Terry Bradshaw played in four Super Bowls. He won all four and was Super Bowl MVP in two games. He succeeded on the sport's biggest stage time and time again.
It may be surprising, then, to learn Bradshaw experienced his highest levels of anxiety in the days leading up those Super Bowls.
"I remember it as the worst week of my life simply because the greatest reward of your life is waiting on you," Bradshaw tells ThePostGame. "You try to downplay the moment. You try to downplay the emotion."
In four Super Bowls, Bradshaw was a combined 49-for-84 through the air for 932 yards, nine touchdowns and a 112.7 passer rating. The Steelers legend's most notable performance may have been a 17-for-30, 318-yard, four-touchdown performance in his 35-31 Super Bowl XIII victory over the Cowboys.
Game day was the ultimate cure for Bradshaw's stresses. Back in the day, he wished that was all he had to deal with.
"It wasn't fun. I wanted to fly and play the game, but you're stuck," he says. "You can't go anywhere. You're constantly bombarded with questions and autographs. When it was over and we won, I got of town and would think 'Yay!'"
The modern Super Bowl is much different than the games Bradshaw played. Media coverage has only intensified since the 1970s. Super Bowl Media Day is an annual circus and the game itself is an international phenomenon.
The locations have also changed. Sunday will mark the first outdoor "cold weather" Super Bowl when the game kicks off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
"I've had my questions about why we would reward these teams by putting them in a cold weather environment," he says. "If we're going to be up here, we should be in a domed stadium or something. But I get what the NFL is doing and it's going to be unique."
Bradshaw played in two of history's coldest Super Bowls. According to the weather reports, Super Bowl IX in New Orleans (Tulane Stadium) had a game temperature of 46 degrees and Super Bowl X in Miami (Miami Orange Bowl) was played at 57 degrees.
For Bradshaw, the main problems with the cold weather relate to factors that could hinder the teams' performances and create unfair advantages.
"I didn't want to have either of these football teams handicapped by weather," Bradshaw says. "They deserve to be able to play their best. Now, defenses won't be dictated by the weather unless it's icy and they need to be careful with their footing. The cold is going to hurt the passers. The wind will especially hurt them.
"If we get any precipitation whatsoever, that will hurt Denver more than it'll hurt Seattle."
Hailing from the rainy state of Washington, the Seahawks would certainly not mind some cold rain in the swamps of Jersey. In a similar manner, there is one particular northern site Bradshaw would have had an advantage in the 70s: Pittsburgh.
"I wouldn't have complained about a Three Rivers Stadium Super Bowl because it would have been at home and I would've been somewhat adjusted to it," Bradshaw chuckles.
Pittsburgh has never hosted the Super Bowl and there are no signs it will house the game any time soon. However, the Steel City will be one of the many northern cities with outdoor NFL stadiums that will stand by for the success or failure of Sunday's New York/New Jersey Super Bowl.
In addition to his duties for Fox at this year's Super Bowl, Bradshaw gets to show off another side of himself with a newly released commercial promoting the Pepsi Halftime Show. The spot, called "Halftime at the Grammy's," aired during the award show Sunday night. It features Bradshaw and fellow Hall of Famers Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe and Mike Ditka.
In the clip, Bradshaw sang, danced and played guitar in front of thousands of audience members. He broke out into song with Sanders and Sharpe before Ditka "came in like a wrecking ball."
"It was absolutely the most fun I ever had doing a commercial. Man, it was like a major movie being produced," Bradshaw says.
Part of the appearance was courtesy of IMG, the agency that Bradshaw signed with in June. Coming from a different era, Bradshaw had not used an agent before 2013.
"I've never had agent representation in the commercial area and never had agent representation in negotiating any contracts in the NFL," Bradshaw says. "I thought before I sailed off into the sunset, it'd be nice to be with someone who could possibly pitch you to things that otherwise people would never know about you."
The commercial (see below) fused some of the most famous football individuals of all time. Despite Bradshaw, Sanders and Sharpe's artistic presence, Bradshaw admits Ditka stole the show.
The Hall of Fame coach did a Miley Cyrus impression, and his traditional blue and orange sweater vest read "PEPSI" rather than "BEARS."
"Mike's a big personality, so he's not worried about his place," Bradshaw says. "He's Mike Ditka. Mike Ditka could clap like a seal out there and balance something on his nose and we'd all go hey, that's Mike Ditka. He can do whatever he wants to do."
Although Bradshaw is long removed from his playing career, he is still a fixture in the football world. Whether he is broadcasting or now, acting, Bradshaw plays a role in Super Bowl week.
While he jokes he cannot play golf this week because he is still tied down by pre-Super Bowl week, he is not as anxious as he was in the 1970s. With four Super Bowls under his belt, not many people have the experience and success of Bradshaw.
While the media and the publicity of the Super Bowl has changed in the last 30-plus years, Bradshaw's focus has not changed. His eyes are locked into one thing and one thing only: the Super Bowl game on Sunday.
-- Follow Jeffrey Eisenband on Twitter @JeffEisenband.
