Many think of success when they describe the history of the Steelers franchise as a whole. That success has not been as long lasting as many might presume. They have been in different playoff hunts and seasons of struggles in the past. They have been blessed with two Hall of Fame caliber quarterbacks throughout their 90 years of operation.
Terry Bradshaw was the first franchise guy for the black and gold during the team’s historic dynasty in the 1970s. Between that time and when Pittsburgh drafted Ben Roethlisberger in 2004, there was a lot of turnover and bad play at the quarterback position. It is not easy to find a franchise guy, and many try to forget how hard it was to find a quality quarterback after Bradshaw retired.
Terry Bradshaw retires in 1984 after an elbow injury ended his career
In reality, Bradshaw's career ended early into the 1983 season after he suffered a crippling injury to his throwing elbow. It required surgery to fix, but it was never the same after that. He would have to retire that following summer since he could not get back to the level that he was once at. it left the team scrambling to find a replacement since the draft had already passed.
To add salt to the already fresh wound of the Steelers being without a legit quarterback in 1984, Dan Marino could have been drafted that offseason leading into that year. The club wanted to try and build their defense to allow Bradshaw to lead the offense allegedly. They passed on Marino and Bradshaw retired a couple of months later.