70's Steelers vs 90's Cowboys

I'm sure everyone at some point has wondered about certain great teams from different eras playing eachother. Well today my friend at work that is a Cowboys fan told me that he thinks the 90's Cowboys would destroy the 70's Steelers. I know there is NO WAY to ever see this play out but I took the side of our boys! I even said the 70s Steelers would beat the 05 and 08 Steelers! He was saying "well athletes are so much bigger and faster today and there's no way they'd be able to stop them". So I said "yeah but back then they played really fundamental TEAM football and that has to count for something." So then I said that if you matchup the players you would have to say that the Steelers had mostly a stronger roster. I said do you think Harper and Irvin were a better tandem than Swann and Stallworth? He said no. I said do you think Deion and Larry Brown were better than Donny Shell and Mel Blount? He said no. I said do you think the Cowboys D line was better than the Steel Curtain? He said yes. I said do you think Aikman was better than Bradshaw? He said yes. I conceded that Emmitt was better than Franco. But Rocky and Franco might've been a better TANDEM than Emmitt and Moose. I mean in a single season they both rushed for a 1,000 right? So I asked him if Johnson was a better coach than Noll. He said yes. I asked if Jones was a better owner than the Chief. He laughed and didn't even have to answer. He's not TOTALLY stupid. LOL. I know the Cowboys had a beefy o line but we had a Hall of Fame center but I guess you'd have to say they had a better o line. But am I just a homer or did I represent our guys pretty well? I mean even if they WOULD beat us I would NEVER tell him that. LOL. So who would you guys pick in a head to head matchup? BTW ANOTHER Cowgirls fan came over and they BOTH piled on and I STILL held my own! That's pretty impressive huh? LOL.

 

well I figure if they can not score they can not win ..... Steelers 13- zip OLDSKOOL style

 

I would think that the '90s team would beat the '70s up/down and six ways to Sunday.

If you don't agree, I ask you this. The Otto Graham Cleve Browns of the '40s and '50s went to 10 straight championship games.
Why wouldn't they beat out the counterparts of the '70s????

Maybe because they were shrimps and slugs compared to the counterparts 20ys in the future.

 

the era's where different I will grant you that but there is no making up for pure mean n nasty and a mindset of anything less than victory is unacceptable and in the big games of the 70s steelers that was the way it was ...

no way in hell Michael Irvin makes a catch vs Mel .... no way Emmit has a big day vs that front 7 , leaving Aikman to win it all by himself from the seat of his pants .. I can't see it happening ...But I could see Swann making plays , I could see Stallworth making them too , Franco would be Franco ( he always was ) ....

 

And if I sneered back, that Otto Graham would pick the Steel current apart, that they would have not answer for Marion Motley, and that Mel never covered a guy like Mac Speedie, you be rolling on the floor laughing at the thought of grandpa's team beating the SUPER STEELERS!

 

well I usually do not comment on or about guys I never had the pleasure of watching play ( other than the odd clip now and again ) but that meanness I spoke of with the 70s steelers would still be an issue of the ages to deal with IMO and in this game you suggest not only would they be meaner but also bigger ...seemingly that would indicate a double advantage and anything Aikman would have had to deal with would probably go double for Graham .... just a hunch

 

I do remember something like that being on ESPN Classic. They somehow would show teams from different eras playing eachother. I don't remember how they did it but I do remember they would do it.

 

The Otto guys weren't in the modern era. Both of these teams I suppose are considered modern. But if you really think about it the 78 Steelers were not THAT much before the early 90's Cowboys. I mean Brett Favre played against guys that were 15 years his junior and fared rather well. But just as a question I would ask you this. Do you think that they had a more talented roster than we did? I suppose basically what I am asking you is what I was asking him. What say you?

 

check the HOF. that should answer your question.

 

That is EXACTLY what I told him. He said "well they'll have more guys in over time". The other Cowboy fan said "you Steeler fans think you know everything!" Steelers fans don't know EVERYthing. We just know more than EVERYone else.

 

The early 90s weren't that far removed from the late 70s. So the 90s Cowboys/70s Steelers would be close, but I'd probably give it to the Cowboys.

It was really the free agency era that kicked off the super (sized) athlete. It was then that the NFL became a full time, year round job allowing the atletes to become what they are today. Todays teams would maul the teams of the 70s. This 2012 version of the Steelers would crush the SB teams of the 70s. The size difference in the trenches would be overwhelming to the 70s guys. Ham and Lambert (each in the 220s) wouldn't stand a chance against Dwyer and Redman. Ben would have Brady like time to throw and Bradshaw would be brutalized. Harrison would destroy that o line. He'd be unstoppable.

