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+--- Thread: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw (/showthread.php?tid=1671)
A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - mcmillenandwife - 09-14-2019
Just watched the latest "A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw." Very well done. Didn't really learn anything new about Terry, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought they did a nice job of capturing Terry, the man. Two enthusiastic thumbs up.
I was at the Monday Night game vs. the Colts in '02 when he finally came back to Pittsburgh in an "official" way. It was a great moment. Awesome, in fact. Very memorable, and they did a nice job of portraying the energy, emotion and celebration of that moment.
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - RaynorShyne - 09-15-2019
Thanks for the review - I'll have to catch it!
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - dbsfgyd1 - 09-15-2019
I watched it last night. I think it does a good job of explaining his thoughts on the fans as well as how he was treated by Noll. A lot of our posters really weren’t tuned into the Steelers before Terry became The QB we all fondly remember.
As merciless as the current posters here are about the current state of affairs of Steelers and Tomlin, it was a thousand time worse on Bradshaw before 1974. It was brutal.
From the press to Joe at the bar having an IMP and Iron, and directed to a kid that for the most part to that point was very successful. A first round draft pick labeled the savior of the franchise by the very press that viciously started to cut him to pieces at the first fumble.
Frankly, Bradshaw had no business playing his rookie year. The Steelers should not have forced him to play his rookie year. Even though, they knew Hanratty was not the long term solution, he was certainly able to QB a winning season, which would have been a first.
I have a certain amount of empathy for Bradshaw on another score. Having a learning disability is no joke. It’s fairly obvious he’s got a serious case of AADD. Picture going from college where all he had to do was throw the ball as far as his receiver could get to, to learning the pro game at the most important position on the team in 6 months. No wonder he looked like a space cadet out there. He was totally overwhelmed, and there was zero support for him, from Chuck, from the Rooney’s, and certainly not the press or the fans.
Being perfectly candid, I don’t have a lot of warm fuzzies about my school either for much the same thing.
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - Garrett Garlits - 09-15-2019
Chuck and Terry were obviously the wrong fit. The only thing was, Hanratty wasn't nearly as physically capable as Bradshaw and questioned the game plan too much for Chuck's taste, especially after it was clear that he was number three on the depth chart behind Bradshaw and Joe Gilliam, who in addition to his drug problems threw the ball more recklessly than Bradshaw ever did and was less successful doing it. He had two great games against the Colts and Broncos at the beginning of 1974, then fell off the face of the earth. Chuck had no choice but to go to Bradshaw full time unless he wanted to break in another rookie like Steve Bartkowski, who (if I recall correctly) was the first pick in the '75 draft.
Another veteran that would have been a better fit with Chuck's mentality was Kenny Anderson. I've previously said that Terry and Bum Phillips would have been two peas in a pod; imagine an alternate universe where the late seventies would have seen the Steelers with Anderson against the Oilers with Bradshaw, assuming that Terry didn't get the hell kicked out of him before Bum ever got to Houston.
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - Chucktownsteeler - 09-18-2019
I saw Terry last night on an old Jay Leno show. Jay Leno's garage. Terry was fantastic, unbelievable, he had me laughing out loud. They showed a clip when he was on the Tonight Show with Jay and they actually got in a food fight with a birthday cake. They were both a mess when it was over.
Classic.
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - Noll and Cowher teams no more - 09-19-2019
For those of you who might of missed it.
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - Chucktownsteeler - 09-19-2019
(09-19-2019, 02:49 AM)Noll and Cowher teams no more Wrote:
For those of you who might of missed it.
Just watched it, thanks for sharing. I must admit a certain part brought a tear to my eye.
Thanks again, you rock!
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - Rollers - 09-19-2019
never saw an arm like that before or since
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - mcmillenandwife - 09-20-2019
In the "old days" of the site, I used to write pre- and post-game reviews of the games every week. So I went back and dug up my post-game comments from the 2002 Steelers vs Colts game on MNF when Terry came back to Pittsburgh. Kinda blows my mind to realize how much has changed and that 17 years have passed since I wrote this.
We Came, We Saw... We Made Horse Glue
An Ode to the Colts:
"Roses are red,
violets are blue.
Ponies in Pittsburgh
are made into glue."
That's what I call an ass-whipping. True, a Colt is not technically an "ass," but it is same genotype as the donkey and mule. Close enough for me.
As you all know, my wife and I attended the game, so instead of a game critique, I'd rather tell you about the sites & sounds of Heinz Field on Monday night. If not for a few snafus along the way, it was a memorable evening that might've rated up there with the birth of our children. Suffice it to say, we had an incredibly good time in spite of a few bumps in the road. I still get "warm fuzzies" just thinking about of it.
