Losing Mean Joe Greene is like losing Walter Cronkite

The foundation of the dynasty

… football is not as vital as war, but ---

More than 53 years ago, a president of the United States realized that he had, in essence, lost his job because of something major. 

President Lyndon B. Johnson had significantly mismanaged the war in Vietnam, and a very influential figure informed him of that. 

At the time, the war was tearing apart America, and the people in South Vietnam were in dire straits. One of the leading figures in journalism, Walter Cronkite, traveled to the country, and when he returned, he was blunt. 

Things were so bad that Cronkite, a long-time supporter of the war, said that we should leave. 

“The Cronkite Moment”

The evening news back in the 60s was a staple in most households, and the most respected man in that area was CBS’s Cronkite,

The “Cronkite Moment” occurred February 27, 1968, when CBS News Anchor Walter Cronkite declared on air that the U.S. war effort in Vietnam was mired in stalemate and suggested negotiations as a way to extricate the country from the conflict.

At the White House that night, President Lyndon Johnson supposedly watched the Cronkite program, a special report about Vietnam in the aftermath of the surprise Tet offensive. Upon hearing Cronkite’s pessimistic assessment, Johnson is said to have snapped off the television set and muttered to an aide, or aides:

“If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost Middle America.”

W. Joseph Campbell, “Recalling the mythical ‘Cronkite Moment’,” University of California Press, February 26, 2010

Joe Greene is not Walter Cronkite

Now, making this analogy is a reach, but the general thesis is similar. 

In short, “When you’ve lost Mean Joe Greene, you’ve lost Steeler Nation.”

And, when Mean Joe watched the first half of last week’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, one in which they fell behind at halftime 23-0, he said this, in part, 

“In all the years that I’ve been watching my team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Black and Gold, Thursday night, that first half was probably really the saddest day that I’ve had in all of my years of playing and all of my years since my retirement of watching the Steelers play,” Greene said. “That was a poor, poor example of the Black and Gold. It disappointed me. And I’m sure it disappointed a lot of guys that love the Pittsburgh Steelers and fans that love the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

Tim Benz, “'Mean' Joe Greene hits hard with guilt trip about Steelers' play, Chase Claypool's celebration,” Tribune-Review, December 16, 2021

Yes, that means that Joe reflects the essence of Steeler Nation that was humiliated by that performance last week. 

Claypool: “Didn’t you go to Notre Dame?”

In the CBS interview, Mean Joe was asked about another the Steelers’ self-indulgent receivers, all of whom suffer from a lack of discipline from their coach. This time, it was Chase Claypool, and the NFL Hall of Famer and four-time Super Bowl winner did not mince words,

“Hey, man. I thought you were more educated. Didn’t you go to Notre Dame?” Greene quipped.

Then his criticism got more pointed.

“Why (do) you play this game? For you to show your butt or win the game?” Greene said. “You made the play. Give the ball back to the officials. The clock is ticking. You are costing your team valuable time.”

For a moment, Greene tried to let Claypool off the hook a bit, but then he just couldn’t do it.

“It’s that youthful experience. Exuberance. I don’t know,” Greene said. “Maybe it was that. In college when you get a first down, the clock stops. Maybe he had a throwback memory he was in college. That the clock stops. I don’t know. But the game is not about him pointing to the first down. Hell, we can see. We know you made the first down. Get your tail back to the huddle. Give the ball back to the official. Very immature.”

Tim Benz, Tribune-Review, December 16, 2021

LBJ hung it up; Tomlin will not

After that humiliation from Cronkite, Johnson decided about a month later that he would not seek another term as president. He saw the handwriting on the wall. 

Mike Tomlin does not. He is still clinging to the idea that his team can end up with a winning record and even make the playoffs. Neither is unrealistic, but both are unlikely unless the Covid reality helps him. 

Benz concludes his piece with this analysis,

Maybe hearing something like that from “Mean” Joe Greene will stick with Claypool more than it does coming from media people and fans like you and me. And maybe that kind of criticism from the normally reserved and nobly quiet Greene will hit home more than anything that Mike Tomlin and the rest of the coaches could say to the entire team at this point.

Or they could just be down 23-0 at halftime to the Tennessee Titans again like they were in Minnesota Thursday night.

If that happens, maybe let Greene give the halftime speech at Heinz Field and see what he says when he’s not editing himself on the radio.

That actually sounds like it could work.

Tim Benz, Tribune-Review, December 16, 2021

Mean Joe may forget 1969 season

Actually, Joe’s start to his Steeler career was less than impressive, on the team’s end. He was named the defensive Rookie of the Year in 1969, but the team ended the season with a 1-13 record. 

No doubt, one of the games that year could probably be similar to the one with the Vikings last week. Probably much worse than the first half. 

But, Joe’s message was clear. The Steelers were headed in the right direction in 1969 because they had Chuck Noll providing them with direction. The 2021 team headed in that trajectory. 

That is what really bothers Mean Joe, who is now 75 and like me, is doubting whether or not he will ever see another Steeler Super Bowl victory.