Jerome Bettis Talks Choosing Steelers over Oilers Trade, Near Retirement in 2004, and Most ‘Painful’ Play of his Career Leading up to Super Bowl XL

[Steeler Nation]

In early February of 2021, Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame running back, Jerome Bettis joined former Steelers cornerback, Bryant McFadden, on an episode of All Things Covered with Patrick Peterson and Bryant McFadden.

With a franchise encompassing such legendary tradition, we here at SteelerNation.com got to thinking about some of the most memorable moments in team history featuring “The Bus,” and Bettis was able to provide some really intriguing insight in his interview with McFadden to some pretty iconic moments that came to our mind. Let’s dive in.

Jerome Bettis is presented with two options on Draft Day in 1996: Steelers or Oilers​

Bettis’ time was up with the then St. Louis Rams. It was his fourth year in the league and the Rams felt that it was time to move on from the 245lb. running back, paving the way for the late Lawrence Phillips. The Rams were set to trade Bettis and gave him a choice of either the Steelers, or the then Houston Oilers. Both were organizations who were looking for “big” running backs and a transition into a more run-heavy offense (no pun intended). For Bettis, he claims that it ultimately wasn’t the prestige of the Steelers franchise. It was more so that he was interested in who had the “better roster.” The Steelers were just coming off of a Super Bowl loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and Bettis felt that he could be the Steelers’ missing piece.

Bettis also knew that Eddie George was entering the NFL Draft that year, and with the Steelers picking 31st, and the Oilers picking 15th in the draft, George would most likely go to the “other” team that Bettis didn’t choose. So Bettis needed to “pick right.” Who knew Bettis’ choice to come to Pittsburgh was actually pretty strategic?

Eddie George gets his named called on NFL Draft day back in 1996. | TennesseeTitans.com

Bettis nearly retired in 2004​

Here’s where things really start getting crazy. A total of nine players from the Steelers made the Pro Bowl back in the 2004 season, including Bettis who went as an alternate. Back then, the coaching staff that lost in the conference championship was the coaching staff that ended up coaching in the Pro Bowl. Of course that year, it was none other than Bill Cowher and co.

Because there were so many players and coaches from the Steelers in attendance, that encouraged other Steelers from the team to come out to the Pro Bowl and support. The attendance ended up being so large in fact, that the Steelers decided to have their own Steelers luau.

Bettis claims that it was fellow teammates, linebackers Larry Foote and Clark Haggans who “harassed” Bettis enough to convince him to return for one more season.

“Had it not been for those two guys coming out to the Pro Bowl, I would not be a Super Bowl Champion.”

Check out this clip here:

Jerome Bettis nearly never returned for that special 2005 Steelers season.

I have to give credit to some of my former teammates for getting The Bus back on the road to Super Bowl XL!

— Bryant McFadden (@BMac_SportsTalk) February 2, 2021

Taking “The Bus” on the road to Detroit​

“Would it still be Hall of Fame caliber? I would say, ‘yes?’ But it wouldn’t be complete,” Bettis explained when he was asked about the possibility of his career ending without a Super Bowl ring. “People ask me all the time, ‘what’s more important? The championship or the Hall of Fame?’ I tell people, the Hall of Fame is a byproduct of me wanting to be a champion every year.”

It took 10 years since Bettis first felt that he could be the “missing piece” Pittsburgh needed to reach the Super Bowl again and win it. And lo and behold, the team would finally reach the promised land, and of course the game was hosted in none other than Bettis’ hometown of Detroit, Michigan.

With that said, it was not always smooth sailing for the Steelers in 2005. Bettis returned for one final year to see if he could obtain that ever so coveted Super Bowl ring, but it was the Indianapolis Colts who the Steelers would need to prove they could beat in the playoffs, after suffering a humiliating loss to them earlier in the season.

“They destroyed us in the first game. Part of it was, offensively, a silent count. It was so loud in there [RCA Dome], we couldn’t get our offense going because we couldn’t hear the snap count,” Bettis explained. “After that game, we played in Minnesota. And we played the Vikings and because the Vikings had the same kind of thing, because we had lost to Indianapolis, we developed a silent count when it was just the center would check his head, and he would snap the ball, we invented that! And now, all the teams do it. We invented that because of that Indianapolis game. And then we tried it out in the Minnesota game, and we got called for a penalty the first time we did it. And then we had to, coach [Cowher] called timeout to explain to the referees what we were doing. This was that innovative. And so as a result, we played that game, then all the NFL referees were on notice on that we were doing that. But then, when we went and played Indianapolis [in the divisional round], that’s why we were so good because it didn’t affect our offense. We were on it.”

I know what you’re thinking. What about the FUMBLE!? McFadden made sure to slip that question in for Bettis:

“This is just like a formality for me because I was the closer. One-yard line, it wasn’t even a question mark.” Bettis continued on his thought process right before the play and then as it happened. “I kind of turn sideways to squeeze through and boom, ball hit, goes up in the air… and I tell you, it was like slow motion. It was the most painful thing you ever want to see, the ball go up in the air.” He continued. “By the time I get up, he’s running [Nick Harper], and he’s zig zagging, and I see Ben [Roethlisberger] turn around running. And I’ll tell you what, he made the most incredible tackle that a quarterback probably has ever made in that type of open field scenario, because he tricked the guy into staying on the short side of the field when he really should’ve used the field to outrun Ben, because Ben would’ve never held up if the guy just went b-lined to the other sideline and just outran him.”

The Steelers would squeak past the Colts, cruise by the Denver Broncos a week after in the AFC Championship, and all the media attention turned to Bettis as his storybook ending continued to manifest.

Jerome Bettis during Steelers media day for Super Bowl XL at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on January 31, 2006. Photo credit (Photo by G. N. Lowrance/NFLPhotoLibrary)


As the big day finally arrived, the Steelers were locked and loaded, and in arguably the biggest play of the game, Bettis left his mark. But he didn’t do it on the field. He did it from the sidelines.

Leading the way for the longest run in Super Bowl history. #tbt pic.twitter.com/uDpZBd8vLT

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 31, 2019

“Jerome drew up that play and I owe that record to him.” – Willie Parker

Steelers running backs Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker converse on the sidelines of Super Bowl XL prior to Parker’s record-setting run. | YouTube / NFL (NFL Films)




So from “trade day” and near premature retirement, to Super Bowl Champion and Hall of Fame inductee, Bettis provided some truly amazing insider information on it all. What a road for “The Bus.”



To watch the full interview between Bettis and McFadden, click here!



Crazy insight, right? Are there any other moments in Steelers history you wish you had a little more of the backstory on? Click to comment below!

#SteelerNation

Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..

 

[Drink IRON City]

GREAT article and well worth the read, Thank You B-wall.


Bettis, like so any of our beloved STEELERS players is one of my all time favorites. He was such a team player / leader / fan friendly / great on & off the field of play. Leadership such as him is hard to find and I say his leadership did more for BEN than is play on the field, not selling short his play on the field.

Bettis showed the locker room how it was done and that coincided with many players on that team, something today's team is lacking of.

Again Bill, great job.



Salute the nation