One of the most impressive players of his era, “Mean” Joe Greene was a franchise changer for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late 60s and throughout the 70s.
When it comes to discussing some of the greatest defensive players in the history of the NFL, Greene has to be part of that conversation.
Knowing that, it comes as no surprise that former NFL and college football head coach Dave Wannstedt, now working for the 33rd Team as an analyst, named Greene to his all-time defensive front seven Wednesday. Greene was joined by the likes of New York’s Lawrence Taylor, Green Bay’s Reggie White, and Los Angeles’ Aaron Donald, along with Tampa Bay’s Derrick Brooks, Baltimore’s Ray Lewis and San Diego’s Junior Seau at linebacker.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ ‘Steel Curtain’ is arguably one of the best defenses ever put together, alongside the Chicago Bears back in the days and the Baltimore Ravens in the early 2000s. The cornerstone of that defense was Joe Greene. Joe was Chuck Noll’s first draft pick and played an instrumental role in the Steelers’ super bowl wins,” Wannstedt said regarding his all-time defensive front. “If you look at the stats, they had seven opponents score less than a touchdown in 1976. In 1977, when the Steelers won the Super Bowl with defense, that was the foundation of Chuck Noll’s team.
“To put it simply, Greene was one of the most dominant players of his time. He is a two-time Defensive Player of the yPear and a 10-time Pro Bowler. Put Greene for me at that 3 technique.”
Greene was easily one of the most impactful, disruptive defenders in the NFL during his time with the Steelers from 1969-81. In 181 career games (172 starts), Greene recorded 77.5 sacks, adding another 16 fumble recoveries and one interception, helping turn the tide within the Steelers’ franchise, going from doormats in 1969 and 1970 into a bona fide dynasty in the 70s, winning four Super Bowls.
Individually during that span, Greene was a 10-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro, three-time second-team All-Pro, twice won the Associated Press’ Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the NFL’s All-Decades team of the 70s as well as the 75th and 100th-anniversary teams in NFL history. He went on to have his No. 75 retired by the franchise while heading into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a first-ballot player.
While he might not have the sack numbers that guys like Taylor and White have, he was the centerpiece of one of the best defensive units ever in league history, that being the “Steel Curtain” in the 70s, alongside guys like Jack Lambert, Jack Ham, Mel Blount, L.C. Greenwood and Donnie Shell.
Though that’s quite a bit of Hall of Fame talent on that defense, Greene was the focal point, the heartbeat, the key cog in the engine. Once he came to Pittsburgh, he changed everything. He is Mr. Steeler, and certainly deserves his standing as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.
He was recently named the Steelers’ greatest draft pick in team history on NFL.com, which is certainly no surprise. After all, he did help them win four Super Bowls and defined one of the greatest dynasties the game has ever seen.
