Is Joe Greene the best defensive Steeler ever?

My era was the 90's on up. In my 40's now. When I think of the great defensive Steelers, I think of Woodsen, Polamalu, Lloyd, Hampton, Farrior, Aaron Smith, Harrison, and Peezy. Of course lately Watt and Fitzpatrick.

What's the feeling among the older gentleman? Was Joe the best? Was it Lambert? Ham? Blount? I'd be interested in hearing your opinion .

 

Greene could single handed change a game and often did

No other Steeler defender has come close

 

Joe got it all started and set the tone for all those who followed him up to the present. Joe's gotta be the Godfather and all time D MVP.

 

Far as I am concerned, Mean Joe is what it means to be a Steeler and play Steelers Football. Only close second for me is Mel Blount. Jack Lambert also has a strong case.


All that said, Mean Joe is the greatest Steelers Player of All Time.

 

Yes he was a monster with a bad attitude. He played at 275 lbs when most offensive linemen were 250 to 260 lbs.

He was strong and quick and relentless. He was one of the first defensive tackles to dominate from the tackle spot.

He could shoot a gap in a split second or just bull rush and blow up the play before it got started.

He was the foundation the Steelers built a dynasty around.

He was dominant from day one.

There so many greats from the Steelers but Joe is head and shoulders above all the rest.

He played the last number of years with only half strength in one arm due to a shoulder injury and most never knew about it.

 

Joe is greatest for lasting impact, but defensive player with my own two eyes (never saw Joe play) ... Troy.

 

Id say Troy was pretty disruptive and single handily changed many games

 

Ham Green Lambert

 

Larry Ogunjobi gets my vote

 

My own Mean Joe Greene memory was the time they were playing the Broncos in Denver. Offensive lineman kept holding Mean Joe, Mean Joe warned ref. Next play as ball was snapped Mean Joe kicked offensive lineman in stomach.
Legendary.

 

Greene, Greenwood, White, Holmes, Lambert, Ham, Russel, Blount, Wagner....
I am so blessed to have seen those guys, those games, in my youth. Never again will it be the same.

 

Those were the good old days. That is when the tube socks came up to your knees and they had stripes. And, you just hoped and prayed that one pair were black n gold ... lol

 

Amen brother! And thank God for Dan Rooney.

 

Lambert said Ham was the best defensive player he ever saw.

 

He was very knowledgeable

 

Joe Greene was the unquestioned leader of The Steel Curtain. That group made it possible for the linebackers to perform at their absolute peak. Most people to this day associate the Steelers with tough, aggressive defense and most of that can be traced back before Joe Greene, but he enhanced that attitude. He was the perfect first round draft choice for "new" head coach Chuck Noll. In my humble opinion, Joe Greene is the greatest Steeler of all time.

 

I've never heard about this.

 

That just dusted off a gray cell

Nerve damage

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...out-the-steelers-greatest-player-of-all-time/

 

JBall that is an awesome list of players. 70s Steelers were all hall of famers. Blount was one helluva cover man, Lambert mean as a one eyed rattlesnake.

 

Joe Greene...But , For not as long of dominance, James Harrison...

For a few years he was a very nasty man... Virtually unblockable

 

Mean Joe and Jack Lambert are 1 and 1(a).

 

Paul Howard once accused Joe of kicking him in the groin. In a 1977 playoff game the following year, Greene accused Howard of holding repeatedly. The refs weren't calling it, so Greene punched Howard with an uppercut to the gut that left Howard on the field for several minutes. Joe was no one to screw around with when he was on company time.

 

My favorite Mean Joe story was that he was so quick off the snap, the other D linemen watched for him to explode off the line rather than watch the snap of the ball. Saw him in person once - biggest thighs I ever saw. Troy was a once in a lifetime talent, but Mean Joe was revolutionary and the identity of a franchise.

 

Dont forget the coca-cola commercial