Chuck Noll - Gone and Forgotten

In one of the America's Game documentaries that NFL Network did a few years ago, Rocky Bleier tells this story about how Noll was a terrible story-teller, and he'd go into these monologues that left everyone on the team looking at each other trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about. There was one that Bleier related that gave you a little bit of insight into Noll's intellect ... he apparently had the team in a post-practice huddle one day and told a story that went something like this:

Two monks are walking along through the countryside and they come across a woman sitting next to a river, and she asks them to help her get across. One of the monks picks the woman up and carries her across and sets her down on the other side, then goes back across the river where the other monk is still standing and two of them continue along their way. A short time later, one of the monks turns to the other and says, "I want to talk to you about what you did back there ... we're not permitted to even speak to a woman, much less make physical contact with one, and you violated our oath when you picked that woman up and carried her across the river." The other monk answers, "I picked her up and then set her down back there, but you carried her all the way here."

And after a pause for a few seconds, Noll says "10 o'clock tomorrow."

Indeed, it would be a treat to know what he has to say about the league today.

 

How were you able to hold a tape record and write in your note pad with one hand down your pants?

 

Why? You tried and couldn't manage it?

 

C'mon, OOP, you gotta admit, that was pretty funny. I was gonna go with "OOP as Chris Farley" myself.

OOP: "Hey Chuck do do do you remember Lynn Swann's catch in the Super Bowl?"

Noll: "Yes yes I do OOP."

OOP: "That was awesome."

 

What? I thought Zag was asking for tips in case the Steelers lose Sunday. He probably wouldn't be able to pull his hand out of his pants for a month.

 

I always knew secretariat had trouble putting together a coherent sentence.

So, can we get back to the actual topic now?

 

I can see why you changed your original post, but you changed it to something even lamer.

You really do suck at life, don't you?

 

Apparently not. Sometimes the simple truth is enough.

 

Nice piece. Thank you for posting the link, DD.

 

Scott Ferrall had Chad Millman on before the end of the regular season. both said Noll is underrated and/or overlooked when all-time great coaches are discussed.

 

He was a big part of the organization that put together the great Steelers teams of the '70s. As those guys faded away, though, he had another 10 years or so that were very ordinary.

He deserves a huge amount of credit for helping to turn around an organization that was a complete loser, but I don't know that he was ever much of a strategic innovator in the way that some others have been.

He was a very smart and confident guy who also learned from the best. He played for Paul Brown, and was on the staffs of Sid Gillman and Don Shula.