Steelers - The 1930's (1933-1939)

And today we kick off a series of posts that should take us through the off season and get us to preseason. Assuming we'll be having the latter somehwere near it's usual time. Hopefully you'll find some interesting stuff and get a better understanding of how fortunate we are as Steelers fans. It's a bit grim through the sixties. But starting with 1970, I'll break this down into five year blocks. The numbers are really impressive. The posts will vary in length, but I can assure you a lot of research went into the numbers and the stories. So....here we go!

Steelers – The 1930’s (1933-1939)

On July 8, 1933, the Pittsburgh Pirates were born: No, not those Pirates. This was an NFL franchise, founded by Art Rooney and playing home games at Forbes Field. Yes, the Forbes Field that was home to the baseball Pirates. In fact, both franchises would play at Forbes from 1933 through 1957. The Steelers split their home games between Forbes and Pitt Stadium from 1958 to 1963 before abandoning the baseball stadium altogether.

Tag Line – Pro football comes to Pittsburgh

16-49-1 (.242 pct)

Winning Seasons: 0/7

.500 Seasons: 1/7

Playoffs: 0 seasons

The people of Pittsburgh had professional football; albeit, bad football. The 1936 team managed to go 6-6 under Charlie Bach. This high water mark was the only non-losing season of the decade. But when the team lost the season finale to the Boston Redskins, Art Rooney fired Bach.

THE WHIZZER – Other than playing their first game (a 3-22 loss to the Giants), the thirties were pretty much a wash. However, one notable event did occur. Byron ‘Whizzer’ White was an All-American halfback for the University of Colorado. Coming off a 1-7 season (real momentum builder after that .500 year), the Pirates signed White to the biggest contract in the history of the sport ($15,800). He paid immediate dividends, leading the league in rushing and giving Pittsburgh football fans a rare gift: something to cheer about.

White was a Rhodes Scholar but had put his education on hold to play for the Pirates. After one season he went off to Oxford and returned to the NFL for the 1940 season: as a Detroit Lion. He led the league in rushing, played one more season, went into service for World War II, graduated from law school after the war and ended up as a Supreme Court Justice. The Pirates/Steelers are a footnote in the story of one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable men. Of course, it was also a kick in the teeth, which summed up the Steelers’ fan experience for decades.

JOHNNY MCNALLY – Nicknamed ‘Blood’ because he played for Notre Dame on Saturdays under his real name, and for pro teams on Sunday as Johnny Blood, McNally was a hard-drinking, hard-partying halfback and head coach. He won six games in almost three full seasons in charge. To give you an idea of how different the game was back then, he was the team’s leading passer in1937: 10 completions for 168 yards. Passing was unmanly in the thirties. McNally is in the Hall of Fame, but for his earlier work, not his Steeler accomplishments.

SUMMARY – 1933-1939 was exciting in that Pittsburgh received a franchise in the still young and developing (read: struggling) National Football League. The Pirates were simply bad. They were coached for two-plus seasons by future Hall of Fame running back Johnny ‘Blood’ McNally. He was succeeded by another Hall of Famer, Walt Kiesling (who had three stints as head coach). Unfortunately, neither man won very many games.

TRIVIA – The common belief about the founding of the Steelers is really a myth. Legend says that Art Rooney had a particularly good day at the Saratoga horse track and used his winnings to buy the NFL franchise. That’s not true, as it happened several years after he obtained the franchise (for a buy-in of $2,500!), although it is generally agreed that he helped keep the team afloat in the lean years with his gambling earnings.

Steelers -The Pittsburgh Iron Men (1940s)

After a 2-7-2 season in 1940 (the first playing as the Steelers, rather than the Pirates), Alex Thompson, a wealthy financier, offered to buy the Pittsburgh franchise for $160,000. That was a lot of money: especially if you consider that Art Rooney had gotten the team for only $2,500 seven years earlier. Thompson made it very clear that he was going to move the team to Boston after the sale.

Now, future NFL Commissioner Bert Bell had bought the dormant Frankford Yellow Jackets (also for $2,500. Talk about an investment that appreciated in value!) and renamed them the Philadelphia Eagles the same year that Art Rooney got the Steelers and the two were close friends. Rooney did not want to sell the Steelers and leave Pittsburgh without a team. So, he and Bell decided to turn the Eagles into the ‘Keystoners’ and make them Pennsylvania’s team. They would play half of their home games in Philly and half in Pittsburgh. No, I am not making this up!

The NFL actually approved the sale, but a group of team owners, led by racist bigot (I know that’s double-stating, but it’s fitting for the man) George Preston Marshall, owner of the Redskins, blocked the move. Co-founder of the Boston Braves, he had moved them to Washington after five seasons, having renamed them the Redskins a few years earlier (the Braves were also the town's major league baseball team). Marshall did not want the competition of a Boston team: nor did he want Rooney and Bell to essentially be united owners of an entire state and fan base.

So, things weren’t working out for Thompson, Rooney or Bell. But Art Rooney was a bright and slick fellow. Rooney and Bell convinced Thompson to take the Philadelphia Eagles, which he did. Bell was having serious financial problems with the team, so this worked to his advantage. The two friends then became co-owners of the Steelers (actually, they received the Pittsburgh Iron Men in return. Thompson had renamed the team after being blocked from Boston. Rooney quickly threw out the name and went back to the Steelers). Bell coached two games in 1941 (losing both) and was one of three that the Steelers had that odd year.

Rooney eventually regained sole ownership of the team but the two remained close through Bell’s commissionership. All of this happened during one off-season. Imagine something like this going on today.

I Bought Dice!

