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Welcome to OnQ magazine.

I'm Chris Moore, and we've got something a little different for you tonight.

Of course, you know the Steelers are headed to Detroit.

And you know they earned it.

The big game is a week away from Sunday.

And in the days leading up to that OnQ we'll bring you special coverage of Super Bowl 40.

Tonight we're talking Super Bowl.

And we're doing it with some guys who know a thing or two about that.

Let's start with the resume of linebacker Andy Russell.

That includes seven Pro Bowl Steeler MVP, not to mention two Super Bowl rings.

He was Steelers captain for ten years.

We thank Andy Russell for joining us tonight.

How are you sir.

I'm great Chris how you doing?

All right.

You look like you under your playing weight, man.

I'm a little bit.

Yeah.

What are the 10 pounds lighter?

10 pounds lighter?

I wish I can say that.

Also with us this evening, a guy who made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

And he has four Super Bowl rings to prove it.

The defensive tackle who scored the first Super Bowl points in Steelers history.

Dwight White.

Dwight, you told me once I asked you how many rings you got and you said, I have the set.

Absolutely.

You've got the set all 4, but might have to expand this year.

All right.

You get one for the bowl.

Do you guys get honored Honorable mention.

Super Bowl rings were not on something later?

Only the winners get any types.

Okay.

Another member of the famous Steel Curtain, Mike Wagner.

He was considered one of the best and smartest defensive backs in the NFL.

He said he played way back Mr.

Deep.

Another guy who's got four Super Bowl victories.

And we thank Mike Wagner for joining us.

How are you, sir?

I'm great.

Glad to be here.

And what a great wee we have coming up for football.

It certainly is that.

And don't worry, we didn't forget the offense.

Randy Grossman played tight end for the Steelers from 74 until 81.

He was on the winning side of four Super Bowl games.

Considered one of the NFL's most sure handed receivers.

Randy Grossman is also joining us.

How are you, sir?

It's nice to be here, Chris.

All right.

It' good to be here with all of you.

And we want to let you know we're going to take some phone calls and we'll tell you about that and give you the number in just a second.

But I just want to start with you guys got the feve like everybody in in the nation.

Dwight, just before the show, you were describing this as the perfect storm.

What might happen in Detroit?

Yeah, I say it positively.

A perfect storm because I think you've got to, you know, just a just a crescendo of of excitement and jubilation about the season and the and the chances of them winning, finall winning this one for the thumb.

You know, you're only four hours from Detroit.

I think, you know, it's to me, it's obvious that the Seattle fans are going to be outnumbered.

And, it's almost going to be impossibl to, you know, for anyone to beat that type of support and, and crowd.

Andy what do you think about thi Steeler Nation?

The fan support has been tremendous.

The road games, you see nothing but terrible towels in the stands.

And once the team quiets the other side, all you hear Steelers fans going, here we go.

You're right.

I mean, it's unbelievable how they're still a the Steeler Nation does go across this country.

And there's a black and gold club out in California of 2500 people.

There's huge, you know, Steeler bars and almost every city.

And, and and the enthusiasm that peopl will be driving from California to watch this game.

Who are Steeler fans and not just from Pittsburgh.

So it is that wild.

And, I we're all excited about seeing them get we talk about getting one for the thumb.

It's going to be their first one, you know, which is they don't care about the something they want to just get their first one in there.

And I think they're do and I think they'll do it.

Randy you think they're going to do it too?

Obviously.

I really think they are the, you know, everybody talks about, peaking at the right point.

They're definitely playing the best that they've played probably in the last two years.

The offense has matured.

They they've got a complete attack.

Now they're throwing the bal and not just running the ball.

And, dogs are loose on defense.

I mean, you know, taking names and, it's pretty exciting.

Back to throw on the tight ends there.

Yeah.

How about that?

They are catching a lot of tight ends and getting the balls up the middle of the.

Will you mostly blocking it o you you were catching them two.

Yeah, I caught a couple.

Yeah.

Yeah.

My size.

You didn't block a whole lot.

You kind of try to get in the way didnt block a whole lot.

But, you know, it's exciting.

Obviously, Heath Miller is doing great.

I think actually, Mark Bruno would have done great, had they throw it to him.

But, you know, they have the confidence in Heath, and now they're really putting the pressure on the defense because they they're spreading the whole thing out.

They don't know which wa they're coming from running it, passing it short, long right, left, middle.

I mean, they got them.

Mike, how would you like to face this current offense of the Steelers on a defensive end as a defensive back?

