There is probably not another man alive that understands what the Pittsburgh Steelers were doing defensively in the 1970s than Joe Greene. The heart and soul of that Steel Curtain unit, he was by and large the foundation around which the rest of it was built, the ‘Stunt 4-3’ concept being just one example.
So when he goes out of his way to say that one of his teammates deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, I have a tendency to lean toward believing him. That group had some all-time great players, to be sure, but when it comes to Donnie Shell, the primary strong safety of that championship era—especially in the late 70s—his absence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame stands as a glaring omission to those with whom he played.