We pulled into our $25 parking space at about 7:00 p.m. Our usual $15 spot next to Subway was for some reason reserved for employees of the Steelers (which is not the case on Sundays). What's up with that? Apparently, the she-male attending the gate didn't realize who I am! :-) Anyway, we parked a block further away and walked down to the stadium, entering through gate B on the east side so we could go to the "Great Hall" and grab a Pittsburgher from Primanti's. As we passed through the turnstile, the prepubescent kid (don't they have age requirements for employees in Pittsburgh?) handed us our ticket stubs, looked at my #12 jersey and said, "Dude, you missed it... he was just signing books around the corner."
By the time my wife caught up to me, I was standing in front of the make-shift bleachers under the big helmet watching & listening to my boyhood hero, Terry Bradshaw, conduct a question & answer session with fans from the bandstand. My wife commented that she now knew where she stood with me (vs. Bradshaw) and we weaved our way through the crowd for a better vantage point.
"Gimme the camera! Gimme the camera!" I panted, sticking my hand out while keeping my attention riveted on Bradshaw.
"Camera? Uh, well... it's in my purse," she mumbled. We had purchased a disposable camera before we left home since I wasn't sure what security would allow into the stadium these days. After a short pause, I again waved my hand impatiently and repeated my plea: "Gimme the camera! Gimme the camera!"
"I told you, it's in my PURSE," she replied. Suddenly, I was seized with the sickening realization. In my minds eye, I could see myself opening the trunk, taking the big Steelers blanket out, putting her purse in, and slamming the trunk shut.
Twenty feet from Terry Bradshaw... and no camera.
Did you know that once you enter the stadium, you cannot leave and be re-admitted --- no matter what? Neither did I. But according to our pre-pubescent ticket collector, "Them's the rules."
I fumed over the camera for a few minutes but soon forgot about it as I tried in vain to understand what in the hell Bradshaw was saying. Apparently, SOMEONE could hear Terry, because he'd talk awhile then smile, and people would laugh. My wife & I just kept looking at each other & shrugging in hopes of a translation. The makeshift JBL sound system they were pumping Terry through left MUCH to be desired. Total, unintelligible mud.
One garbled thing Terry said that I did manage to decipher surprised me. A fan asked him about the Oakland rivalry, and he proceeded to talk about how big the rivalry with Cincinnati was back then. He rated Oakland, Cinci & Cleveland as the "big 3." I scratched my head over that one, but Tuesday morning I dug out my NFL encyclopedia and sure enough, Cinci was always in the thick of the playoff hunt from '73-'77, so I guess it makes sense.
Anyway, Terry finished his Q & A and the band started playing "Some Kind of Wonderful," so we headed across the hall to Primanti's. As we made our way to the line, Terry passed by on a little golf cart accompanied by his brother, Craig, with his teen-age daughters riding in the back. At the risk of sounding like a dirty old man, I must tell you that his daughters are stunning. I was quite surprised. I guess maybe I was expecting them to look like little Terry's with a long, blonde wigs. They looked like models. To put it in perspective, when Bradshaw was hanging out on the sideline before the game, there was an unusually quiet moment and some guy screamed out "BRADSHAW!!!" Without missing a beat, someone else shouted "BRADSHAW'S DAUGHTERS!!!"
The weather was beautiful... absolutely picture-perfect football weather. Also worth mentioning were the pregame fireworks that were going off from the top of a building across the river, silhouetted by a full moon. The fireworks were incredible! We got a better fireworks show here at the game than we did at home last Independence Day.
The coin toss was highlighted by Bradshaw's presence, accompanied by his daughters, who were clearly there for his support. The whole stadium was chanting "Terry, Terry, Terry!" It was too cool. As Bradshaw walked around the edges of the stadium shaking hands and doing interviews, you could hear the crowd start cheering wherever he was. He was very warmly received from the get-go. Bradshaw also hugged Tommy Maddox, as well as Dan Rooney, Cowher, and some guy over on the Colts. After halftime, it looked as though he offered some words of encouragement to Kordell Stewart.
As I said, I don't want to get into detailing the game itself, but I've just gotta say that Maddox looks like the real deal. It's amazing how effortlessly he seems to be able to survey the field and find the open man. His numbers appear relatively modest on paper (15 of 23 for 188 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT), but his performance was huge. When they flashed Tommy's halftime stats on the Jumbo-Tron, he was 12 of 15 for 151 yards and a TD. The Colts set out to stop Bettis, and Tommy ripped 'em apart. His TD to Ward was PERFECT and really set the tone. The days of teams being able to put 8 men in the box and get away with it are apparently over.
This was by FAR the loudest, rowdiest crowd I've ever had the pleasure of being part of. The place was totally packed and it was a total party atmosphere. We even witnessed our first stadium fight (a minor scuffle several rows back). Perhaps best of all, it was a Monday Night with no boring commentary!