Because, they always talk about we are a running team.

But boy they have been throwing that ball.

Well I think just the competitive nature I have I would love to have a shot at them.

Right.

But what an offense they have.

They're very well balanced and, a little bit bigger than the offenses we used to run into.

And, who knows how you get down.

Jerome Bettis, you know, I love Hines Ward.

I'd sure like to have a shot at him.

I think he's bigger than me.

I mean, I met Hines in the summer, and he is really well pu together, and what a competitor.

But, you know, I think this is just great.

You ask a little bit about the mood.

A little better getting excited about it.

What I have is anxiety.

I was watching that championship game out about you guys when you played, but, you know, you get kind of determined, but it's terrible being a fan.

I'd rather be a player.

You know, I, I couldn't sit still last week watching the game.

It was just just to get this anxiety.

So I think the fans are doing the right thing.

Get your car drive to Detroit.

Even if you can't get a ticket.

Exactly.

Just be there.

I think half the neighborhoods you're going to be there, Dwight is the best place to watch it in the stadium or at home.

What do you think?

For me, it's at home.

I'd say I, you know, I like the warmth and, big screen HD, and, that makes a lot more sense to me.

But, you know, you can't wai in line to get to the men's room because I'm going all the time.

Yeah.

But, you know, I, I prefer at home.

But you can't say enough about the real experience of going or Super Bowl of going to a football game.

I mean, that's that' just a very unique experience.

And now it's your chance at home to talk to the Steelers, too.

You can join the conversation by simply pick up your phone and calling us at (412)683-3505.

Again that number is (412)683-3505.

There was some bad news in the paper today about Terry Long, and I wonder what you guys think about having played so many years, the kind of injuries that people talk about suffering.

And Mike Webster, they say, suffered some of the same kind of the injuries from the hits.

It's a brutal game, isn't it?

Absolutely.

I, I tell you about my my concussions.

I had ten during my ten career, which was really just 12 years over 14 seasons.

But but, you know if you read something like that, you start to worry, you know, but I think it's, something that in those day we played it was sort of a joke, you know, you got dinged as oh, you're Russell's dinged or, you know, they'd ask you if you were a boy or girl, if you knew the answer or you got back in, you know, it wasn't to tell you they really worry about it, and they're much more focused on it.

But when we played, you know a concussion was sort of a joke.

It was it was a real man's game.

I guess, so to speak.

Well, it was a whole lot different.

Not only the perception of what you played with.

Obviously the equipment was different.

I mean, we're all in the era of helmets, but the helmets are significantly different.

And they had some, canvas webbing in it, basically for, a suspension helmet.

When we all started.

Now they're all padded.

You can see the pads.

I mean, it's quasi motorcycle crash helmet now, but, regardless, the, I mean, I mean, there were times, I mean, all the guys here body, when you're walking around and you don't know where you are, an but you don't want to come out because, I mean, you're young, you're in the game, you want to play.

You dont want to come out.

if you can't play with pain, you can't play this game, you know.

And that sounds rather you know, kind of barbaric now.

But that really was the rule of thumb, you know, and you you sucked it up.

You play for you.

That was the big badge of honor, right?

Hurt you.

Right?

Right.

That was it.

All right.

So I'm wondering about weight, though.

On the defensive line.

How much did you weigh when you play?

255, 260.

These guys on the offensive linemen are 320 pounds now.

Yeah.

But it's the heart is to heart is.

That's really 265 pounds of heart.

They're like 300 pounds on your you know what it's called scoring those points.

Once they had the scoring the point scoring the points.

The defensive tackle who scored the first one that score in Super Bowl history.

Well I'm a defensive man first of all I'm sorry.

Let's get that correct okay.

All right.

I was just, you little quicker help me out.

Said I got the nice footwork.

Yeah, but you didn't have to go with you.

Well, I had the spats, though.

Oh, he was always clean.

Was he all right?

Our number is (412)683-3505.

We've talked about the fans, and, I wonder what you thin of that young man out in Beaver who wore the, Denver, shirt to schoo and got abused by his teacher.

As the newspapers report, do the fans go overboard sometimes, or or do you want the fans there rabid and screaming all the time.

Andy I think you do want the fans to be, you know, excited and charged up.

I mean, players have to kind of ignore that to some extent because you get to keep focused and you have to be, you know, you have to have an intensity that that's sort of as to overcome all of that.

You can't you can't let yourself get too emotional and to, you know, excited because you're going to make mistakes.

