1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season
| 1983 Pittsburgh Steelers season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Head coach | Chuck Noll |
| General manager | Dick Haley |
| Owner | Art Rooney |
| Home field | Three Rivers Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 10–6 |
| Division place | 1st in AFC Central |
| Playoff finish | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Raiders) 38–10 |
| Pro Bowlers | PK Gary Anderson LB Jack Lambert C Mike Webster |
| AP All-Pros | Jack Lambert (1st team) Mike Webster (1st team) Gary Anderson (2nd team) |
| Team MVP | Gary Anderson |
By the start of the 1983 season, the Steelers had endured many retirements, they had been forced to adapt to many changes. The Steel Curtain was no more, both from the standpoint of personnel, what with Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Dwight White and Ernie Holmes all retired, but also from the fact the scheme had been switched from a 4-3 to the 3-4. But nothing was as dramatic as what they were about to live through for the first time in a very long time. Life without Terry Bradshaw.
In another year, Jack Lambert's career would be ended by a dislocated big toe, but at this point in franchise history the most important appendage to them was Bradshaw's right arm. More specifically, his right elbow.
Sometime in the months that would follow the 1983 NFL season, a doctor would perform surgery on that very valuable elbow, but in September 1983, the medical plan agreed to by the Steelers and Bradshaw called for rest and treatment. Several times over the season, the false hope for Bradshaw's return to the starting lineup would crystallize, but then inevitably it evaporated. Deadlines passed. More deadlines were set. They passed as well. And on and on it went.
The sporting press in Pittsburgh dutifully would attend each practice session from the start of the 1983 season and report the one thing everyone wanted to know, and it usually read like this: Bradshaw didn’t throw today.
Coach Chuck Noll never was one who spent any time worrying – or even talking – about injured players, and so when the Steelers opened their regular season at Three Rivers Stadium against the Denver Broncos and rookie sensation John Elway, it was Cliff Stoudt starting at quarterback and fourth-year pro Mark Malone as the No. 2.
The 1983 Steelers had some talent, but they also had their flaws, and when they turned the ball over and/or were highly penalized they were unable to make the kinds of plays necessary to overcome those things. When they did that – three interceptions vs. Green Bay, five interceptions vs. Detroit on Thanksgiving Day, three fumbles and two interceptions vs. Cincinnati, two interceptions combined with 11 penalties in Cleveland – they lost decisively.
When the Steelers didn’t beat themselves, they were good enough to win 10 games, finish 10-6 and claim the AFC Central Division title over the 9-7 Cleveland Browns. The clincher came in the penultimate game of the regular season, against the New York Jets in what was the final NFL game to be played at Shea Stadium. But to Steelers fans, this was a game that always will be remembered as Terry Bradshaw's final appearance at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That it would be Bradshaw's last NFL game wasn’t known at the time, but what was known was the Steelers needed a hero because they needed a win. They were a team that started 9-2 but found itself mired in a three-game losing streak that had it reeling at 9-5 and facing back-to-back road trips – at New York and then at Cleveland.
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