Steelers Legendary Defender Mean Joe Greene Spoke About The 1 Player That "P*ssed Off" Terry Bradshaw In Practice

The stories of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers are shown all throughout the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. That dynasty had one of the greatest defenses in the history of the NFL, if not the single greatest unit. Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, as they had their share of controversies and internal problems that they had to deal with. In some cases, however, it was just all fun and games, even if it resulted in star players getting angry.

While making an appearance on Tony McGee Pro Football Plus, Steelers legend "Mean" Joe Greene detailed how his teammate would get under quarterback Terry Bradshaw's skin during practice. 

"Dwight White was always teasing Terry in practice," Greene said. "He wasn't supposed to hit the quarterback, but White would touch him; he hit him a little bit, and Terry would get all p*ssed off about it. Dwight would call him, 'Blonde Bomber, you Blonde Bomber, you Blonde Bomber.' That Blonde Bomber came from Mr. [Art] Rooney, and that's what Dwight would tease him with: Blonde Bomber."

Bradshaw's iconic nickname ended up being used against him. Dwight White had a lot of fun trying to make the Blonde Bomber explode with rage as he would give him an extra unnecessary shot after multiple reps in practice. However, iron sharpens iron, and taking those hits while getting teased may have helped Bradshaw become a tougher player in the pocket, especially in an era where massive hits were a lot more normalized than they are now. 

Greene continued with his story. He spoke about when Bradshaw finally had enough of White's antics.

"Terry got so upset one day, he threw the football at [White]," Greene explained. "He said, 'You can lose with me, but you can't win without me.' That was Terry."

It's unclear exactly what year this happened in, but the Steelers have tried to win without Bradshaw before. He was benched during training camp after he and multiple veterans sat out during a team strike. In fact, they did win four games in 1974 with Joe Gilliam starting under center, and they also had a tie that year. That helped the Steelers get to the playoffs, and Bradshaw stepped in to do his part and lead Pittsburgh to a Super Bowl victory.

Of course, there is no certainty that the Steelers would have achieved that championship if Bradshaw had never gotten his job back. Gilliam had a rough stretch after a dominant set of games to begin the season. In the end, everything worked out for the Steel Curtain offensively and defensively. White and Greene helped to make lives miserable for opposing quarterbacks while the Blonde Bomber got to be called that nickname in a positive light after the wins. 

Even if Bradshaw's message to White was cocky, it at least showed that he wouldn't back down from his own feared defense. If he couldn't deal with him, there was no way he could take his opponents trying to injure him and insult him in much worse ways. White was looking to get a rise out of Bradshaw, and he eventually got it. At the end of the day, it was all good fun between the two teammates.

Steelers Are Already Getting That Type Of Tomfoolery With New Quarterback

New Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers may not be too fond of slot corner Beanie Bishop Jr. after he intercepted him twice and got him to sign those balls from last season. During a meeting with Pittsburgh before he signed, he saw Bishop and another teammate relaxing after an offseason workout, so he gave them a quick jab. There will likely be plenty of shenanigans going on between Rodgers and his defense once training camp rolls around. 

What do you think about White getting under Bradshaw's skin in practice, as well as how he responded to that? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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