Steelers Training Camp Flashback: Legendary Center Mike Webster Had The Audacity To Aggravate Jack Lambert In A Oklahoma Drill

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 season officially begins Tuesday. The team is set to report to Latrobe, PA for training camp, which practices will begin Wednesday. This is always an exciting time of the year. Things really start to come into focus and you get a feel for where the team is and what everything will look like. The Steelers definitely have their fair share of questions going into it.

There will surely be some fun arrivals as the players pour in, as is tradition. Looking back on past training camps, there has been some truly iconic moments on the arrival day and throughout training camp itself; jokes, fights, etc. However, one of the most classic moments was when two future Hall of Fame inductees would go back and forth with each other.

Jack Lambert (58) tackling Colts ball carrier. | Taylor Blitz Times

Steelers' Jack Lambert Calls Out Mike Webster

After retiring from a stellar career, Jack Lambert served as an analyst for WTAE, and was at the next training camp in Latrobe for the first time without shoulder pads. One of the first things he does? Calls out the offensive linemen for holding him. He specifically called out Mike Webster aka “Iron Mike.” Here’s what Lambert said about his former teammate:

"I watched the Oklahoma drills this morning and nothing changes down there. The offensive line holds every single time. Now I went against Mike Webster for 11 years in the Oklahoma drill. 11 times two is 22 times; he held me 21. One time last year, and this is a true story, I said to him, "Mike you’ve held me every time. Just one time don’t hold me, let’s see what happens." So he did, and I took him and I pushed him back and I threw him right over a dummy."

This was fun to see and hear. Lambert, obviously joking, selling it and looking as serious as ever. Luckily, Webster was right there on hand to give his rebuttal. Here’s what Webster had to say:

“He can say anything he wants about me.”

Lambert cut in saying he believed they could get some helmets and shoulder pads to do the drill right then and there and that he’s not afraid of him and never was. Webster's response?

“Well, how come you’re asking now? You didn’t ask two hours earlier when we had the drill.”

Lambert wanted to work something out for the afternoon. When asked if he believed he would hold Lambert, Webster doubled down that he didn’t:

“Did I actually hold? Do these fingers look like they hold? Now once in a while I admit, through repetition, that your hands sometimes do get caught in jerseys, by accident.”

When asked if he ever held Lambert again, he said:

”Not intentionally.”

This was all obviously in good fun, and you could see it all over the two former teammates' faces. It was fun to watch and knowing the history and accomplishments between the two, it’s awesome to see even in retirement they had that brotherly competitiveness in them still. The clip can be seen here:

Lambert and Webster both have a resume that not many in the league can say they have. The both of them are nine-time Pro Bowlers, as well as six-time First Team All-Pro selections. They’re both four-time Super Bowl Champions, as well as members of the 1970’s and 80’s All Decades Teams. Not to mention, they're both members of the NFL's 75th and 100th Anniversary Teams. They are also both on the Steelers All-Time Team and members of the Steelers Hall of Honor.

Lambert was also the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1974, and the Defensive Player of the Year in 1976.

Mike Webster (52) hiking the ball to Terry Bradshaw (12). / SmallThoughtsInASportsWorld

The beauty of all this? They were both once rookies showing up to training camp at Latrobe for the first time, just as guys are today. It all starts there, and as we have seen in the past, greatness can often times follow.

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