'83 Steelers Bradshaw what-if

[74_75_78_79_]

Pretty simple...had Terry been healthy/100% all through that entire, notorious 1983 campaign. Simply looking at their losses that season can't HELP but to instigate such a topic!

Opening day, home vs Denver, Steelers-D sacks DeBerg/Elway 7 times holding both QBs to a combined 49 yards! Cliff Stoudt...18 for 32, 217 yards but zero TDs, 3 INTs in a 14-10 loss! Three weeks later, Franco puts up a 100+ output but another 3 INTs by Cliff costs them another close home game; this time to the mediocre Pats.

Yes, then came the 7-game win-streak and just imagine how less of a (defense scoring a lot of the pts) 'mirage' that would have been had Terry instead been onboard for that? I'm not going to actually flip that 45-3 Turkey Day devastation at Pontiac into a win had #12 played but how about the close losses sandwiching that debacle to both Vikings & at Bengals respectively? Cliff 13/30, 168, 1TD (ok, no INTs) vs a not-so-stellar-either Steve Dils in the loss to Vikes and, two weeks later, he not able to take advantage of a paltry Anderson/Shoenert zero TDs 166-yds-combined outing at Riverfront; Cliff just passing for under 100 yards himself - 1TD, 2INTs.

That famous win, snapping the losing streak, 34-7, in that final game at Shea ought to give indication to just how good an '83 campaign the Steelers would have indeed had! Going into finale at Cleveland, who's to say they don't already have, not just their division clinched at 10-5, but HOME-field at...14-1??

THOUGHTS??

EDIT - that late-season loss to Cincy was at home.

[L.C. Greenwood]

The 1983 Steelers would have certainly been improved, but I can't see them defeating the Raiders. Franco Harris was in decline, this was his second to last season.

[BD Sullivan]

The 1983 Steelers would have certainly been improved, but I can't see them defeating the Raiders. Franco Harris was in decline, this was his second to last season.

They needed fourth quarter comebacks at home to defeat a pair of terrible teams, the Oilers and the Bucs.

[74_75_78_79_]

The 1983 Steelers would have certainly been improved, but I can't see them defeating the Raiders. Franco Harris was in decline, this was his second to last season.

They needed fourth quarter comebacks at home to defeat a pair of terrible teams, the Oilers and the Bucs.

Had Terry played in the first place, likely a comeback in either case would not have been necessary. With Bradshaw onboard for an entire season, I can't see why they wouldn't have gotten themselves top-seed. However, I do agree LC that in such a hypothetical that the Raiders make it through Three Rivers and onto SBXVIII anyways. Not quite as convincing as the actual New Years Day divisional at home vs Stoudt that actually took place, but convincing enough. Yes, Franco was past prime and would briefly be in a Seahawk uni the following year before hanging it up. Raiders were simply the best in '83, better than their 12-4 record. Still, it all would have made for a better 'last hurrah' for the Blonde Bomber than simply one 1st half at Shea.

[Gary Najman]

And what about John Stallworth being healthy in 1983? He had a great season the following year (he was All-Pro according to Dr. Z among very strong WR performances by Art Monk, Roy Green and Mark Clayton).

Is it true that Stallworth played in the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement in 1983? He only played in 4 regular season games, plus the playoff game against the Raiders where he scored in along TD reception.

[74_75_78_79_]

And what about John Stallworth being healthy in 1983? He had a great season the following year (he was All-Pro according to Dr. Z among very strong WR performances by Art Monk, Roy Green and Mark Clayton).

Is it true that Stallworth played in the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement in 1983? He only played in 4 regular season games, plus the playoff game against the Raiders where he scored in along TD reception.

Well that's another one! And I also thought about the Gabe Rivera already coming into his own as a rookie 'what-if' but felt that simply having Terry 100% and healthy all-year was good enough for a hypo-home-field-advantage in '83. Even with those two others also playing the whole season, however, still can't put them - at home - over the Raiders. Again, they were simply a juggernaut in disguise of a just plain 'great' 12-4 team; and with plenty of that Raider Mystique still around to boot. And Washington, with their secondary and special-teams Achilles-heels; not so sure a 100% Steeler squad stops them either.

Yes, it doesn't matter if Steelers weren't going to win-it-all anyway. It's always SB-win-or-bust each year for, this here, Steeler-fan; but not just Terry but even the other '70s holdovers still around returning to the AFCC, and in front of the excited home-fans, just one last time would have been so much better than the no-Terry-at-all, 9-2 paper-tiger tease of '83 that actually did happen.

Stallworth as a backup in the '83 Pro Bowl? Don't know anything of that. I think Louis Lipps helped to extend JS's career as well as JS himself helping Lipps better launch his.

[JWL]

Is it true that Stallworth played in the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement in 1983?

That question was answered one time but I am not sure if it was done at this current forum or the previous one. I don't quite recall the answer. I think an error was made in an encyclopedia or Record & Fact Book. The error went undetected and then the info became "fact." Umm, or something. A good search at this forum may reveal the answer, but if the information was provided at the prior forum, then whoever supplied that info will have to chime in again here.

[paulksandiego]

Stallworth was a reserve in the Pro Bowl for the 1982 season. The game was played in '83. That's where the snafu comes from. He was named a reserve-didn't replace anyone.

[Gary Najman]

Stallworth was a reserve in the Pro Bowl for the 1982 season. The game was played in '83. That's where the snafu comes from. He was named a reserve-didn't replace anyone.

Well, even in his PFHOF biography it is written that he went to the Pro Bowl also after the 1983 season.

http://www.profootballhof.com/players/j ... biography/

Reading the Pro Bowl gamebook, however, we can see that the four WRs from the AFC who played in that Pro Bowl were Cris Collinsworth and Carlos Carson as starters, plus Mark Duper and Wes Chandler as backups.

http://www.nflgsis.com/1983/Post/04/54788/Gamebook.pdf

[paulksandiego]

Let the HOF know that they got it wrong.