Steelers comment threads: seventies edition

Some of us have been blessed to have been part of arguably the two greatest eras of Pittsburgh Steelers football, the decade from 1969 to 1979 that produced four world championships and 2005 to the present that accounted for two more. Many others haven't because they are either too young or were otherwise engaged. What would it be like if fans with today's sensibilities as well as internet access could be along for the ride with the 70s Steelers? What would the comment threads look like for the milestones of that bygone era?

The hiring of Chuck Noll, 1969

"Who? Oh My God! Trust the Rooneys to never get anything right."

"Joe Paterno. They should have hired Paterno."

"SOS* (*Same Old Steelers)."

On drafting Joe Greene in the first round, 1969

"Who? Oh My God!"

"They had a chance to draft Terry Hanratty. What are those idiots thinking?"

"I hear he doesn't like to lift weights. The guy's gonna be a bum."

On the Steelers 1-13 record 1969

"Clearly Noll doesn't have it. He needs to be fired."

"Greene is always getting into fights. The man's a thug. We can probably get some lower round draft picks if we trade him now."

On retaining Rocky Bleier on the roster despite his being injured in Vietnam

"What is this a football team or the United Way? Are we into charity cases now?"

"Well, you know that Bleier went to Notre Dame 'wink, wink'. Those Catholics stick together."

"Same Old Steelers. This team's never going to win anything as long as the Rooneys are running things."

On not making the playoffs in 1970

"Fire Noll."

On not making the playoffs in 1971

"If he had a little better work ethic and didn't go home at five every evening and hit the wine cabinet maybe they would win the division."

"Do you see him just standing there on the sidelines? The man doesn't do anything. He doesn't know how to coach."

"Will someone please fire Chuck Noll? The man doesn't have it."

On drafting Franco Harris

"Trust the idiot Steelers to draft the wrong running back from Penn State."

On 1972's Divisional Championship

"Noll did it with Bill Austin's players."

"The jury's still out on Noll."

Second half open thread of the Immaculate Reception game

"Only six points in over three quarters. Fire (Offensive Coordinator) Moore."

(After Oakland quarterback Ken Stabler scrambles for a touchdown that makes the score 7-6 Raiders)

"Our defense sucks!"

"Fire (Defensive Coordinator) Bud Carson."

"They broke contain on the right side. I said they should have cut Andy Russell and that loud mouth Dwight White two years ago."

"That dumb SOB Bradshaw. Why did he throw the ball to Fuqua? Frenchy can't catch. He should have targeted Franco from the get."

"Oh, no. The ref's going to the phone. Pete Rozelle's gonna screw us."

Losing the 1972 AFC Championship Game with the big play being a fake punt

"They need to hang the special teams coach and Noll from the same lamp post in Market Square."

"Yeah, and then fire the corpses."

"Can't believe we lost to a team as lousy as the Dolphins" (The '72 Dolphins are the only team to go undefeated in league history)

On Ernie Holmes

"He's a thug. We should trade him for draft picks."

Losing the 1973 Divisional Playoff game

"Noll should be so fired."

"The Steelers are never going to win anything with Noll and Bradshaw."

1974 draft: Jack Lambert

"Skinny linebacker from Kent State? Well that was a wasted pick."

1974 draft: Mike Webster

"An undersized center. Another wasted pick."

1974 draft: John Stallworth

"Who? What the hell is an Alabama A & M?"

1974 regular season

"They're just starting Joe Gilliam because of that damn Rooney Rule." [Author's Note: Not invented yet]

"Cut Gilliam."

"Cut Bradshaw."

"Cut Hanrattty."

"Cut 'em all and run the single wing."

"Fire Noll, dammit."

Open thread first half 1974 AFC Championship Game

"Three points in the first half. Three damn points! Will someone shoot Moore (and Noll)."

Upon winning Super Bowl IX

"The jury's still out on Noll."

OJ Simpson rushes for 227 yards in 30-21 loss to Buffalo, second game of 1975 season

"Our defense sucks!"

"Fire him. Just fire him."

Commenter A: "Like I always said, the Steelers will never win a Super Bowl with Noll and Bradshaw."

Commenter B: "Wait a minute. They just won a Super Bowl with Noll and Bradshaw."

Commenter A: "Look, everyone's entitled to their opinion. Why are you picking on me? You're just a homer."

After Lynn Swann is concussed by Jack Tatum in the AFC Championship game

"Swann's a China Doll. You can't depend upon him for anything."

Open thread fourth quarter Super Bowl X

"Noll, you idiot!! Why are you going for it on fourth down?"

"Oh Lord, strike him dead. Please do what the Rooneys don't have the guts to do."

Upon winning Super Bowl X

"The jury's still out on Noll."

Starting the 1976 season 1-4

"Cut everyone you can cut. Fire everyone you can fire. Run the Rooneys out of town. Shoot the cat. Burn everything and put salt into the ground so nothing ever grows again."

"Mike Kruczek? What rock did he crawl out from under?"

"Why don't we trade Joe Greene for Randy White?"

(December) "I knew we had this all along. Go Steelers!"

Open thread fourth quarter 1976 Divisional Playoff Game

(After Franco is hurt) "Why was he still in the game when we have a three score lead? Fire Noll."

After losing the 1976 AFC Championship Game to the Raiders

"They failed. Hey, the standard is the standard. Don't get me wrong, Noll's a nice guy, but he just doesn't have it as a head coach."

After Noll is compelled to acknowledge during a legal proceeding that Mel Blount would be defined as being included in a group Noll defined as a "criminal element" in the league. Blount vowed to never play for Noll again.

"Blount is an ungrateful thug. But he's right about Noll though."

Steelers lose the 1977 Divisional Playoff Game to Denver

"Oh God, what are the Rooneys waiting for?"

Lead up to Super Bowl XIII, Steelers vs. Cowboys

Commenter C: "Dallas linebacker Thomas 'Hollywood' Henderson says that Terry Bradshaw couldn't spell 'CAT' if you spotted him the 'C' and the 'T'."

Commenter D: "And what's your point?"

After Pittsburgh takes a big fourth quarter lead, Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach leads a furious Cowboy rally that falls short

"Our defense sucks!"

"Do you think we could trade Bradshaw for Staubach?"

Chuck Noll becomes the first head coach in NFL history to win three Super Bowls

"As a coach he's alright, nothing special."

"The jury is still out on Noll."

In 1979 both the Steelers and Pirates win world championships earning Pittsburgh the title of City of Champions

"This is just the beginning babee! City of Champions. Pittsburgh rules!!"

Open thread Super Bowl XIV

"This isn't Roger Staubach here. This is Vince Ferragamo. We can't stop Vince Frickin' Ferragamo? Our defense sucks!"

"Fire (Defensive Coordinator) Woody Widenhofer."

"Swann's hurt again? China Doll."

Steelers become the first team to win four Super Bowls

"The jury is still out on Noll."

In 1980 the Steelers miss making the playoffs for the first time in nine years

"I told you Noll didn't have it."