he felt the pain again and realized it was time for his life’s work.
Bradshaw left the practice field and walked into the weight room, followed by Noll to inquire if he was okay. The time had arrived, and Bradshaw had to come to grips with his football mortality. It was at that time he made his decision and it was time to be honest with Noll about it. He let him know that he couldn’t play anymore and that it was over. Noll simply nodded, shook his hand and thanked him for the effort. By the end of the day, Bradshaw was on a flight back to Louisiana with his official retirement announcement following a month later.
Steelers quarterbacks from Terry Bradshaw to Ben Roethlisberger made a lasting legacy. | Credit: The Sporting News
Bradshaw’s final game sent the Steelers into the playoffs and onto a 20-year run of uncertainty at the quarterback position until the Steelers drafted Ben Roethlisberger in 2004.
With the Steelers offense struggling in 2020, what outcome do you expect this week at quarterback with the Steelers? Will Mitch Trubisky guide the Steelers to a win, or will Kenny Pickett begin his legacy versus the same franchise that Bradshaw ended his with? Leave a comment below.
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