 

That's funny that you say that because I actually told them that I think the 70s team was so great they would even beat our recent Super Bowl teams. I just think the fundamental style they went by then will never go out of style. Also size might be a little bit overrated. I mean there are playmakers in this league that are not necessarily "big" ya know? Isn't Sean Spence actually kind of a smaller type of a linebacker? Also Rainey is really a small guy. I just don't think there is a substitute for heart.

 

People they have had these computer simulations
of the greatest teams of all time. it wound up Steelers vs 49ers
and of course the Steelers won hands down. I have watched
football for 40 some odd years, I have never seen a more dominant team
than the Steelers of the early to mid seventies , yes you can call me a homer
whatever, but there was NEVER a team EVER assembled with as much
talent as those first 2 superbowl teams. Hell there were 8 HOF on those teams
EIGHT HOF. enough said.

 

The 90's Cowboys only barely beat the 90's Steelers...

 

4 > 3

 

Drug test the 90 cowgirls and the game is over. The 70s Steelers were NASTY.

 

mid 70's teams were loaded. they could play any way you wanted. long ball or 3 yards and a cloud of..... well carpet.....and a defense thar would muss you up. even ST's were good. erving would not over match mel blount. they were very good. i think the raiders from that era would beat the 90's cowpokes.

 

Actually I thought we had 9! Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Joe Greene, Mike Webster, Franco Harris, Terry Bradshaw, Lynn Swann, John Stallworth. Aren't all of them in? Maybe eventually Greenwood and Donnie Shell will get in too.

 

Sorry I may have been a little brash last night with the post, but let me try to visualize things a little bit. First off, the biggest difference between eras is in the play of the trenches. The size difference is immense between eras. Teams of different eras would simply be physically out matched in the trenches. The 78 Steelers, as great as they were against their peers and with as many HOFers as they have, would simply be overwhelmed by the size and strength of todays athlete.

The 78 Steelers starting O line:
LT Jon Kolb 6'2" 262 lbs
LG Sam Davis 6'1" 255 lbs
C Mike Webster 6'2" 255 lbs
RG Gerry Mullins 6'3" 244 lbs
RT Ray Pinney 6'4" 251 lbs

These guys would have the task of run blocking and pass protecting against:

The 2012 Steelers starting front 7
DE Brett Keisel 6'5" 285lbs
NT Casey Hampton 6'1" 320lbs
DE Cam Heyward 6'5" 288lbs
OLB James Harrison 6' 242 lbs
ILB Larry Foote 6' 234lbs
ILB Lawrence Timmons 6'1" 234 lbs
OLB Lamar Woodley 6'2" 266 lbs

Considering that during the 70s the Steelers O line went against defenses that were similar in size to:

The 1978 Steelers starting front 7:
LDE LC Greenwood 6'4" 262 lbs
LDT Joe Greene 6'4" 275 lbs
RDT John Banazak 6'3" 242lbs
RDE Dwight White 6'4" 255 lbs
OLB Loren Towes 6'3" 220 lbs
ILB Jack Lambert 6'4" 220 lbs
OLB Jack Ham 6'1" 225 lbs

The 2012 Steelers average starter on D weighs 267 pounds, the 78 version just 242. Joe Greene, who was considered a mammoth of a man in the 70s would be the only person who weighs more than the average starter on the 2012 team. Joe was considered a beast in his day and IMO is probably one of only 3 defensive starters on the 78 team (Mel Blount/Donnie Shell the others) who would even make the 53 man roster in 2012. Joe Greene would probably be a good DE in todays era, but would be outmatched as a DT. Remember, in the 70s he was used to going up against Offensive lines similar in size to the 78 Steelers starting O line which averaged a paltry 253 pounds. Today, as a DT he'd have to go against:

The 2012 Steelers starting O line:
LT Max Starks 6'8" 345 lbs
LG Willie Colon 6'3" 320 lbs
C Maurkice Pouncey 6'4" 305 lbs
RG David DeCastro 6'5" 316 lbs
RT Mike Adams 6'7" 323 lbs

Thats an average of 322 lbs. The 78 Steelers defensive line starters averaged 254 lbs and went against O lines similar to the 78 Steelers O line which averaged roughly the same. In todays game they'd be giving up nearly 80 lbs on average. Plain and simple, regardless of how many of them are in the HOF, they'd get blown off of the ball on running plays and would be useless at getting pressure on Roethlisberger. He'd have an eternity to pick apart the 78 Ds secondary.