And it's, it's very it's a complex kind of a relationship between, you know, being gung ho and trying real hard and, and also sticking out there and using your head.

Well, what's going to be the key for the Steelers to win this game then score more, score more points than the other team.

Simple as that.

That's as easy.

You know it always works and the defense is up to it.

You think?

Definitely definitely.

What a defense they've put together.

This is a little bit different from when we played.

Although we did some blitzing and some of our years.

But this is a pressure defense.

And the other thing is you're kind of interesting is there's all these specialists.

I mean, I don't even know.

They they shoot about 8 or 9 defensive backs.

There's two there's onl two linemen in the game.

Dwight.

You'd either be, you know, you'd probably play 20 years, maybe because you wouldn't had a pass rush as many times, but it's a different game.

But that defense can put on a lot of pressure.

Looking for some big things.

I was curious, Chris, that, I mean, I hate saying it because, you know, an off was an offensive player that I'm outnumbered here.

But you can take it, but I'll help you.

And.

Yeah.

I was like, put on my sneakers, that one on the bear.

But, you don't have to outrun the bear.

Oh, you have to do that.

Right?

But when you get down on championship time, it's defense that wins.

You know?

I mean, you see a lot of high flying offenses and and people get excited about them during the season.

They don't win championships.

I mean, when it gets down t the best teams, it's a defense.

Is really that know the winning champion.

Yeah you're right.

You can go all the way back the Air Corps.

Yeah.

When the Cardinals were in in Saint Louis and they were throwing the ball everywhere.

But they get in the playoffs and they would win you right?

Yeah.

When you get there you're not tricking the other team.

And it really at that point gets down to basic football.

It's the team that beats up the other team.

I mean, finesse doesn't have a lot to do with it.

All right.

You guys said you said that because I know we could never get awa with that.

Well, it's the truth.

All right, let's take some phone calls again.

Our number is (412)683-3505.

You guys ready?

Let's go to Williamsburg.

Lee.

Hello?

Hello.

Go ahead please.

Yeah.

I just like to ask, Mike Wagner and Dwight White a question about when they played.

It seemed that, they they let anybody push them around.

I used to see Mike Wagner and Dwight.

They were pretty tough.

Michael doesn't look that tough, but he was really tough on the field.

So it was Dwight.

And I was just wondering, the players today, don't seem to stick together like you got there.

You know, when Joe Green get jumped on the Browns and you guys were right in there with him, and I really I really appreciated that back in those days.

You know, you guys really tough.

Well I'll go first way that I like.

You know I think first of al you know the Steelers are today.

And the Steelers of yesterday played very physical.

And we were not going to be intimidated.

And I think looking in the huddle, you know, it was almost expected.

And we respect each other for our ability to play the game hard.

And we just weren't going to take anything from opposing teams.

Now, wheneve I tried to act up or act tough, I was always trying to be close to a big guy like Dwight.

That would protect me.

Well, you know I always thought that, you know, we want a lot in the 70s, but it was not only so much about how much we won, it was the way we want.

And I think that that' what really did a lot of people.

I mean, I'm toughness and deliberate and dominate the type of football that we played.

And, you know, I, I see the same thing on the Steelers today with people like Joey Porter.

You know, you need some characters out there, somebody with us to boot smack mouth football or whatever.

We're going to hit you in the mouth.

And, you know, but the coach was trying to cool him down.

Coach was trying to cool him down and ask him to be quiet.

He did.

He didn't want to give the opposing players something to post in the locker room.

Well, true.

True.

But, you know, you can't talk about it.

You got to do it too.

You got to be about it.

And, you know, we got guys that were back up, all of that, intimidation, you know?

So, I think it's a good thing.

And, you know, the problem, you know, rules today.

I mean, some of the things that we got away with as a defensive line, like the second man to strike somebody to get hit the guys is, you know, good.

Use your helmet.

Your helmet as a weapon.

Exactly right.

That's exactly what I was doing, you know, I mean, I mean, today you couldn't get away with that stuff, you know?

But, it's a quieter, gentler game.

All right.

I'll get some current players and ask them that.

Let's go to Barbara in West View.

Hello, Barbara.

Hi.

I have a comment.

I don't know how all the guys on your panel there feel, but I feel like, the Steelers with the media don't seem to get their due.

I mean, we we always seem to be down by the media no matter what, how well we play on the field or.

And it really kind of upsets me because I love the guys.

I think.

Now, Barbara, you're not talking about Pittsburgh media.

