02-14-2021, 01:40 PM
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The Seriously Great (Yet Strangely Underrated) 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers
History has not given this team its due. Despite bringing home Pittsburgh's 4th Lombardi in 6 years in Super Bowl XIV (a feat which is still unmatched), the 1979 Steelers remain one of the most strangely underrated and underappreciated teams in NFL history.
Coming off a dominant '78 season culminating in their thrilling win over Dallas in Super Bowl XIII, they faced what at the time was the toughest schedule the league had ever seen. This was by design, by the way, courtesy of Pete Roselle, but that's a discussion for another time.
In addition to their grueling schedule, the Steelers faced three prime challenges in 1979: turnovers, injuries and age. But re-watching these games and examining the various ways they were able to overcome these obstacles, I believe a legitimate case can be made for the '79 squad as the most talented, explosive and dangerous team in Steelers history (and therefore, NFL history).
I know this conversation is usually reserved for the 1978, 1975 and 1976 Steelers teams. But hear me out.
Pittsburgh faced a slew of key injuries in 1979. But this team was LOADED with talent -- they were absolutely stacked -- and their depth was so great that they never missed a beat. In addition to fielding 10 future Hall of Fame players (plus a Hall of Fame coach, owner and President), Pittsburgh's bench was filled with high quality reserves.
Hall of Fame WR Lynn Swann was bothered by a hamstring and other nagging injuries starting in training camp. Enter Jim Smith, who like many Steeler backups, would've been full-time starter on most other NFL squads. When Hall of Fame linebacker Jack Ham had his season ended by a broken leg, no one really noticed thanks to the outstanding play of reserve LB's Robin Cole and Dirt Winston. And when Franco Harris got dinged, Sidney Thornton came off the bench to rumble for over 300 yds and 3 TDs in a 3-week span.
The Steelers also overcame their so-called age issues beautifully that year. Joe Green, for example, was supposedly well past his prime. Yet he DOMINATED the '79 AFC Championship game and was a primary reason Earl Campbell finished with just 17 yards on 15 carries.
This supremely talented team was statistically awesome as well. Pittsburgh finished #1 in total offense, #2 in total defense and was the #1 scoring team in the league. Although at times they were a turnover factory (a league-worst 52), they were so good in every other area that they overcame their mistakes to finish with the best record in the NFL.
The '79 team is also responsible for what in my opinion is one of the most dominating 4-game regular season stretches in NFL history. After a shocking 9-turnover defeat at the hands of the previously winless Bengals, the Steelers unleashed hell on the NFL (with apologies to Mike Tomlin), shellacking the 5-2 Broncos (42-7), 7-1 Cowboys (14-3), 6-3 Redskins (38-7) and finally the Marv Levy Chiefs (30-3), by a combined score of 124-20. I encourage you to watch these games and see if you agree.
During that 4-game stretch, the Steelers also put to bed endless Cowboys' whining and moaning about questionable calls, dropped balls and bad breaks costing them Super Bowl XIII. Pittsburgh dominates, outrushing Dallas 173-79 while the Steel Curtain simply throttles Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett, with L.C. Greenwood ultimately knocking Staubach out of the game and into retirement.
This season also features what I consider to be the most pivotal regular-season win in franchise history, the 33-30 overtime thriller vs. Cleveland in which Bradshaw and Sipe combine for over 700 yds though the air. The Steelers also amass over 600 yds of total offense in this game (to my knowledge, the only time this was done in the '70s, and one of only 5 times from 1970-1999).
The standings coming into the game were Houston 10-3, Pittsburgh 9-3 and Cleveland 8-4. The Steelers were coming off a stunning turnover-filled defeat in San Diego and a Pittsburgh loss to Cleveland would've given Houston sole possession of first place in the AFC Central and left the Steelers in a tie for second with the Browns. Instead, the Steelers improve to 10-3 to remain atop the division, the Browns fall to 8-5 and are knocked from contention and the rest, as they say, is history.
There are some exciting, great-quality recordings here. Enjoy watching/reliving the season. It's filled with entertaining games and is perhaps my favorite season as a Steelers fan.
>> CLICK HERE to watch the 1979 Steelers Season <<
P.S. -- If you're looking for offensive fun, it's hard to beat the '79 game in Cleveland (51-35).