The Throwback Thursday has had a run on the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers. That's what reading Michael MacCambridge's terrific book Chuck Noll: His Life's Work will do to you. This week's nugget comes from the Steelers' outstanding 1974 draft class. That's the one that brought them Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, and Mike Webster. They found a ridiculous four Hall of Famers in a single draft. It was a draft that was a part of a string of drafts that smashed Pete Rozelle's vision of parity.
Steelers head coach Chuck Noll and the scouts, led by Art Rooney Jr. and Bill Nunn, didn't see eye-to-eye very often but they certainly had a productive working relationship. They made it work. The Steelers needed to improve their receiver position in the 1974 NFL Draft. Noll had fallen for Alabama A&M receiver John Stallworth. He liked him even better than the more highly rated Lynn Swann. The scouts thought that they could get both but the team had to take Swann first. They understood that a receiver from itty-bitty Alabama A&M was going to get overlooked. Especially when there was one can of film on him and Nunn had dawdled on returning it to the school in the week's leading up to the draft. Not many teams knew about or had the chance to watch the small school star. Noll couldn't bare the thought of missing out on Stallworth so he wanted to grab him when they had the shot. In the end, he listened to the scouts, as he usually did, but he wasn't happy. The Steelers drafted Swann with their pick in the first round and made Noll happy again when Stallworth was there for the taking in the fourth. The Steelers had a pair of pass-catching difference-makers for their Super Bowl runs.
In the second round the Steelers faced another draft day decision. They needed a middle linebacker. They liked Iowa State's Matt Blair and Kent State's Jack Lambert. Blair was the prototype at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds. Lambert was the size of a safety. I found this particular draft day decision interesting as Blair ended up being selected by the Minnesota Vikings and was one of my favorite players. Since I watched closely the type of player that he was it wasn't difficult to picture him as the middle linebacker in the Steelers defense. He was far different to Lambert in size as well as temperament but he would've excelled. Lambert was something of a madman on the field. A madman that roamed all over the field and made tackles in a manner that didn't at all fit his slight frame. Blair was a tremendous football player but he he didn't play this violent game with the manic aggression of many of his peers. He was more smooth, more graceful in his play. His lifelong passion for photography off the field was more thoughtful man than violent football player. The cover-2 defense so often associated with Tony Dungy had it's birth with Bud Carson and the 1970s Steelers. That's where Dungy learned it. The middle linebacker in the cover-2 must be able to come up to defend the run as well as drop back into the deep middle zone to defend the pass. When I think of Matt Blair possibly being called upon to do this I think of Brian Urlacher. They had similar size and range. Urlacher was a fantastic middle linebacker in the cover-2. Perhaps the ideal. Blair didn't quite have Urlacher's bulk but he had his height and both could run. While it's easy to picture the long. athletic Blair excelling in the Steelers defense there's really no question that they made the right decision in choosing Lambert over him. Lambert's Gold Jacket settles that debate nicely. Joe Greene might have been the leader of the Steelers devastating defense but Lambert was the face of it. Especially with those missing front teeth. Despite being smaller than most that have played the middle linebacker position then and since he did it so well. Besides, if the Steelers had chosen Blair I wouldn't have been able to enjoy his excellent Vikings career.
The Steelers' scouts showed Noll (again) that they knew what they were doing when John Stallworth was still available for their pick in the fourth round. It might have gotten testy and loud at times but the working relationship of Noll and the scouts was an effective one.
Swann, Lambert, Stallworth, and Webster in one draft. One draft! And they added Donnie Shell as an undrafted free agent. Incredible.
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