Super Bowl X Steelers should have Routed Cowboys

[LeonardRachiele]

Looking at the subject Super Bowl film,  the Pittsburgh Steelers let missed many opportunities to turn this game into a route.   It shows how good they were to survive the mistakes.    Steeler fans had many anxious moments.

(1) Late First quarter.  The score was tied at seven.  The Steelers had the ball fourth and two from the Dallas 32.  They set up a screen beautifully.  Franco Harris was set to catch the ball with three blockers ahead of him.  With an escort and acceleration, it was very difficult to stop Franco.  I feel he would have gone the distance for a touchdown; but he took his eyes off the ball too quickly and dropped it.   Dallas took over.

(2) Second quarter.  The Steelers' Roy Gerela missed a field goal. Score stayed tie at 7.

(3) Late Second quarter.  Dallas was driving deep in Steeler territory.  Defensive Halfback Glen Edwards had the ball in his hands at the 14.  Edwards was going one way; the action was was moving the other.  He would have gone all the way for a touchdown; but Edwards dropped the ball.  Dallas kicked a field goal and led 10 to 7 at the half.

(4) Pittsburgh basically took over the game in the third quarter but did not score.  Gerela missed another  field goal.  The aftermath of that miss, plus a special teams play, turned the game in Pittsburgh's favor.  Cliff Harris foolishly taunted Gerela and Jack Lambert almost flipped him.

(5) Fourth quarter.  Pittsburgh, by now smoking, stopped the Cowboys deep in their territory.  The  Cowboys were punting and Chuck Noll ordered an all out blitz.  Reggie Harrson easily blocked the ball and it went, on one bounce, over the end line.  Dallas 10 Pittsburgh 9.

(6) After the free kick, Pittsburgh scored a field goal and led for the first time 12 to 10.

(7) The Steelers missed a big chance to put the game away.  Mike Wagner made an interception on Roger Staubach at the Dallas 38 and ran it to the two.  Then game three failures.  Gerela kicked a field goal and the Steelers led 15 to 10.

(8) Terry Bradshaw threw and 64 yard touchdown pass to Lynn Swann. The Cowboys countered with a touchdown; but the Steelers won 21 to 17.

I felt that the score should have been more like 35 10 14.  Thrilling.

[RRMarshall]

Still the most exciting Super Bowl from my youth. After years of one-sided games we finally got a contest that went down to the final gun. The Cowboys were in a rebuilding year with many new players on their roster and they overachieved. They matched up well with the Vikings and Rams in the postseason but the Steelers were huge favorites in the SB. The 1st quarter TD pass to Drew Pearson shocked them, and the Dallas defense contained Franco Harris. If not for Lynn Swann's acrobatics it might have been a different outcome

[Bryan]

Early in the 4th quarter, Franco Harris caught a pass up the sideline and Cliff Harris managed to clip the back of Franco's leg and he grazed the sideline, otherwise it would have been an 83-yard TD. But I think Chuck Noll was really conservative in Super Bowl X. If you watch the game, Roy Gerela can barely get the ball past the line of scrimmage, yet Noll still has Gerela attempting FGs on 4th and 1 from the 20 and 4th and Goal from the 1 instead of going for it. I think LC Greenwood said this, but in both Steeler-Cowboy SBs, the Cowboys couldn't really do anything until Noll put the Steelers in a prevent defense. In SB X, they had the quick TD to Pearson off the Walden botched punt....they had another drive for a FG, then they got stuffed for the remainder of the game until the Steelers went into prevent. Same thing in SB XIII...early score with Tony Hill....one drive with the Smith drop that resulted in a FG, but nothing outside of that until Noll put the Steelers in prevent.

[Brian wolf]

Bradshaw had a great game but Staubach was clearly frustrated, especially at Landry who wouldn't open up the offense. The Steeler's defense just squeezed the life out them. Was Gorilla the worst ever kicker to win a SB ?

[Halas Hall]

In Ray Gerela's defense I think he broke a couple of ribs tackling Thomas Henderson on the opening kickoff. It was a great game with a lot of Hall of Fame players and coaches.

[7DnBrnc53]

Bradshaw had a great game but Staubach was clearly frustrated, especially at Landry who wouldn't open up the offense. The Steeler's defense just squeezed the life out them. Was Gorilla the worst ever kicker to win a SB ?

Dan Reeves must have got his conservative coaching style from Landry, because he was the same in the 80's with Elway.