polamalubeast
06-13-2013, 10:54 AM
Troy Polamalu is 32, or eight years older than the Seahawks' Earl Thomas, who was acknowledged as the NFL's top safety a season ago.
Polamalu is coming off one of the most disappointing of his 10 NFL seasons, one in which he was on the sidelines more than he was at safety. The absence of one of football's true defensive playmakers didn't hurt the Steelers' No. 1-ranked defense statistically, but it certainly did psychologically.
“It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know we're better with Troy Polamalu healthy and on the field,” safety Ryan Clark said. “He's the best we have in this game.”
But 2012 certainly wasn't the best of Troy Polamalu, and he knows it.
It was the second time in four seasons he missed a huge chunk of a season — a knee injury limited him to five games in 2009 — and it raised questions about how fit he can stay and how well he can play the rest of his career.
And how much longer might that career last?
“I don't know,” said Polamalu, who is signed through 2014 to a contract that costs the Steelers more than $10 million in cap space each season. “I don't look beyond tomorrow's practice.”
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/4177313-74/polamalu-safety-season#ixzz2W718Oo8F
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook
Polamalu is coming off one of the most disappointing of his 10 NFL seasons, one in which he was on the sidelines more than he was at safety. The absence of one of football's true defensive playmakers didn't hurt the Steelers' No. 1-ranked defense statistically, but it certainly did psychologically.
“It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know we're better with Troy Polamalu healthy and on the field,” safety Ryan Clark said. “He's the best we have in this game.”
But 2012 certainly wasn't the best of Troy Polamalu, and he knows it.
It was the second time in four seasons he missed a huge chunk of a season — a knee injury limited him to five games in 2009 — and it raised questions about how fit he can stay and how well he can play the rest of his career.
And how much longer might that career last?
“I don't know,” said Polamalu, who is signed through 2014 to a contract that costs the Steelers more than $10 million in cap space each season. “I don't look beyond tomorrow's practice.”
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/4177313-74/polamalu-safety-season#ixzz2W718Oo8F
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook