The Pittsburgh Steelers have been seen as a team that lacks leadership lately. No one has seemed to be able to step up and take that role, especially on offense. Usually, the quarterback will, but that's hard to do when you have a quarterback carousel like Pittsburgh has had. To make matters worse, there doesn't seem to be a clear answer to who can step up and be the vocal leader that this unit desperately needs. However, the Steelers have previously thrived with their star quarterback not leading. Maybe they need to go that route again.
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Steelers' Terry Bradshaw scouts the defense before a snap in Super Bowl XIII.
While making an appearance on Games With Names, former Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw admitted that he was never a "rah-rah" kind of guy. He just wanted to learn how to be better as a player with no noise.
"I never was a captain," admitted Bradshaw. "I wasn't a captain in high school; I wasn't a captain in college, and I wasn't a captain in the NFL, and I'm glad. I don't have time to go and pick everybody up."
Bradshaw was never a leader. He just wanted to figure out exactly what he did wrong and how he could fix it. He even admitted later on that the main reason his receivers were Hall of Famers was because he had no accuracy, so they always had to make some kind of amazing catch to help out their quarterback.
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Steelers' Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes and Chuck Noll at Super Bowl IX.
Those Steelers teams didn't need someone to try and get them hyped up. That was not their identity. Bradshaw later mentioned that the coaches were also like that. It was about football, not mosh pits and motivational speeches.
"All my coaches that I've ever had were so fundamentally sound, principled, it was all serious, and that's the way I approach it," said Bradshaw. "I don't have time to be rah-rah. I don't want to scream."
Legendary Head Coach Chuck Noll was seen as a "No BS" kind of coach, and Bradshaw confirmed that on the show. Obviously, his style of coaching worked at the time, as Noll helped lead the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories and establishing a dynasty based on a feared defense with a complementary offense.
Steelers Of Today Could Take Some Notes
That conversation got started because Julian Edelman, the host of the show, spoke about how giving motivational speeches is not what a coach should do. He talked about his job should be to give important information on the opponents, and that's what Edelman and his teammates received when they played for Bill Belichick on the New England Patriots.
Mike Tomlin, the current head coach of the Steelers, really needs to listen closely to that conversation. He is seen as one of the greatest motivators in the league, but that means nothing when your players clearly have no idea what they're supposed to be doing on the field.
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Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on during loss to the Bengals in the 2024 NFL season.
During the Steelers' recent five-game losing streak, a pair of defensive players were accusing the unit of not communicating, not being where they were supposed to be, and -- as a result -- not trying anymore. The supposedly elite defense crumbled when things got tough, and they never recovered from it.
Their solution was to have a "mosh pit" to get energized during a practice. Sure, that may have helped them get their spirits up, but it did absolutely nothing for the product on the field. The got exposed repeatedly in the playoffs during a 28-14 loss, where they gave up nearly 300 yards of rushing.
You have to address the real issues and work on fixing them. The Steelers did not do that successfully, and that's why they fell flat in the playoffs yet again in the opening round.
What do you think about Bradshaw not being a captain, as well as the Steelers' motivational ideologies between then and now? Let us know in the comments.
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