What if the Super '70s Pittsburgh Steelers Had a Salary Cap?

"So Chuck, " Art Rooney said through a cloud of cigar smoke. "Who do we keep: Lambert or Ham?"

The small room deep in the Pittsburgh Steelers complex was silent as the smoke softly swirled around the ceiling and the solemn Steeler brain trust tried to make the painful decisions needed to bring their squad under the NFL's salary cap.

It was the day after Christmas 1977 and for the second year in a row the Steelers had been sent packing from the playoffs early.

This year the Denver Broncos beat them 34-21 on Christmas Eve in front of a riotous Mile High crowd.

The year before the hated Oakland Raiders had beaten the injury ravaged Steelers 24-7.

The back to back Super Bowls seemed long ago and now they were headed to salary cap hell.

"Both damn it. Chief, I want both." Chuck Noll looked tired. "How do you choose?"

"Have a drink Chuck and we'll talk." Dan Rooney pushed a double shot of scotch towards his coach and sat down and sighed. "Damn I wish we had a shot at Dallas this year...we are built to beat Dallas."

"Morton's never gonna beat Landry. You can bet on that." The Chief, Art, puffed slowly on his cigar. "Take that one to the bank. Down to brass tacks though boys we are way over the salary cap and some folks face a hard goodbye. Windows slam shut fast nowadays it ain't the game it used to be."

"God I hate to tear this team apart. We got a few more years in us. Our window is still wide open. If we get healthy and get a little damn luck..." Noll knocked back his scotch.

"God damn nutty Raiders and those Texas bastards spending all that damn oil  money tearing apart my team...damn them.."

Noll clenched and unclenched his fist thinking of the Raiders, the Oilers, and the Broncos. Damn Denver heading to his Super Bowl.

"So coach who do you keep? We signed Bradshaw, Franco, and Stallworth to long term deals and your triplets ate up a lot of cash. We can't keep everybody. The Raiders have that big offer on the table for Joe Greene and, damn I hate to say this, but I don't think we can match it.

"And Mean Joe, I love him, but his tires are getting some wear. Joe's over thirty but his knees are even older." Dan Rooney poured himself a shot. "I just don't know..."

"You asking me to let Joe Green go to the Raiders?" Noll rolled his eyes. "A Hall of fame player? The guy we built the defense, no the damn team around, go to the  damn Raiders? All because Al Davis is acting like an ass? I can't lose Joe.

"Hell we already let the Oilers steal LC Greenwood. Rocky Bleier is going to the Packers. And Swann everybody knows soon as his contract is up he's heading to the West Coast." 

"Yeah Swannie wants to be a Hollywood star or Governor of California someday. We can't keep him that bird wants to fly. He wants to be a Ram." Art Rooney looked at the roof the smoke slowly being sucked up by the fan. Greenwood wanted too much money. It was Greenwood or White you picked White."

"And the damn Raiders threw all that money at Blount. We had to keep Blount. He's shuts down half the field." Art Rooney scribbled some notes. "Fats Holmes is going too he become too much of a damn pain in the ass. And he's overweight but still wants a new contract."

"So you want to let Joe Green go and Fats? Whose gonna play tackle? And how do you pick between Lambert and Ham?" Noll light a cigarette. "And what about Webster?"

"Look we keep who we can keep. Blount isn't getting any younger and the bump rules aren't gonna do him any favors. We got the Cole kid we can bump around at linebacker and, I hate to say it, but Ham's been getting nicked up. Banged around.

"He's older then Lambert. I mean we keep Lambert it plugs a hole in the middle even if Greene goes. Then we wrap up Webster and maybe Wagner if the Bears don't grab him. And we are looking at Big John Dutton to fill in for Joe Greene."

"John Dutton for Joe Greene my ass." Noll knocked an ash from his smoke. "You can't replace a Joe Greene."

"The graveyards are full of irreplaceable men." The Chief said. "Everyone's time comes. Look we are doing our best but when the Dolphins made that silly offer to Wally Chambers the defensive tackle market went through the roof."

"Halas never would have matched that. But he still raged about it. Then Ditka, half drunk down in Dallas, made that remark in some bar room that the Papa Bear shouldn't plan to take it all with him. Told him to spend some of those man hole covers he tosses around like nickels." Art Rooney laughed. "Oh that pissed the old man off. He swears he'll never talk to Ditka again."

"Some folks can't adjust. Look at the Cardinals and the Colts. They just want money, they don't care about the fans. Why they stripped those clubs of all their talent. Jim Hart sent to Washington. Wehrli to the Raiders. Metcalf to the Seahawks.

"The Cardinals don't care about anything, next thing they will want out of town too." The Chief shook his head. "Strange times. And Halas isn't adjusting to it either. When he saw those Saint fans bragging that Walter Payton was going to be a Saint someday he raged and raged at them. "

"Halas will never pay Payton when his contracts up. Never." Art chuckled. "No way. Payton just might be a Saint..and maybe add a few years to Manning's career."

"And the Raiders how the hell do they have the money to sign Bert Jones, Wehrli, and go after Joe Greene? Somethings wrong here...." Noll face was red. "What's that maniac doing out there?"

"Shuffling money, he'll pay the piper eventually. Look he got mad at Stabler, Tatum, and Casper and sent them packing and that opened up some money." Dan paused. "How do you suppose the Snake likes New York?"

"I'm sure he loves the nightlife and hates the Giants offensive line." Art chuckled. "Al tried like hell to trade him to Green Bay but New York is cold enough."

"Still bert Jones got a cannon for an arm and they got Branch. And the rumor is Lydell Mitchell wants out of Philadelphia and Oakland wants him." Noll said  "How the hell do we compete? The Raiders are loading up and we are losing everyone."

"We do the best we can Chuck, We build through the draft. Young, fast, players. Sure Sometimes the old warriors go somewhere else for a big final contract. Its a fact of life in this game now. Its not the same game we grew up in..."

Art fired up another cigar. "Times change we dance to the tune. That's it. Look at Madden he got so frustrated by the cap he quit. And don't be surprised if Shula takes a college job soon. Bear Bryant isn't looking too damn well down in Alabama these days..."

"And don't worry about Mitchell playing for the Raiders. The Eagles just about ruined him and who doesn't want out of Philly. The Raiders would be stupid to sign him. But you know Al he likes the big splash. That's Al...And hell be damn proud we got two Super Bowls and just maybe, with a little luck and a hot quarterback, we can steal another one..."

"Look at least Ken Anderson is gone to San Francisco. Out of the division. Paul Brown pays less then we do...Next year the vultures will strip Denver and Dallas, that's the way it happens now. we do the best we can."

Noll shook his head.

The phone rang startling him. His nerves were shot with the Denver loss and this salary cap mess.

Dan Rooney, looking grim, spoke quietly into it.

"Your not gonna believe this the god damn Cleveland Browns just signed Jack Lambert to a massive contract. Those Brown bastards."

Noll swore smashed the table with his fist.

Art Rooney blew smoke and softly said.

"Looks like its Ham for us..."