The Pittsburgh Steelers had arguably one of the greatest defenses in the NFL in the 1970s. Nicknamed the "Steel Curtain," it was home to some incredibly tough, gritty players such as Jack Lambert, Joe Greene, Mel Blount, and Donnie Shell. You know what they say about defenses, they win championships, and they certainly did in the 70s (winning the Steelers four between 1975 and 1980). That defense went up against some high-powered offenses, including the Buffalo Bills, who catapulted into success with their phenomenal running back, O.J. Simpson.
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Former Buffalo Bills running back, O.J. Simpson (32).
While Simpson only played against the Steelers three times - 1970, 1972, and 1975 and only won that last game, he managed to rack up some yardage. He rushed 64 times for a total of 476 yards and three touchdowns. Now, one former Steelers legend, Shell, shares the story of the time Simpson gashed their defense on the way to that single win.
Shell recently appeared on the All Things Covered podcast, hosted by two cornerbacks with ties to the Steelers. Bryant McFadden played for Pittsburgh in the mid-2000s and helped them win two Super Bowls. His cousin, Patrick Peterson, currently plays for the Steelers after being picked up in free agency during the offseason. He shared a story with them about the 1975 game at Three Rivers Stadium against the incredibly talented and fast Simpson.
"We played the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs my rookie year and beat them. O.J. Simpson came back to Pittsburgh and gained 202 yards against us. It was 3rd and about 3 and our defensive coordinator called goal line on our 30-yard line."
McFadden and Peterson both express shock at the play call from the defensive coordinator. Shell said he couldn't believe it either. He told them he had looked at fellow defender Lambert and said they couldn't run that defense. He was sure if they did, then Simpson would be able to hit it and get free and score.
All Things Covered
Steelers legend Donnie Shell joined Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden on their podcast.
He shared that Lambert told him to "shut up and run the defense" and sure enough, Simpson slipped past the stalwart Steelers defense and was flying toward the end zone.
"Look, he was going down this way (indicated ahead with his hands) and I had the angle on him. I was just cruising. I didn't want him to cut back. I declare man if I had kept running, I would have torn my ligaments, so I pulled off."
McFadden is incredulous, "O.J. was that fast?" Peterson is totally shocked that he had to angle to be able to try to catch up to him. Shell swears that every word of it is true.
"You know what he said in the newspaper the next morning? They asked him if he thought about cutting back. He said, there ain't no way, no one was going to catch up, talking about I was gone."
Shell reminded the two hosts that Simpson's speed was one of his best attributes and that he ran track and field when he was in college at the University of Southern California. McFadden marveled at Simpson's apparent speed because there were not many players that were able to escape Shell.
Steelers Legend Donnie Shell Did Not Miss Many Of His Targets
While Simpson might have had the speed to escape Shell, that was not the norm. Simpson had a remarkable career. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played in 135 games and rushed 2,404 times for 11,236 yards and 61 touchdowns. Shell said that day, Simpson earned his respect.
Shell surely earned Simpson's as well. He played in 201 games during his 14-season career. He had a whopping 51 interceptions for 490 yards, 19 fumble recoveries, 9.5 sacks, and 4 defensive touchdowns. As mentioned, Shell won four Super Bowls, was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a three-time All-Pro. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Steelers Hall of Honor.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via AP
Steelers strong safety Donnie Shell returns an interception while Houston Oilers' Drew Hill defends at Three Rivers Stadium in 1985.
As fans of the Steelers, we are lucky to have such an incredibly rich history of excellence. At times, it feels like they were all so good that it just came easily to them. But hearing stories from players like Shell reminds us that these hardnosed players went up against the best of the best on the other side of the ball.
Do you remember the Steelers of the 1970s? What was your favorite story about the defense back then? Click to comment below.
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