Steel City Blitz
The Pittsburgh Steelers overall record against the New England Patriots is 16-19. On the road it is 4-7. The Steelers were leading the series 12-5 until the Brady effect began to change the balance in 2001.
When the Steelers won their third Super Bowl at the end of the 1978 season, it set a new NFL record. The success was made even more sweeter as it was Dallas that were humbled, suffering a 35-31 defeat.
The Steelers entered the following season with the deserved title of Super Steelers, and it was a label they were determined to live up to. Terry Bradshaw was confident they could defend their championship. “We’ve got all our first line players back – there were no retirements,” he stated. “And our second line guys are much stronger. We’ve got great depth, and we got J.T Thomas back.”
Thomas was the Steelers number one draft choice in 1973. After five great seasons playing cornerback and contributing to the Steelers first two Lombardis, he was diagnosed with a chemical imbalance. This brought a temporary halt to playing football.
After he recovered from the ailment ready for the 1979 season, Thomas returned to find the Steelers were overflowing with talent at his old position. Coach Noll decided to move him to strong safety.
Most pundits favored the Steelers to take their fourth Super Bowl. Terry Bradshaw was coming off his best season with 2,915 yards passing and 28 touchdowns. He finished the season with 4 touchdown passes in Super Bowl XIII.
Always the realist, Coach Noll noted, “Nothing is as an antiquated as last year’s Super Bowl trophy. We’re starting from scratch.” The Steelers began the season with a 45-man roster of players who were either drafted or originally signed as free agents by the Steelers.
Gerela’s Gorillas found themselves without their kicker when the Steelers drafted Matt Bahr in the sixth round.
Their opener saw the Steelers travel to New England for the first Monday Night game of the season. The Patriots made the playoffs twice in the previous three seasons. Patriots head coach Ron Erhard led his team to the divisional game in 1978 where they lost to the Houston Oilers.
Steelers injuries saw Greg Hawthorne and Larry Brown not dressing while Rocky Bleier also would not see any playing time.
For the Patriots, it would be an emotional game. Their star wide receiver Darryl Stingley would join the fans in the stand. Stingley had been paralysed in a preseason game the previous year. It would be the first time he had returned to Schaefer Stadium since his accident.
The (0-0) Steelers at the (0-0) Patriots; September 3, 1979
To add to the Steelers injury woes, they lost Joe Greene in the warmups with a sprained knee.
New England’s first possession would confirm Pittsburgh had a game on their hands. Rookie Allan returned the kickoff 37 yards to provide the Patriots with good field position on their 45. Steve Grogan took 11 plays to cover the...