You're talking about those people who think we're.

But ugly in Denver or something.

Oh, no.

No.

Well, you know I hear these these commentators and, you know, like, even the ones doing the games or the ones after the games are over and how they talk about Pittsburgh and, you know, like, we were lucky and, and, you know, and this and that.

And it just really upsets me that we don't seem to ge the recognition that we deserve.

What do you guys think?

I probably agree with you.

And I've had this theory all along.

You know, again, back to you know, it wasn't so much that we wanted.

It was a way that we did it in people's face.

You know, we put your face on it and, you know, I've watched the games and maybe I'm just sensitive, overly sensitive to it.

But I see Madden and talking about, you know, the Bill Walsh's an the Tom Landry's and Al Davis.

And, you know, they talk about all these great teams, but they never end.

Al and Madden for sure never mentions the steel.

And, you know, and and you know, and you know, why don't why we know why.

But but I but I happen to agree with her I think that, had we been in a, you know maybe a New York or something, it might have been different, but I don't think we've ever really gotten the credit and the, you know, recognitio that we really should be getting over that.

Yeah.

The the current team, they n one expected that a win in this, you know, playing away succeed and all that kind of stuff.

So so it's true that the media I mean, if you took the four guys that were on, you know, ESPN or, or NBC or ABC, they were all knocking, they were predicting the other team would win and they're eating crow big time now.

So how does this accomplishment stack up?

Winning on the road, three games like that and not expected to win any of them.

I think it's fabulous.

I mean, you know, players don't really worry about whether it's on the road or, you know, whether you're whether you're, favorite or not favorite.

I mean, that's th you have to go out and do a job and, you know, you got to do it.

So it doesn't matter where you play.

I think that's the whole point here.

At the end of the day, it's the the players are up for the challenge.

They continue to win.

So they continue to be in the running.

They have one game left, and the only way that you're going to stop or try to stop people from saying that you're not good enough, you don't deserve to be here is for them to be the champions.

Well, you know, I think about back in, I think it was 197 and all of us were on the team.

Then we played the Miami Dolphins here in Pittsburgh.

I wasn't on the team.

Yeah, well.

Don' make me have to think about it.

You know, we played the Miami Dolphins.

They were undefeated that year, and we were still trying to find ourselves.

We will still trying to be recognized as a good football team and people, you know, Pittsburgh, the perennial loser.

And we had gotten to a point where we were playing for the AFC Championship.

We lost a game on a fake punt, I believe.

I mean, essentially that's what happened.

Two things happened, though.

We lost the game, we were crushed.

But a third thing happened and that was that we I think we really grew up that year and knew that we were a good football team.

And, we came that close.

And, you know, we have the talent.

It was just about being focused and committed.

I saw the same thing happen from last year.

But that has to be my question.

Yeah.

And they and they really crystallized.

And I think they knew that they came real close and that they were a good football team.

And this year, you know, sometimes the seaso doesn't exactly go as planned.

And, you know, you had been with the knee for a while in the thumb and the offensive line wasn't playing well.

Everybody pretty much stepped up, but everybody stepped up.

And especially you kno this league is very unforgiving.

And, you know, you drop a couple of games you shouldn't have dropped.

They come back to haunt you.

And, they did.

They just impressed me tremendously in the way they sucked it up.

Won the last four into the playoffs to take them where they are now.

What about the referees?

In some of the calls, though?

Well, you know, I never was a zebra fan.

Yeah.

Well I always felt too that there are three teams on a football field and most sporting event it's just not the two opponents.

There's always that third team.

Okay.

And, and I think with all the cameras and with instant replay it makes them more vulnerable.

But, you know we won games with questionable referee calls, and we lost games, maybe with questionable referee calls, but, you know, you have to get past that because if you lose the game, then it becomes a tag.

If you win the game, you badmouth them.

That's good.

We'll badmouth the referees.

They you know, but you got to figure out what the referees are going to do, okay.

When you're defensive back, a lineman, whatever else you're going to find out if they're calling holding or not.

You know, they're not going to call me for holding a tight end five times in a row.

Are they going to call you for, you know, certainly.

A call holding on a defensive line.

Right.

But I mean, not another penalty, but other penalties.

So the referees are part of the game and you got to find out jus like an umpire call on strikes.

Where's the where's the strike zone.

Let's go back to the phones Donald in homestead.

Hello?

Yo, Chris.

Hello.

All right.

Hey, it's so much fun to see four members from undoubtedly the greatest team in NFL history.

