Classroom Classic: Steel Curtain vs. the greatest offensive line

The heart and soul of the Steelers' dynasty in the 1970s was undoubtedly the Steel Curtain, the line that wreaked havoc upon opposing offenses and led what was the greatest NFL defense ever assembled.

Dwight White and L.C. Greenwood would prevent the opposing offensive lines from sealing anyone to the inside and creating better chances at gaining yards outside the tackles, while also terrorizing quarterbacks on passing downs. Ernie Holmes was the rowdiest of the bunch and possibly the strongest, as he would bulldoze offensive linemen and set the tone in games with huge hits. And the undisputed leader and face for this group was Joe Greene, the first draft selection of Chuck Noll when he took over coaching duties in 1969.

While we all know now how legendary this group was back in 1974, where our classroom study takes us, they were just a bunch of young athletes looking to prove to the world that the Steelers could be winners.

This was the AFC Championship Game against the archnemesis Raiders, a team that had beaten them both earlier that season and eliminated them in the 1973 playoffs, these serving as retribution for the Steelers' defeating them in the 1972 playoffs with the Immaculate Reception.

The Steelers' defense needed to come up big and was facing an offense that punished opponents with Ken Stabler, Cliff Branch, Fred Biletnikoff and Dave Casper, all of whom, save for Branch, are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But the Oakland offense's true power came from what was arguably the greatest offensive line assembled. The right guard, George Buehler, and right tackle, John Vella, were decent role players, but the line was built on three Hall of Famers: Jim Otto played center and stood next to Gene Upshaw, a man who some view as the greatest guard in history, with Art Shell at left tackle.

This group clashing with the Steel Curtain would determine who would go to the Super Bowl and face the Vikings in a showdown that also would lead to how the decade would be defined:



SHUTTING DOWN THE RUN

The Raiders totaled 2,469 rushing yards coming into the game, including against prominent defenses like the Steelers earlier in the season and the Dolphins in the playoffs. They averaged 165 rushing yards per game, and their lowest output was 119.

But when they met the Steelers in this playoff game, things were very different. Greene and Holmes packed the middle and made sure nobody would run their way.

Watch how those two stymie the Oakland line and never let them change the line of scrimmage:



Their effort prevents the running back from ever being able to find a hole and Greene somehow finds a way to fight through being double-teamed by Buehler and Otto to make the tackle.

But even when they weren't the tackles, this unit was overpowering the offense right into the very capable hands of the rest of the Steelers' defense.

Watch below to see how much disruption Greene causes in the middle, and then watch how the man to his left, Greenwood, makes a block-shed seem effortless as he forces the running back out wide into the grasp of safety Mike Wagner:



This was complete domination on the part of the Steelers. Time after time, the Raiders tried to go to their ever-reliable ground game and they never got into a rhythm that could get their offense on a consistent path. That running game that averaged almost 165 yards per game was held to 29 on 21 carries.

GREENE MONSTER

In the middle of all that domination was Greene being a complete wrecking ball on the middle of Oakland's offensive line. Watch how he splits this double-team and tosses down Otto on his way to sack Stabler:



It's as if Otto didn't belong in Greene's league. Even Upshaw tried to pitch in and help stop Greene, but three men on what was arguably the greatest offensive line in history weren't enough on this day to stop Mean Joe. Greene knew how to torque his body just enough to maximize his insane strength, and he played every down to destroy his opponents.

Such a failure on Oakland's part, to need two men to accomplish one job, can completely cripple an offense's effort.

TOO MUCH HEAT

It wasn't just Greene who brought the heat on Stabler. He would be joined by Greenwood, who would also register a sack, and they would put Stabler on the run for most of the day. When Stabler didn't try to scramble, he would attempt to make a play with the ball and, through that, doom the Raiders.

At the point of the play below, the score was 10-10 in the fourth quarter despite Stabler throwing two interceptions. This was the first nail in the Raiders' coffin came, when Stabler panicked with pressure burning down his face for his third interception, the second by Jack Ham:



The interception would set up the Steelers' second touchdown, when Terry Bradshaw would hit Lynn Swann in the end zone. They would add one more to finish with a 24-13 victory in the Raiders' home stadium.

Games like this were a huge part of the Steel Curtain legend. The defensive line not only stood up to, but completely decimated a unit that was widely respected then and still revered now. And they would do the same to the Vikings' offense. Greenwood was a nightmare for Fran Tarkenton, and White scored the game's first points on a safety.

The Steelers continued on this path for six years, winning four Super Bowls. They would even beat the Raiders for a third time in the playoffs in the following season of 1975 on their way to a second straight crown.

The defense's status grew, as well, but what's truly odd is how few of them got the same recognition that was granted in spades to the Raiders' offense. Alone, the Raiders' offense from the above game has six Hall of Famers. The Steelers' defense has four: Greene, Ham, Jack Lambert and Mel Blount.

When people talk about what teams were the best of all time and they refer to simple statistics or records that were set, they overlook the real opposition they faced. The Steelers facing the Raiders time and time again in the 1970's showed they could take down a giant on multiple occasions. They would also beat legendary team like Bud Grant's Vikings and the purple people eaters, teams like the Dolphins and Don Shula's no name defense as well as the Tom Landry and his Cowboys.

Many of these teams could have been known as the team of the decade, but it was the Steelers who reigned supreme. The thanks should go to the dominant defensive line in many of these cases as they would rip apart what opponents were trying to do before it could even get started.

That was a lesson the Raiders would learn the hard way. Over a span of four consecutive seasons, the Steelers would win three playoff games over the Raiders and two Super Bowls on the way. This got in the heads of the Raiders' so much to the point that they included the score to their 1976 playoff victory over the Steelers on the ring they received for winning Super Bowl XI instead of acknowledging their victory over the Vikings like most teams did.

That's how badly Greene and his curtain dominated this team. Even when the Raiders would gain the physical upper hand and bragging rights for a year, they still had the Steelers on their mind, forcing them to find some way to exorcise the demon which had been in their way for so long.

Today, people point back at the bigger offensive plays of the Super Bowls like Swann's amazing Super Bowl X receptions or John Stallworth's reverse shoulder touchdown in Super Bowl XIV. But it's days like these that built the legend of the steel curtain into what it's known as today.