ESPN's Top 20 NFL Coaches Ever

Bradshaw had more pure talent than anyone else on the offense. Bradshaw's deep ball was the reason why they were 2-0 against the Cowboys and 4-0 in the Super Bowl during the 1970s. Roger, Vince and Fran just could not push those safeties back or make them pay when they blitzed.

 

For all that talent, he was a pretty crappy quarterback until he had all that Hall of Fame help.

 

Amazing how many of the all-time greats fit that description at some point in their careers.
It's always a chicken-and-egg thing when discussing great quarterbacks and coaches. Would Montana and Young have been as good as they were without Jerry Rice and the incredibly talented teams and coaches that they had to work with? Would Bill Walsh have won three Super Bowls without Montana?
Or, as is often the case -- and this goes for any endeavor, not just football -- was it simply a group of great players and coaches coming together, figuring out how to get the most out of their abilities and each other, cover up whatever deficiencies they have, and create something remarkable?

 

Fair point. No doubt about it.

In Bradshaw's case, he didn't even really cement his place as the permanent, he wasn't even the starter for part of the season in 1974, his fifth year in the league. Joe Gilliam was. He didn't throw more touchdown passes than interceptions in a season until 1975.

Imagine if a quarterback taken No. 1 overall now took that long to start to put it together? Would he even get a chance to take that long?

 

You just cannot give quarterbacks credit for anything, can you?

Bradshaw was an ADHD hillbilly whose head and maturity finally caught up to what it takes to be a pro in this league.

Receivers need QBs more than QBs need receivers. Just ask Larry Fitzgerald.

 

I don't overrate quarterbacks and foolishly judge them by wins and losses like you do, no.

Bradshaw was a deserving Hall of Fame quarterback, but it was a hell of a lot easier to "mature" once he had Lynn Swann and John Stallworth to throw to and Mike Webster to block for him. All three arrived in 1974, the season during which he finally grabbed the job and held it. I think it's more than fair to say they had a part in that.

Regarding your point about receivers, check out what John Stallworth did in 1984 and 1985 with scrubs like Mark Malone and David Woodley throwing the passes and tell me again he needed Bradshaw to produce.

 

Alex Smith.

 

Good call. He probably wasn't much worse than Bradshaw when you figure in how much tougher it was for quarterbacks early in Bradshaw's career.

Of course, it didn't work out quite as well with Smith in San Francisco as it did with Bradshaw in Pittsburgh.

 

Which year did they play in or win a Super Bowl during the 80s?

 

Which year did Bradshaw win a Super Bowl without Swann, Stallworth and Webster?

Edit: I should simplify this for you. You like overly simplistic analysis. Why else would you think it makes sense to judge NFL players only on wins and losses?

Steelers Super Bowls when they had Bradshaw without four Hall of Famers around him on offense: Zero in five seasons

Steelers Super Bowls when they had five Hall of Famers (including Bradshaw) on offense: Four in six seasons.

'Nuff said.

 

Good post by Shockey.
Not a good post by you.
I'll put my knowledge of the league's history against yours any time, you imperious ass.
Brandt's Wizard of Oz act in Dallas was well-known at the time and afterward.
The truth is it took a convergence of talents (Landry and Schramm included) to build that in Dallas.
1970s Tom Landry really knew his damn football.
Don't reply to this post. I have no interest in continuing a dialogue with a stone.

 

Comical. You have zero credibility. You have been nothing but another sock puppet with an attitude since you started posting on this board under that identity. I think shockey actually has some knowledge of the situation because he has demonstrated it in the past and now. You? You're just making crap up like you always do.