Also this call is directed to Dwight.

Wait, Dwight, could you expand a little bit in your own humble way?

What motivated you to get out of your hospital bed with pneumonia?

To play in the Super Bowl game?

Hahaha.

Look at Mike is doing is he is $10,000?

Is that what you got for the game?

15 grand.

That was what I got for the whole season.

I don't know.

You know, it's one of those things that again, I'm hearing the same thing coming out of the Steelers locker room.

And we guys see, I don't want to let my teammates down.

We you know somebody has got to pick up the slack.

And I think it wa pretty much that I mean we had we had fought that year.

And I think the team had really bonded.

And I think I made a meaningful contribution to the success of that team that year.

And, you know, you know, here's I've heard several players say, boy, this is a once in a lifetime thing.

They all their lives, they wanted to play in a Super Bowl.

Well, the same thing apply back back then.

I mean is you can't fathom the thought of missing, you know, the biggest game in your life, in your career, and the only time you might get look along the wrong way and right.

And now he's finally there.

So I mean, I, you know, it's something that, that I know happened, but I look back on it with a lot of pride and feel good about it, but it was nothing, and it was nothing that I think was profound.

Any of these guy would have done the same thing.

Let's go to Morgantown and talk to him.

Hello.

Ann hi, Chris.

What a wonderful show.

Thank you.

I was curious to know, after I saw M.S.

and and read about how Dan Marino gave Big Be the advice of enjoy the moment.

And in light of what you have on your show tonigh and what they've been through, what words of wisdom would they give our Big Ben?

Randy?

Well, I don't thin it's actually just Big Ben that that you'd want to share your experience with.

It's the whole team.

But, you know, the reality of it is.

And it's kind of funny to me because, you know, I have a 30 year old son, that, you know, a lot of the stuff that you would tell him, it's just not going to register because, I mean, these guys are still young guys.

I mean, these are 20 year old guys, you know, and they're playin and I mean, they're having fun.

And and like a lot of us in our youth, you know, we think we know how it's supposed to be done, and that's good.

I mean, you're supposed to have that kind of confidence.

You're supposed to go out and do it your way, and, and they will.

You know, the one thing that want to share with them is that, it's it's no different game.

I mean, it's no different gam than any game during the season.

And what I'd say is be the attitude that they're saying, let me try to move it around.

Andy, what words of advice would you give the team?

Well, I was just thinking about how Chuck Noel, his pre-gam speech of our to our to our team before the first Super Bowl number nine was, it was it's kind of nice.

It's nice that we got here.

We worked hard and let's go out and have some fun.

I mean, that was his pre-game speech, like, and let's go out and have some fun.

What?

None of us thought, well, this is going to be fun.

We thought, let's go ou and just give it all we had and and play the best game we could possibly play.

What do you think?

Fun is winning.

Okay.

And, you know, I'll just.

I would say to them they only remember the winners.

They only remember the winners.

And this is, this is a very unique experience, very unique opportunity.

So you want to seize that moment.

You want to win the game.

All right.

We only got a minute left.

Mike would advice.

Would you give well thinking back, it's to me it was a different a whole different week because you're basically on the road, you're in a hotels and there's so many distractions.

You have your family typically in you're the focus of media attention and the game itself is different.

It was the only time I personally I probably had butterflies or adrenaline rush before kickoff but we have a longer halftime.

It's just a different world.

So I think the biggest thing is get ready and just relax and try to enjoy it and realize that there' going to be any quit on either side of the field.

All right I only have one more question.

Black jerseys or the white jersey, black white I like the black.

Doesn't matter.

We want them with both.

We want it with both.

It will do it a year.

And come next week.

Right.

All right.

Well, I want to thank all of you all for being here.

It's just been super to sit here and watch thes Super Bowl rings glitter in my, you been playing the bling bling going on now, before we go, here's a quick look at what's happening tomorrow OnQ every Friday night.

It's the weekend review.

When OnQ is OffQ tomorrow night OffQ regulars Fred Honsberger Allen Cox and Ruthann Bailey will all be here, along with special guest Dennis Roddy from the Post-Gazette.

And then on Monday, we're going to Detroit OnQ is at the Super Bowl.

So that we might bring you the in-depth stories that you'll only see here as the Steelers get ready for this historic game OnQ.

is at the Super Bowl, beginning Monday night.

Stay connected.

Thanks for watching.

We'll see you back here live at 7:30 tomorrow night.

Stay connected.

Go, Steelers.

Good night.