The Myth of Terry Bradshaw

[lloydwoodson]

You know, I like Terry. He seems like a really good guy. But I have a problem.

Pittsburgh's reputation as being hard on quarterbacks is undeserved largely because of the myth that Bradshaw was run out of Pittsburgh.

Bradshaw was a "nice country boy" and a "mama's boy" in his own words. He came from a small town, and went to a small high school. Then he went to a small college, Louisiana Tech University.

Bradshaw's first taste of media and public attention did not occur until 1970 when he was drafted with the Pittsburgh Steelers' first pick. Bradshaw absolutely hated the attention and prayed to God that he would be out of Pittsburgh before he even won a superbowl with them.

Based on Bradshaw's personality and the nature of fans to criticize anything but superbowl wins, it is safe to assume that Bradshaw would have hated playing in any NFL city. By his own admission Bradshaw hated the Pittsburgh fans by the time he won a superbowl and was unaffected when he was heaped with praise.

This myth is harmful to analyzing current quarterbacks. The truth is that Pittsburgh fans are not any harder on players than any other team. The truth is that every NFL player is subject to media scrutiny and that some have a hard time handling the pressure. Are New Orleans and Miami hard on running backs? Ricky Williams might think so. Is San Diego hard on quarterbacks? Absolutely, according to Ryan Leaf.

The point is that harsh criticism is necessary in order to evaluate the Steelers subjectively. I hope we can all agree that this myth needs to be put to rest so we can fairly discuss the real cause of the Steelers' anemic offense over the last decade- Ben Roethlisberger.

Thanks for reading.

[YOUTUBE] [/YOUTUBE]

[SteelersCanada]

I'd say we're definitely harder on our coaches and players - more specifically Quarterbacks - than most other teams. If you're looking for proof you don't have to go any further than these very boards. We're calling for the heads of Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger - a Super Bowl winning coach and two-time winning Quarterback because of a single down season that can be excused with the amount of injuries we suffered. There are about 28 - 30 teams that would trade and cut their quarterback and head coach, respectively, if these two became available without blinking an eye.

We want greatness. We expect it. How many other teams, realistically, can say 'Super Bowl or bust' in this league right now? Sure, all teams want the Lombardi, but how many teams' fanbases expect it every year and when we don't get it, it's regarded as a disappointing season? We're a spoiled bunch here as Pittsburgh fans and I think Ben takes way more heat than Terry ever did in Pittsburgh. Granted, some of his off-field choices have been questionable and he brought a lot of that heat on himself, but a lot of it is just us being frustrated fans and expecting greatness.

[lloydwoodson]

Originally Posted by SteelersCanada

I'd say we're definitely harder on our coaches and players - more specifically Quarterbacks - than most other teams. If you're looking for proof you don't have to go any further than these very boards. We're calling for the heads of Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger - a Super Bowl winning coach and two-time winning Quarterback because of a single down season that can be excused with the amount of injuries we suffered. There are about 28 - 30 teams that would trade and cut their quarterback and head coach, respectively, if these two became available without blinking an eye.

We want greatness. We expect it. How many other teams, realistically, can say 'Super Bowl or bust' in this league right now? Sure, all teams want the Lombardi, but how many teams' fanbases expect it every year and when we don't get it, it's regarded as a disappointing season? We're a spoiled bunch here as Pittsburgh fans and I think Ben takes way more heat than Terry ever did in Pittsburgh. Granted, some of his off-field choices have been questionable and he brought a lot of that heat on himself, but a lot of it is just us being frustrated fans and expecting greatness.

Honestly, I think every team is expected to win it all every year. This is why the Raiders have a new HC every year; why the Niners had different OC for Alex Smith 4 or 5 years in a row; why I expect Jerry Jones to fire Jason Garrett or Tony Romo after this season etc.

I agree that Steelers fans are a spoiled bunch, myself included, but it is amazing to me how blind people are to Roethlisberger's innumerable faults. Seems to me the fans get a whipping boy (this year Wallace or Mendenhall) and stick to him.

Realistically, Woodley should have gotten more heat than anyone. At least we know Harrison is old coming off back/knee surgery.

