The Pittsburgh Steelers have 32 players in the NFL Hall of Fame, and while they are all legends in their own right, few redefined the position like Troy Polamalu did. Every Steelers' fan who watched Polamalu play has their own favorite moment, and several of those include the long-haired safety leaping over the offensive line to make a a gravity-defying tackle for loss. Those incredible plays may have looked like every single aspect was thought through and prepared prior to Polamalu jumping, but the reality is the exact opposite.
Steelers' Polamalu Made Biggest Plays In The Moment
Polamalu was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame not just for his impressive statistics during his playing career but also for the way he changed how people looked at the safety position. Former Steelers Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau had a one-of-a-kind relationship with Polamalu that was based on trust and respect. LeBeau knew that he had another defensive coach on the field in Polamalu and gave the dynamic safety free range to make the plays the defense needed.
Polamalu was on the Stacking The Box podcast with Sterling Holmes, where he talked about a specific play he had a tendency to make in the biggest moments. The sight of Polamalu leaping over the offensive line to stop a quarterback or runner in their tracks was one of the most incredible acts of athleticism you could see. Despite the appearance that Polamalu preplanned those moments based on data and knowledge, the truth was that those truly amazing jumps were pure instinct.
"You know, what's funny about it is, I just -- I didn't think about it. Sometimes I just found myself just like, going and doing it, and that's the best way that I can explain it because I'll be very honest - when I thought about it - that's when I jumped offsides...and that's where, to me, is where I started to understand myself as a player. I had to really, really overly prepare so that I could just be free and let it flow out there and just trust my instincts."
Hearing that Polamalu didn't think the leaps through doesn't take anything away from those moments; in fact, it adds to the ridiculousness of what he was able to do. It wasn't just the physical ability to time and jump over massive human beings as he did; it was his trust in the other ten men on the field to pick up the slack if he was wrong. There will never be another Polamalu, which makes what he did truly carved into Steelers' lore.
Steelers' Secondary Hopes To Live Up To The Past
The 2023 Steelers haven't exactly been the kind of team anyone would bet on for a deep playoff run or even to make the playoffs at all. Despite everything that has challenged the team in 2023, they are in the playoffs and actually have some momentum at their back.
Pittsburgh's defense has spent most of the 2023 season trying to fill in gaps left by a ton of injuries, including two that ended the seasons of Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb. The secondary hasn't been left out of the injury report either, with Minkah Fitzpatrick missing extended periods of time. The patchwork defense hasn't been the dominant version of great playoff teams in Pittsburgh's past, but nothing about 2023 has followed the script.
(editors note - story written prior to loss in Buffalo) For the Steelers to upset the Buffalo Bills in their Wild Card game on Monday, the secondary will need to not only step up but lock down any passing attack the snow might allow. Some may believe that because of the inclement weather, Josh Allen wouldn't be testing the Steelers' defense through the air, but that won't be the case. While the snow may even the playing field in some ways, an explosive offense like the Bills have means you are always one big play away from trailing.
After the game was moved due to the weather, the Steelers will be ready to show that it doesn't matter when they play; they are here to win. Considering that no one expected a playoff game for the 2023 Steelers, let alone that they would be led by Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh is playing with house money.
What will Mason Rudolph's 2023 playoff numbers look like against the Bills?
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