10 greatest single-season performances in Pittsburgh Steelers history

6. Joe Greene, 1972

The further back you go, the harder it is to collect data on players. Tackles weren't a recorded stat in the '60s and '70s, so we don't get all of the details. I also wasn't old enough to have the pleasure of seeing a talent like Joe Greene play live. However, there's very little doubt that 'Mean' Joe deserves to be on this list.

Green was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner as well as the Rookie of the Year way back in 1969. His best season, however, came in year four in 1972. Though it wasn't a passing league back then, Greene recorded 11.0 sacks in 14 games and Pro Football Reference credited him with an Approximate Value of 18 for his fantastic season.

This is the first year that really put Greene on the map as the best defensive player in the NFL, as he earned the first of his two DPOY honors. The Pittsburgh Steelers may have fallen in the Conference Championship Game in 1972, but Greene would quickly go on to be the leader of a defense that helped his team to four Super Bowl wins.

Greene is arguably the best player in the history of the franchise, and it would be a crime not to have him on this list at least once. He also deserves honorable mention for his '73 and '74 seasons. Green was obviously good enough to make this list multiple times, it's hard to argue against some of the single seasons coming up on this list.