[Ricco Suavez]

Bradshaw could not spell CAT if they spotted him the C and the A. Hanratty and Gillom were both touted as better QBs then TB. Just a couple of he sentiments of the time. Terry did not put up outstanding numbers, his defense was arguably the greatest ever, his OL was loaded with HOFers, and his RBs and Wrs were some of the all time best, and he received more than his share of criticism. Terry was not truly loved til he was gone and then his career was appreciated by the media and the fans. I still love to see video when he threw the long ball,(the strongest part of his game IMO) it was a thing of beauty.

[TRH]

Bradshaw was pretty much hated and loathed here when he played - even after 4 SB wins. Still hated, he was. It was only after he retired, that he started to become "legend" in Pittsburgh and accepted.

[AndyWitmyer]

Good point about Bradshaw. Ben is more than willing to take the burden of blame upon himself (which I admire) - but only when he's the one putting himself under scrutiny. I love Ben - I think that's obvious - but I don't think he's very good at accepting criticism when it comes from others. Sure, he'll criticize himself - but, when you look at "verbally tougher" OCs like Haley and Whiz, and their "relationship" with Ben, I think the proof is in the pudding.

Ben loved Arians bc the dude was a pushover who was more than willing to let Ben be Ben. Obviously, this wasn't always a bad thing - Ben had some great seasons under Arians - but, also some pretty mediocre ones. He had an excellent start with Whiz, but not always (2006 anyone?) - with just one season under Haley, Ben started out great but faltered post-injury midseason.

I think the point I'm trying to make here is that Ben is a great QB, but like Terry - he comes with his own set of flaws. And one of them is not taking constructive criticism as professionally as he should. He's, overall, a top-notch QB regardless of whoever's calling the plays - but he can be a real pr*ck towards anyone who doesn't want to be "best buds"...and that shouldn't be Haley (or any other OC's job, for that matter).

[VictoryFormation]

I don't think Pittsburgh was unduly harsh on Terry Bradshaw when he first came into the league. He might have perceived it that way, but it was not about him being stupid, or Southern. Don't forget, he was the much anticipated number one pick for the Steelers in 1970. People had high expectations for him as soon as he joined the team. He was slow to develop as a quarterback. And, it looked like he was a flop, a wasted pick. Terry Hanratty, and Joe Gilliam beat him out for the starting job. Bradshaw didn't come up quickly like Ben Roethlisberger did. Bradshaw didn't get good until he was in the league 5 years. And, Bradshaw didn't mention that by the late 1970's, he had 59,000 people standing on their feet, chanting Bradshaw when he was on the field at Three Rivers.

[jiminpa]

Originally Posted by TRH

Bradshaw was pretty much hated and loathed here when he played - even after 4 SB wins. Still hated, he was. It was only after he retired, that he started to become "legend" in Pittsburgh and accepted.

Then who was it wearing all those Steeler logo'd number 12 jerseys in the 70's?

[Cherinko]

the real cause of the Steelers' anemic offense over the last decade- Ben Roethlisberger

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You are fulfilling Pittsburgh's reputation for being hard on quarterbacks. If you think our offense is anemic, how do you think we'd fare taking out the 9th highest rated passer in NFL history? Fans of other teams browsing these boards must see comments like this and look at them in shock and disbelief..

[Edman]

Ben R was treated as a king of kings in Pittsburgh since his Rookie Year. Since the beginning Pittsburgh has adopted Ben as their native son. So don't feed me any of that garbage that Ben is mistreated here.

Since Ben was drafted, fans have constantly raked other players and coaches over the coals for the team's shortcomings. Everyone except him. Only few had the balls and the guts to say "Hey, Ben. This isn't cool." They were labeled as trolls and haters, even when they have a legitimate point. Hell, it happens on this very board.

Those who are holding Ben accountable are called names and merely point the finger at someone else. It's not Ben's fault. It's the Coaches. It's the Defense. It's the receivers. It's the O-Line. It's the RB's. It's injuries. It's the Owners. The Planets aren't aligned properly. Everyone has been held accountable, except Ben.