First, can you let us know about your path to becoming a coach – how did you become QB coach of Steelers – who asked and how did it start?

Well, I spent sixteen years as a player. It was in my seventeenth year. I retired then went back to New York when I was 39. I was playing behind Joe Namath and he was doing pretty well physically – he was fit at that point. He was going to play the whole year so I retired.

They told me to go home – back then they could call you back from retirement, but that never happened. I didn’t care anyway, I had other businesses – a golf course and other things and was working at that.

So I took that year off. The next year I ran into Chuck Noll at the Super Bowl in Miami. Chuck asked me how it was going and I told him I wasn’t doing much. He said he wanted to talk to me and had me come to Pittsburgh. We watched film for three hours and he asked me what was wrong with his offense. I told him they didn’t throw enough short passes – they threw deep passes all of the time. After that he told me he wanted to hire me. I told him I could only do six months a year – I had to get back to my other things at home. He said that was fine, and he hired me.

 

What coaching lessons helped you as a coach and was it hard to adapt to being a coach versus a player?

It would have been harder if I didn’t play for guys like Bear Bryant. He was the best teacher, I had two great coaches in Kentucky. We went over all of the techniques to play quarterback – every step and detail. I was a single-wing fullback in high school. I had to learn all of that. Going from fullback to quarterback – that’s where I learned my trade. Ermal Allen was my quarterback coach there in Kentucky – he went on to Dallas. Bear was the strategist. We’d simulate football games – I was in his office for three years every day starting as a sophomore. We weren’t allowed allowed to play as freshmen then.

I’d meet with Bear every day on playcalling – I learned that from him. We called our own plays then – I never had a delay of game penalty called on me because of him. I had those good teachers and I copied them when I started teaching Bradshaw and the other quarterbacks. I used their strategies and teachings. And Bradshaw was as green as he could be then.

As an accomplished, Pro Bowl QB in NFL – was it hard transitioning to being a coach from a player?

It was tough – you definitely go through withdrawal. It is tough. One way I withdrew from the game was through coaching. A lot have to do it and they don’t coach – they have to divorce themselves completely from the game and that’s a hard thing to do.

How did you work on each of the guys – what were the things each guy worked on most?

Bradshaw was the main guy. Hanratty – I think he could have been a good player for the team – he could have played, but Bradshaw was the number one pick. Bob Leahy knew he was a backup.

Bradshaw needed help reading defenses. He needed help with his ball handling and faking. And how to read defenses on his way back from center. There was no shotgun then – you don’t see guys under center anymore. It’s a lost art today. Now the game is like flag football.

So yeah, Bradshaw needed help with his reads and progressions. Hanratty was further along as far as being reading defenses. He didn’t have an arm like Bradshaw though. He could throw the ball, don’t get me wrong. But he didn’t have an arm like Bradshaw’s.

How did Terry, Terry and Joe handle having a new QB coach – where they resistant, especially with a guy just fresh out of the game?

Bradshaw’s comment to me was that, with me having sixteen years in the game, that I had seen it all. He was a great pupil. He listened well and took instruction.  Hanratty was just further along because he played big time football at Notre Dame. Bradshaw – he played at Louisiana Tech and was more like Brett Favre. He liked to sling it. He needed more touch on his short passes.

How closely did you work with Chuck Noll – what did he ask of you as you worked with them?

Chuck wanted me to groom Bradshaw. To tell you the truth, they didn’t know a lot about the passing game when I got there. I played with Chuck in Cleveland. The running game was used to set up the passing game – the opposite of today. Even as a player, Chuck was smart. He wasn’t real big but he was always where he was supposed to be. He played offensive guard and linebacker – he played two ways.

How did the quarterbacks handle their roles?

Hanratty was an outgoing guy with the players. Bradshaw was so uptight and hyper. Hanratty was a happy-go-lucky guy and players loved him for that.

Bradshaw was so uptight we had to hypnotize him three times. Lou Riecke – the weight lifting coach – would room with me sometimes at the hotel for a couple of days. He knew hypnosis and hypnotized Bradshaw the night before the game for three games. That helped him to relax. We’d tell him to relax and be calm….it actually helped him. If I see him again I will tell him that we never actually brought him out of it. He went from being quiet and not outgoing to the opposite now. He’s done a great job – everyone loves him now!

How else did you help those guys?

I used to take them out for beers. Especially Bradshaw – to help him relax. It was a serious business. I had a deal going with Chuck Noll. He was the bad guy and I was the good guy. I told Chuck that it made it easier for me. He’d yell at Bradshaw a lot. That bothered Bradshaw – he’d scream at Bradshaw to get ready and on the field when we were going over techniques.

Why was he so upset at Bradshaw?

It was all planned but it went too far sometimes – it got on Bradshaw. Chuck was hard on him. I got Bradshaw in his second year, but his first year he wasn’t good. He only completed about 38% of his passes his first year – and that went up to over 50% his second.

How did that compare with Hanratty and how did you try to help that situation?

Hanratty was more mature. Bradshaw was just more immature then and so shy. I was too when I started. Back then coaches coached with fear. I tried to communicate more. Chuck learned a lot from Paul Brown on organization – he didn’t use fear though. He would needle you and make you feel lousy. There wasn’t a lot of communication then like there is today with guys like Pete Carroll – a real player’s coach.

How much did you interact with the Rooneys then?

The Rooneys were the best. I remember the old man – he used to being cigars into my office and we’d smoke them together. Chuck couldn’t stand the smoke. I got Bradshaw to smoke the cigars too and we’d all sit in the quarterback meetings smoking them. I asked Chuck if the smoke was bothering him. His eyes would be watering but he said no – he knew Rooney brought us the cigars. But he went out and got a big fan and put it in the room to blow away the smoke!

Any funny experiences you can relate as a player or coach?

When I was with the Jets I was the backup punter. Some of the guys once asked me to punt a few across the field. I kicked the first one into the stands – a mile away. They wanted me to do it again so I asked for another ball, but had to wait for them to get the ball from the stands and bring it back. I knew something was up – they put helium in it! That’s why I had to wait to get the ball back.

I was also the holder for kicker Jim Turner. In Miami, practicing before the Super Bowl, we only had three balls for kicking. I hit one into the stands – people hadn’t come in yet for the game – it was still early. But there was one guy there and he got the ball. I asked for it back and he said no, so I promised him to give him one after the game, and he gave it to me. Well, after the game it was crazy – there was no way to find him. Over twenty years later, I’m giving a talk in Concord, Massachusetts and a man in the audience said “Hey – you owe me a football!”

Did you give him one?

I had to go out and find one for him!

Another story – when I played for the Patriots their owner was very frugal. We’d practice at high schools – with locker rooms that had just one shower with two three shower heads – and only two of those worked. We had to wait for showers…

Well, I got athletes foot and told the trainer I needed medicine. He said to go get it and charge the $15 to the Patriots. Well, two weeks later I’m called into the office by the general manager – he asked what the bill was and told me they couldn’t pay for it. A week later, I went in and told him that I needed a $10,000 raise or I’d retire. He said ok – just like that…

What do you think of the players and game today?

It’s much harder I think for coaches today because of all of the money the players make. You need discipline. Guys like Bill Belichick are good in that area. I worked with him in Denver when he was the film guy there. He was a sourpuss. He went over the offensive film with me. He wanted to coach badly then – he earned his spurs. But he was a grouch…

The Steelers were my first job as a coach. I spent six months there for three years and it was a good experience – I learned a lot. After that I coached in the AFL – I liked coaching there – they guys didn’t get paid much. They loved to play and if you fined them $15, they’d cry!

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