Steelers' Great Terry Bradshaw Shares Absolutely Painful Wish "I Know I Don't Deserve This"

The Pittsburgh Steelers were the first team to earn four Super Bowl victories. Terry Bradshaw was the starting quarterback in all four games. He retired after a brief one-game comeback in 1983 against the New York Jets where he reinjured his surgically repaired elbow. Bradshaw left the NFL without the fanfare that Ben Roethlisberger enjoyed in his final home game and the outpouring of love from the Pittsburgh fan base that he so desperately craved.

Bradshaw’s time in Pittsburgh has caused the Hall of Fame quarterback and Steelers fans of that era a fair share of grief. Early in his career, Bradshaw was mercilessly booed and benched repeatedly. Ironically, it was Chuck Noll’s old friend Al Davis that convinced Noll to stick with Bradshaw in 1974 after benching him for Joe Gilliam, which led to the Steelers' championship runs. No one from the Steelers organization ever confirmed the story, but it is part of the renegade Oakland Raiders owner’s A Football Life documentary.

Terry Bradshaw had an incredible football career, but there's one more thing he wishes he had.

📺: Terry Bradshaw: Going Deep streaming now on HBO Max pic.twitter.com/L4Uwo1VDAX

— NFL (@NFL) February 4, 2022

During the HBO Going Deep documentary on Bradshaw’s football career and personal struggles, the former quarterback admitted that there was a hole when he looked back on his playing days. The Steelers signal-caller won a league MVP, two Super Bowl MVPs, and his record of four championships has only been equaled by two other players who played the position. 

“If there is one thing in my life I do wish, I wish I was loved and respected,” Bradshaw said. “I know I don’t deserve this; I just wish I had it. Like [Tom] Brady, Peyton [Manning], Roger Staubach. When I sit back in my life as a football player, I never had that kind of respect. I really do wish I did.”

The man who first equaled Bradshaw was the San Francisco 49ers legend, Joe Montana. He is still considered the most clutch quarterback in NFL history with multiple game-winning drives in NFC Championship games and Super Bowls. Despite Brady passing both with seven championships and 10 appearances, Montana never lost a Super Bowl and is still often hailed as the greatest quarterback of the Super Bowl Era.

Staubach was an American hero, who attended the Naval Academy, won a Heisman Trophy, and was the author of the original Hail Mary for the so-called “America’s Team.” He was also two and two in Super Bowls, both losses were to Bradshaw and the Steelers. The NFL recently released its list of the best quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era and incredibly, Bradshaw was six spots behind Staubach. 

Steelers' Terry Bradshaw Forced To Deal With Clueless Chris Wallace During Super Bowl Interview

The Dallas Cowboys linebacker Thomas Henderson famously called him dumb before a 35-31 loss in Super Bowl XIII. Bradshaw was the MVP of the game, but the perception infuriated Bradshaw and still does to this day. The perception of Bradshaw’s intelligence is hard to pinpoint. It could be his southern drawl, it could be his “blonde bomber” nickname, or it could be the countless turnovers he engineered early in his career. All of it is completely unfair. 

Noll trusted Bradshaw to call his own plays. That was not just in the hurry up, not occasionally the audible, Bradshaw called nearly every play on offense. In today’s NFL, it is almost unthinkable that a quarterback would call the game on the field. It is a tradition the Steelers should consider reviving if they are going to continue to employ Matt Canada.

The Steelers legend is not completely blameless, he held a grudge against Pittsburgh for years and did not return even when he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1989. Bradshaw finally agreed in 2002 to return and he was cheered wildly. The death of Mike Webster has been suggested as the catalyst for Bradshaw’s change of heart, but the true test will come over the next few seasons as the Steelers celebrate the golden anniversaries of Super Bowl championships.

Bradshaw has acted in movies, recorded country albums, and is better known for his role on NFL on Fox at this point than he ever was as a player. Bradshaw has had the most successful postseason career of any former NFL player. He was drafted with the first overall pick in 1970 and 53 years later, he is still relevant in professional football. It may not seem like it to Bradshaw, but he has earned the respect he craves.

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Should Bradshaw be more present in the greatest QB discussion? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.

#SteelerNation