Catfight! Aikman vs. Esiason

Last time I checked, winning a Super Bowl was not an individual accomplishment. If Trent Dilfer could win one with the Ravens team he was on, he'd have won seven playing on the teams Bradshaw and Aikman were on. That Bradshaw only won four in an era of no free agency and only maybe two other competitive teams in the conference (Miami and Oakland) for most of the Steelers' run, I think is underachieving.

 

Remember . . . the Rooneys have NEVER, EVER wanted to spend a nickel they didn't have to. The four-spot they hung up was largely due to supernatural black-college scouting -- and the downright-astonishing short-term muscle growth of certain individuals.

Take nothing away -- they did it, then, and nobody else did. That was a helluva collection of complementary talents, and the whole was greater than the sum of its parts (which is a VERY GOOD thing).

 

True to a point.

The running game (Rocky had 1000 yards in a season for God's sake) is significantly better when you are constantly afraid of Bradshaw going deep.

The Steelers of the 1970s was a perfect storm of almost everything football related, and that includes the right arm of their QB.

 

I think it was the opposite, Devil. Going deep was a lot easier when teams were so afraid of the running game. ... And nice to have that quality of WRs to go deep to.

Bradshaw was godawful for his first five seasons. That's a long time to be godawful. During the Super Bowl years he was only Ok. Hell, in '74, the first SB year, his rating was a dismal 54.5. In '79, another SB year, he threw 25 interceptions.

Most telling, in 1976, the Steelers were 4-4 with Bradshaw, 6-0 without him. Even in the SB year of '74 they were 5-1-1 without him and 5-2 with him.

 

Just consider how long Vinny T. was godawful.

 

Bradshaw's numbers are indeed Testaverderian. And nobody is clamboring for the Vinman to be in the HOF.

 

You know they changed the rules in 1978 or so about the way DBs can engage receivers?

Kind of opened up the passing game.

You know who had 290 career touchdown passes and 258 interceptions?

John Unitas

Was he Vinny-like as well?

 

But stats mean everything.

 

Boomer is like a 14-year old girl, he's so hypersensitive to criticism.

 

I realize that. Yet compared to his contemporaries (Ken Anderson, for example), Bradshaw was a middle of the pack QB. This despite having the best skill players and offensive line at the time.

In years when Bradshaw missed games, the team's record with him was 23-20, and without him 18-8-2. In 1973, with Terry Hanratty at QB, the Steelers went to Oakland and won. With a healthy Bradshaw back for the playoff rematch, Oakland destroyed Pittsburgh.

The 70s Steelers had a roster full of great players. Probably more great players than any team in NFL history. Bradshaw was not one of them.

Bradshaw (and Aikman) is a perfect example of a quarterback getting far too much credit for a team's success. When he wasn't playing, the Steelers were actually better.

 

173/220, over thirteen seasons.

But a huge, notorious talent.

Guess who?

 

Norma's been that way, for quite a while.