1974 AFC Championship

[ALLD]

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/nfl-pittsburgh-steelers-news/2017/7/16/15977460/re-live-the-steelers-1974-afc-championship-game-vs-the-raiders-chuck-noll-franco-harris-lynn-swann

Remember the week before everybody said the real Super Bowl was when the Raiders beat the Dolphins who were coming off back-to-back Super Bowl wins and a perfect season two years prior. Everybody except Coach Noll who gave a famous speech at halftime of this game when they were down 10-3.

This is a couple of seasons after the Immaculate Reception, but if you want to see the birth of a dynasty watch the last 15 minutes of the game. Rocky Bleier was the leading rusher until the final play on offense and saved the game with the recovery of a Bradshaw self-inflicted fumble. The rookie Lynn Swann looked very impressive too. Just think, nobody knew what the next six years would look like.

In 1974, the Steelers had the best pass defense and their return game was amazing too. Okay, they had Roy Gerela and Bobby Walden, but you can't have HoFers in every position- although that year's draft produced a record four players.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvMUVw6Cj1c

[AtlantaDan]

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/nfl-pittsburgh-steelers-news/2017/7/16/15977460/re-live-the-steelers-1974-afc-championship-game-vs-the-raiders-chuck-noll-franco-harris-lynn-swann

Remember the week before everybody said the real Super Bowl was when the Raiders beat the Dolphins who were coming off back-to-back Super Bowl wins and a perfect season two years prior. Everybody except Coach Noll who gave a famous speech at halftime of this game when they were down 10-3.

This is a couple of seasons after the Immaculate Reception, but if you want to see the birth of a dynasty watch the last 15 minutes of the game. Rocky Bleier was the leading rusher until the final play on offense and saved the game with the recovery of a Bradshaw self-inflicted fumble. The rookie Lynn Swann looked very impressive too. Just think, nobody knew what the next six years would look like.

In 1974, the Steelers had the best pass defense and their return game was amazing too. Okay, they had Roy Gerela and Bobby Walden, but you can't have HoFers in every position- although that year's draft produced a record four players.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvMUVw6Cj1c

Thanks for the link :drink:

70s Steelers say that was the most significant win by the 70s team

Good article on that game in this excerpt from the Gary Pomerantz book Their Life's Work

Greene played as if a Super Bowl appearance depended on him, and him alone. After one run, Greene, consumed by emotions, turned on [Raiders center Jim] Otto. He kicked him in the groin and dropped him....

Many years later Joe Greene would say that only once in his 13-year NFL career had he and the Steelers’ defense been in the zone—where the unit could do no wrong—and that was during the 1974 AFC title game. Oakland’s rushing numbers, 29 yards on 21 carries, an average of 1.4 yards per attempt, became a statistic he would never forget. “The zone is a place that you rarely visit. It’s not someplace you go every week,” Greene said. “The zone is sacred ground.”

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/11/01/joe-greene-jim-otto-1974-afc-championship-game


What is true today was true then - it is how you are playing at the end of the season that matters - the 74 team was dead in the water after losing at Three Rivers to the Oilers 13-10 the Sunday after Thanksgiving then stepped up

[polamalubeast]

It was impressive that the steelers won the super bowl in 1974, since Bradshaw was bad for most of the time in 1974.

I mean, he was not even the starter in the first 6 games in 1974 and he got benched again after a few games and returned at the end after to win the Super Bowl,but we can say that 1974 is the only year that the steelers have won a super bowl without a franchise QB, since Brashaw did not play as a franchise QB in 1974.

But of course, Bradshaw was much better after 1974, otherwise it would have been very hard for the steelers to win another super bowl.

[ALLD]

The 1976 Steelers defense was probably the greatest that ever took the field in any era.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season

[AtlantaDan]

NFL Films presents the 1974 Steelers season - "Super Steelers" (with narration by the great John Facenda)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fu12RW-0aQ

1974 AFC championship game at 20 minute mark of video

[Mojouw]

I'm watching this for the first time. So far, I'm through the 1st quarter and have the following observations:

1. If this message board existed back then - there would have been 3 calls to fire the coaches already. I mean they took Lambert off the field!
2. Commercials are super funny and condescending - they assume you don't know anything!
3. Goodness, that defense is even more impressive outside of highlight reels!

[Mojouw]

Good, Lord. Passing games were still rudimentary. I think there were only 3 different routes run all game - a curl, a go, and a square out. That's it.

Oh --- wait!!! A slant to Swann for a TD. Okay, so four routes.

[AtlantaDan]

Good, Lord. Passing games were still rudimentary. I think there were only 3 different routes run all game - a curl, a go, and a square out. That's it.

Oh --- wait!!! A slant to Swann for a TD. Okay, so four routes.

Sweet footwork by Swann on the back of the end zone TD:thumbsup:

And FWIW Stallworth's catch that was ruled incomplete would be overturned for a TD if replay was around back then

[Mojouw]

Sweet footwork by Swann on the back of the end zone TD:thumbsup:

And FWIW Stallworth's catch that was ruled incomplete would be overturned for a TD if replay was around back then

No doubt! Swann was an artist and Branch could've played in any era and been a monster as well.

The talent was there, but the play-calls were just so simplified when compared to the warp-speed multi-faceted passing offense of the current NFL.

The difference is staggering. No wonder it is getting harder and harder to find QBs to execute them (the offense, not the QBs).

[tube517]

The loss to the Oilers almost made Mean Joe Greene quit the team. He was so close to just leaving.

Luckily, WR coach Lionel Taylor talked him out of it.

Also, we all know the great 1974 draft, but the 1971 draft class was pretty damn good.

Yes, 17 rounds but they got 8 starters for the 1974 team:

Frank Lewis
Jack Ham HOF
Gerry Mullins
Dwight White 3x Pro Bowl
Larry Brown 3x Pro Bowl
Ernie Holmes
Mike Wagner 2x Pro Bowl
Glen Edwards UDFA and 2x Pro Bowl

[ALLD]

I watched the 1974 Super Bowl at a friend's birthday and I was the only Steeler fan in a sea of Dolphin fans who were going for the Vikings.

[polamalubeast]

The loss to the Oilers almost made Mean Joe Greene quit the team. He was so close to just leaving.



I understand!

I mean our QB was so bad at that point and it wasted the talent of the rest of this team.Fortunately, the steelers have had a big turnaround after this game!

Look at the stats of the steelers offense against the Oilers,it was awful!

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197412010pit.htm

Bradshaw had even lost the job to Terry Hanratty at one point in 1974 which was 3/26 and 5 interceptions during the 1974 season!

[pczach]

For those of us who are old enough to have seen those early 70's teams, it is hard to explain the difference in the quality of play at the quarterback position and the sophistication of offenses in modern football if you haven't seen both.

It's also hard to explain how great the defenses were during those years if you never got to see them on a play to play basis. They were truly ferocious and completely dominated games. They are the best I have ever seen.....period....and it's not close.

[silver & black]

:thumbdown:....... not really. The 70's was the greatest era of football ever. I'm happy the Raiders were a big part of it.

Win, lose or tie.... Raiders til I die!:jolly:..................... The 70's Steelers were a hell of team.

[Born2Steel]

For those of us who are old enough to have seen those early 70's teams, it is hard to explain the difference in the quality of play at the quarterback position and the sophistication of offenses in modern football if you haven't seen both.

It's also hard to explain how great the defenses were during those years if you never got to see them on a play to play basis. They were truly ferocious and completely dominated games. They are the best I have ever seen.....period....and it's not close.

I was old enough to see those games. Just not old enough to really understand or appreciate them. Turned 5 in '74.