The Pittsburgh Steelers 1970s dynasty is one of the greatest in NFL history, and some of their teams were so talented, that practice was harder than the game. On an episode of Undeniable with Joe Buck recently uploaded to YouTube, Hall of Fame wide receiver Lynn Swann talked about the difficulties of going up against the Steel Curtain defense in practice. In particular, he told a story about the 1974 Steelers, where an undrafted Donnie Shell trying to prove himself quite literally knocked the snot out of fellow receiver John Stallworth during their rookie seasons.
“When Donnie Shell hit you at practice, it was like a game, it’s a full body tackle,” Swann said.