I played tabletop Dungeons and Dragons back when I was in grade school. I played off and on into grad school. I don't remember playing after that, although I was pretty deep into PC RPGs by then. I tore through the SSI gold box games back then. I think my first computer RPG was Temple of Apshai on an old Atari 1200 XL.

But last year, I decided to give tabletop role playing a try again. Things had changed a bit since playing AD&D, I discovered. I dug into things a bit and settled on learning the Pathfinder system.

I hope to be starting up a skype-driven game in a few months. We'll have players from three different states on-line to play.

This week, I went to a local gaming store and bought dice. Not the ones below, but a bunch, ranging from four sided to twenty sided. I had given my old ones away many years ago.

It's kinda cool to have D&D dice again (even though we're not actually playing D&D). I'll be GMing four players and I think all of us have virtual dice rolling apps/programs, but there's something about tossing an actual 20 sided die on a table.

Hopefully we're only a week or two away from rolling up characters. We'll see how it goes, as none of us have played in about twenty years.

Defenses: more than the numbers

On the one hand, most of the pre-SB talk seems to be about Ben vs. Rodgers. But these two teams are built on defense.

On the other hand, they played just last season and it was a crazy, 37-36 shootout that Pittsburgh won on a long pass on the game's final play.

Both teams have better defenses' this year.

DEFENSIVE STATS

Points Per Game
1 - Steelers 14.5
2 - Packers 15.0

Total Defense
2 - Steelers (276.8 ypg)
5 - Packers (309.1 ypg)

Passing YPG
5 - Packers (194.2)
12 - Steelers (214.1)

Rushing YPG
1 - Steelers (62.8)
18 -Packers (114.9)

The Packers score 24.2 points per game: the Steelers, 23.4. The Packers threw for about 20 yards more per game. The Steelers ran for about 20 yards more per game.

You have to go beyond the numbers for this game.

Can the Packers O-line hold off the Steelers and give Rodgers time? Pittsburgh had 47 sacks and Rodgers is not very mobile in the pocket. Knock him silly (he's been concussed twice this year) and Matt Foley (formerly of Boston College) comes in.

Can the Steelers patchwork line (Pouncey is doubtful) keep the Packers at bay? Green Bay had 4 sacks, but no QB in the NFL is better at keeping plays alive than Ben.

Can the Packers receivers (five guys caught between 43 and 76 passes. Gregg Jennings is the only downfield threat) get open on Taylor, McFadden (probable to play) and Gay? Clark will have more opportunity to cover since he isn't going to be needed much in the run game.

Charles Woodson was Defensive Player of the Year last year. He and Tramon Williams are regarded as much better corners than the Steelers' guys. But on any play, Ben can go to Wallace, Ward, Brown, Saunders and Miller. And lately, Mendenhall. That's a lot of coverage needed. After you're certain it's not a run play.

Pittsburgh can run the ball. Green Bay can't (and won't against Pittsburgh).

Both defenses are very good. But Green Bay doesn't have as many big play guys. If the D keeps Rodgers from breaking out, they're done on offense. If Ben has a decent game (think Cardinals, not Seahawks), the Steelers have more weapons than the Packer defense can handle. Mendenhall will likely get a lot of work over the first three quarters as they try to slow down the linebackers. And if play action pass is working, Ward and Miller will get open underneath. And a safety needs to give help on Wallace's deep routes.

Green Bay doesn't run well, so the Steelers' #1 strength (run D) doesn't matter too much. But knowing that, the D can scheme more to stop Rodgers. The Packer D will have to respect Mendenhall while accounting for Ben's playmaking to a variety of receivers.

Again, I feel good about this matchup. The idea the Packers are this high-flying offense is a bit of a misconception. They tore apart Atlanta, but they only managed 21 against Chicago. I think the idea that Rodgers can throw for 350 yards and put up 30 points is wrong. And if it comes down to the fourth quarter, Ben has the experience; in the Super Bowl.

On D, I think Troy makes a big play or two and Lawrence Timmons has a monster game. On O, it's Ben.

HERE WE GO STEELRS!!!!

How about those Jets? HA HA HA

The culture of Jerkdom dominates the NY Jets under Rex Ryan. Damon Hack over at CNNBsi.com had a short piece on them yesterday:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/damon_hack/12/15/jets-woes/index.html?eref=sihp

A big difference between the Jets and Steelers; Pittsburgh knows they belong. They show up, play hard and take care of business.

Rex and the Jets are obnoxious blowhards. Thay talked during Hard Knocks and during the season. He was making sarcastic comments about the Pats being the best team just before their game. But they're like big bullies. The Pats simply punched them in the nose and beat them up. Then the Dolphins stood up to them. Jets crumbled like sissies.

New York is a teenager, strutting around, looking cocky and talking loud; wanting to play with the grownups. And the Steelers and Patriots are the adults. They just work and win.

I hate Rex Ryan and love that they're falling apart. Smoking cigars after beating Cleveland. What doofus'. I hope they stink up Pittsburgh and Chicago the next two weekends.

GO STEELERS

As God is my witness...

I happen to think that the training day episode of the British "The Office" is the funniest television moment ever. But before that, for a long time (and the current #2) my favorite was the 'Turkey Drop' episode of WKRP in Cincinnati. Absolutely hilarious.

If you haven't seen it, go find a copy of the whole episode. Here's a 30 second mashup.



Have a great thanksgiving and don't forget what the holiday is for. Praise the Lord.

VOTE!!

The apathy of Americans towards voting is both sad and disgusting. There is no privilege that Americans should cherish more than the right to select their representatives at all levels of government. Take a little time out of your day and go to the polls and cast your vote today.

And if you don't vote, then keep your opinions and comments to yourself for the next year. If you don't care enough to vote, I don't care enough about what you think to listen to you.