Conversely, the 78 Steelers offensive line would be overwhelmed by todays defensive front 7. Sure they did well in their day going against defensive lines that were similar in size to the Steelers front 7, but they'd be facing a defensive line that averages nearly 300 lbs. Im pretty sure Casey Hampton, Cam Heyward and Brett Keisel would consistently and easily handle the entire O line starters leaving Woodley and Harrison to wreak absolute havoc on the backfield.

IMO the size difference is so great that heart and game planning and preparation wouldn't be enough to overcome it. And the results would be ugly. Not sure about the Cowboys of the early 90s, but Im guessing the size difference isn't as great and therefore the Steelers of the 70s would stand a decent chance. But again, Im going with the Cowboys here.

 

Well that Cowboys o line of the 90s was absolutely mammoth. I'm not sure exactly HOW big but probably along the lines of what he have now. I think that's why Aikman is in the Hall of Fame. I don't think he was some genius qb on par with Brady but he just had all day to stand back there and pick people apart and you know when you give a pro qb time he's gonna get the ball to his guys. I'm not saying Aikman totally sucked but I'm saying he sorta had a steel curtain of a o lline ya know? Ok scratch that. I can't give the girls the honor of being called that. He had a very good o line in front of him.

 

Heres another way to think about it.

In terms of size, the teams of the 70s on defense on average were about the average size of todays linebackers and defensive backs. Even the linemen. How do you think the current Steelers defense would fare if you removed Casey Hampton, Ziggy Hood, and Brett Kiesel, from the starting line up and replaced them with Jason Worilds, Stevenson Sylvester, and Brandon Johnson?

 

Yeah when I was looking at that list I thought about the fact that they were basically LB size by todays standards. Are there any teams in the league that have guys that are small on their line? But how about the skill players? Could Ike cover Stallworth or Swann? Could Woodley and the boys consistently stop Franco? Could Wallace or AB handle the physicality of Mel Blount and Donnie Shell? Jack Lambert said he considered Jack Ham the best LB to ever play the game. Could Mendy plow over him? Can Ben make all the throws and read the D like Bradshaw could? One of the girls fans was telling me Aikman was better than Bradshaw because Aikman was smarter but I told him that Bradshaw called his own plays. That counts for something I think. I think Ben is a guy that could've played in the 70s era just because I think he has the sort of toughness you HAD to have to make it then. It would be awesome to see Ben posterize Jack Tatum and Lester Hayes and George Atkinson.

 

IMO I don't think that there is as much difference between the skill guys across eras. Size wise, speed wise, skill wise, I think they're all close. I guess with todays year round focus on football and training todays guys are probably better athletes and are in better shape over longer periods of time. As a result, I think as a game wore on, todays players would be able to play at a high level longer. As far as the physicality of Blount and Shell, I don't think any modern player could handle that simply because they're not used to it. What those guys did is against the rules today. And I most certainly think that Mendy et al would nueter Lambert and Ham. Would they get run over? IDK, but it would probably be like a defensive back in todays game. Sure they're going to make their plays but they'll lose their share of battles too. I think Lambert and Ham would just simply get worn down quickly after getting hit by men much bigger than what they were used to.

Overall though, I think games are won and lost up front. And the guys up front may fare okay at first against bigger competition, but as a game went on, it would be simply too much for them to handle and they'd get worn down. As the game progressed, I think the modern guys would dominate.

It reminds me of my old HS. I went to Canon McMillan, we always stunk at football (and still do) but about 10 years ago they brought in a coach from Washington HS who was a legend. In a few years he had the team competitive to the point where they almost won their Quad A conference championship. It came down to the next to the last game of the year and we were playing against Upper St Clair, a perennial power, for the championship. The winner was going to be the Conf champ. Needless to say there was a lot of buzz about the game and a lot of alums went to the game (myself included) to show support. I remember at the beginning of the game when USCs offense and CMs defense took the field and the size difference was amazing. The USC O line was immense. The CM D line looked like a bunch of Jr High kids. Right there I knew it wasn't going to turn out well...and it didn't. I cant remember exactly, but CM put up a helluva fight and the USC was only up by 3 (I think) at half time. But after the half, USC just took control and blew them out. CM was just way too undersized and USC wore them down.

I'd imagine a game between NFL teams of different eras would play out similarly.