Steelers Legend Terry Bradshaw Makes A Confession About The Early Days Of His Playing Career

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most interesting histories compared to all other franchises in the NFL. A lot of that is owed to the great players who set the standard for success of the organization back during the 1970s, like quarterback Terry Bradshaw. The Steelers were a struggling franchise until the organization selected Bradshaw with the first overall pick during the 1970 NFL Draft. The quarterback led his team to four Super Bowl victories in four appearances, and he made Pittsburgh a true dynasty throughout the 1970s; a dominant defense didn't hurt, either.

Bradshaw is one of the most successful quarterbacks of all time as he has four Super Bowl rings, but it is important to understand that he played in a very different era. The NFL back during his career was primarily based on defense and the rushing attack. There were seasons during his career where Bradshaw could throw for less than 2,000 yards and the team could still be successful. This isn't to take anything away from Bradshaw, but he played a very different game. 

The former quarterback went on Games With Names with Julian Edelman, and the two looked back on the career of Bradshaw. They were specifically speaking about the Immaculate Reception, and Edelman was curious about how confident Bradshaw was going into that drive. To the surprise of many, Bradshaw didn't truly expect a game-winning possession.

"I'm not near as cool as Joe [Montana]." Bradshaw said. "Joe is supremely confident, I wasn't. Like I told you, I played scared man, I played scared because I knew I could lose my job. So I always had an edge about me when I played."

Edelman had brought up how cool Joe Montana was in tense, in-game situations. Bradshaw made sure to note he was nothing like that. The Immaculate Reception occurred while the Steelers were losing by one-point to the then-Oakland Raiders. It was the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs, so tensions were high. 

Pittsburgh took the field at its own 40-yard line, but Bradshaw fired three straight incompletions. The Immaculate Reception came on fourth down, and it wound up being a walk-off touchdown.

Bradshaw's rise to stardom wasn't all smooth-sailing. His rookie year was rough as the quarterback threw 24 interceptions while throwing just six touchdowns. The league didn't pass as much then, so the 24 interceptions is even worse than it sounds. Bradshaw was always worried about his job security as a starting quarterback, but that worry certainly dwindled with each Super Bowl ring.

The Immaculate Reception occurred during the playoffs of the 1972 season, which was before Pittsburgh had won a Super Bowl. Bradshaw didn't have any of the confidence he would gain later on in his career as he was just in his third season. The Steelers went on to lose to the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game, but Bradshaw would get his first Super Bowl in 1974.

Steelers' Terry Bradshaw Was Surrounded By Incredible Talent

Another reason Bradshaw probably played scared is that he had no excuses. The talent around him was remarkable, so if he couldn't get the job done at quarterback the organization would just bring in somebody who could. He got to throw the ball to two Hall Of Fame wide receivers in Lynn Swann and John Stallworth. He also had a strong duo in the backfield made up of the late Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier.

On the other side of the ball the Steelers had one of the best defenses of all time, the Steel Curtain. All the pieces were in place for that dynasty to be as strong as it was, but if Bradshaw couldn't pull it together he likely would have been watching from the sidelines.

What do you think of Bradshaw playing scared during his career? Let us know in the comments below!

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