At halftime, Bradshaw OWNED the place. It's the first time I've ever seen the crowd, almost to a man, not head for the concession stands at halftime. When Terry (again accompanied by his ever-present daughters) took the field, the roar of the crowd was as loud as at any point in the game, and it was easily the longest sustained round of cheering I've ever heard. The place went friggin' nuts. In his speech, Terry said that he was glad to be home, that he has missed the fans, that the boos when he was a player hurt him, but that he'd "grown up" and it was time to come back. Nothing we haven't heard already, really, but a nice speech. Then they showed a bunch of great plays up on the Jumbo-Tron and the place just erupted, especially when the "Immaculate Reception" was replayed. It was great.
During the 3rd quarter, the Steelers went through a little lull. I don't know if they showed it on TV (our VCR didn't tape the right channel, dammit! Somebody drop me a line so I can get a game tape!), but the stands were friggin' half empty as the 2nd half started. Everybody stuck around to see Bradshaw, so lots of folks were still out getting their goodies when Manning hit Pollard for the TD (Farrior's only mistake of the night was a biggee). The place was REALLY quiet, and the Colts took full advantage. In my mind, Mike Logan's pick was the play of the game, because it really ended any hopes of a Colts comeback.
One other notable moment before I wrap this up. During the 4th quarter when there was a timeout as the Steelers were preparing to go for it on 4th & goal from the 1, Melissa Stark came down to our end of the field (south end, section 138). A bunch of guys started whooping and hollering, "Melissa, Melissa, marry me!" Then there was a lull in the noise, so I took Jerry Seinfeld's cue (not to mention Tommy Coleman's) and shouted, "She has Man Hands!" and our section just broke up laughing. I didn't shout it loud enough for Melissa Stark to hear, but a few guys in the crowd started jeering "Man Hands" and that put me in the dog house with my wife, who gave me the cold shoulder for the next 10 minutes because it was "mean." Ultimately, the sweet smell of victory washed away my transgression and all was well.
I must confess that the drive home SUCKED. We got home at 4:30 in the morning on a work night. Yikes. It was worth the lost Z's, though. WELL worth it.
People, I've said this before, but it's worth repeating. As Steelers fans, you must -- MUST -- make it a personal goal to attend a Steelers game in Pittsburgh. You owe it to yourselves. There is nothing else like it in the world. I've been to a couple dozen, and each game is just as exciting as the first... it NEVER gets old. It is SOOO much better than watching it on TV. You can see the plays develop, the vibe is incredible, you won't miss any replays because of the Jumbo-Tron, and you get to hang with more Steelers fans than you ever dreamed of (which means a lot when you come from Browns country like we do).
It was a sweet victory. Now, on to bigger and better things. Next up, the Baltimore Ratbirds. Until then, bruthas & sistas!
Tim McMillen
Webmaster, McMillen & Wife
P.S. -- A BIG-TIME thanks to Bob & Sandy Podolinski of Robert Louis Associates for the free tickets. You guys are the best!
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - Noll and Cowher teams no more - 09-20-2019
Your pre and post game comments were the biggest thing I looked forward to back then.
You were always a good story teller. Reading your old post game comment above I was able to visualize everything like if I was with you.
Next time I see Melissa Stark my eyes are going to focus directly to her hands.
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - mcmillenandwife - 09-20-2019
(09-20-2019, 10:04 PM)Noll and Cowher teams no more Wrote: Next time I see Melissa Stark my eyes are going to focus directly to her hands.
Actual footage of Melissa Stark having dinner after the game...
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - mcmillenandwife - 09-20-2019
![[Image: melissa_stark.jpg]](http://www.mcmillenandwife.com/pics/melissa_stark.jpg)
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - Noll and Cowher teams no more - 09-21-2019
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - Rollers - 09-21-2019
I would like to see you go back to the comments
RE: A Football Life: Terry Bradshaw - mcmillenandwife - 09-21-2019
(09-21-2019, 08:25 AM)Rollers Wrote: I would like to see you go back to the comments
I'd do pre- & post-game stuff, but I just don't have the passion for it anymore. The old teams, I do. I guess that's why I write short game summaries for every flippin' game on the site (although they're more "clinical" descriptions of the games without as many editorial comments and attempts at humor). But the current Steelers? I don't watch with the same level of interest. I haven't in quite a while. Honestly, I just don't care that much about the current team.
Ben is still my guy, but now that he's gone down... *shrug*The handling of the Bell/Brown saga(s) really soured things for me with the Steelers. The team clearly misses Dan Rooney. In the broader NFL picture, the players kneeling, the stupid rule changes, the pandering attempts by the league to appear "woke", and finally, the NFL pulling down all the classic game videos (which I'm sure they will attempt again)... all that stuff has just makes it not as fun.
Maybe if Condi Rice takes over as Commissioner?