I will slowly defend the list over time.
Today? I will defend "Mean" Joe Greene as number one.
But first, some of my criteria.
(1) Stats are not the defining characteristic of "greatness." A player can be statistically "worse" than another player but still deserve more recognition.
(2) Great football players should exhibit toughness. Football is a tough game and I confess that "soft" players don't get far with me.
(3) I am not considering players from pre-1960. I will at another point in time, but comparison across that gap (i.e., when athletes played both sides of the ball) requires more thought.
Okay, so "Mean" Joe Greene.
Joe was the best player (he was the first Steeler from that era voted into the hall of fame) on the best defense of all time (i.e., the Steel Curtain). If you don't agree that the Steel Curtain is the greatest defense of all time, then you need to consider that in their prime they sent 8 of 11 players to the pro bowl. 10 of their 11 starters would eventually make the pro bowl at some point in their career. With less talent on offense than most people will admit, the Steel Curtain managed to win 4 Super Bowls. This, in an era when several dynasties were at the top of their game (the Dolphins, the Raiders, and the emerging Redskins).
- Defensive rookie of the year in 1969.
- Pro bowl as a rookie
- 10 time pro bowl player
- 2 time Defensive palyer of the year (1972 and 1974)
- Led Pittsburgh to the playoffs for the first time ever (in 1972) by managing 5 sacks in a must win game against Houston (and a fumble recovery). Note: The Steelers were the worst team in the NFL prior to Joe's arrival
- Basically won Super Bowl IX single handedly (NFL MVP Frank Tarkenton and the number one ranked Vikings offense did not score). This is the only time in Super Bowl history that an offense has not scored
- Developed new techniques that forced the NFL to eventually change the rules (the neutral zone became a topic of discussion as a way to stop players like Greene). The move was called the "pinch" by Greene.
- Terry Bradshaw was lost for the season in 1976, but Greene and the defense still kept the Steelers in the playoffs with the single greatest defensive performance of all time. Over a nine game winning streak, the Steeler's opponents only managed 28 points total.
- Played in 91 straight games without leaving for injury (181 of 190 games overall)
- Once played an entire playoff game with several broken ribs, fingers, and a sprained wrist (all acquired during the game)
- In the most famous NFL commercial of all time (Joe Greene's Coke commercial)
- He was triple-teamed through most of his career. And still couldn't be stopped
- The Steelers do not retire jerseys. However, no player has been allowed to wear 75 ever since Greene retired.
- In 1979, the NFL awarded Greene the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (for community service and charity work). It was called the NFL Man of the Year Award back then
- He starred in Smokey and the Bandit II (as himself)
- You can't say Joe Greene. You can only say "Mean" Joe Greene. That says something.
For more info, here is his pro football hall of fame page:
http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=80
He is also a member of the college football hall of fame:
http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=60014
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