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Six months after capturing a fourth Super Bowl championship in six seasons, a nonpareil stretch of domination, Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll quietly delivered a brilliant tutorial that was unfortunately witnessed by only a few reporters standing on the sideline for the third day of the team's 1980 summer training camp.
On a far-off corner of a practice field at St. Vincent's College, in the kind of crucible-like heat that always settled over Latrobe, Pa., about the same time the Steelers were settling into their non-air conditioned dorm rooms, Noll worked patiently with a wide-eyed wide receiver who was experiencing big problems understanding a rudimentary blocking technique.
Time and again for nearly 15 minutes, the legendary coach, exhortative but never exasperated, slowly demonstrated the simple jab-step maneuver that the Pittsburgh wide receivers used on downfield blocks. Time and again, the nervous youngster flubbed the basic footwork that Noll and his staffers felt was critical to properly execute the block....
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On a far-off corner of a practice field at St. Vincent's College, in the kind of crucible-like heat that always settled over Latrobe, Pa., about the same time the Steelers were settling into their non-air conditioned dorm rooms, Noll worked patiently with a wide-eyed wide receiver who was experiencing big problems understanding a rudimentary blocking technique.
Time and again for nearly 15 minutes, the legendary coach, exhortative but never exasperated, slowly demonstrated the simple jab-step maneuver that the Pittsburgh wide receivers used on downfield blocks. Time and again, the nervous youngster flubbed the basic footwork that Noll and his staffers felt was critical to properly execute the block....
more
