The best Steelers to wear each number: #43 Troy Polamalu
Each week of the 2021 offseason, Ben Beberman will look back at some great careers to find out which Steelers were the best to wear each jersey number. Stay tuned to see which fan favorites or forgotten greats are mentioned in this weekly series!
This week we cover the one and only “Mr. Head and Shoulders” or sometimes “Tasmanian Devil”. He was acrobatic, majestic, and a spine-breaking hitter. He was also a quiet man who enjoyed his teammates and life above all. Most people outside Pittsburgh know him as the crazy guy with the long, black hair. We all know him as #43, Troy Polamalu.
Where do we begin with Polamalu’s career? Well, let us look at a few small stats: A 12-year career with 158 games; finishing with 32 career interceptions, three scores, and not to forget he’s a two-time NFL Super Bowl champion. It does not end there. Troy also made eight Pro Bowls, was a four-time All-Pro, was named to the “All 2000’s” decade team, was the NFL’s 2010 “Defensive Player of the Year”, and most-recently enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019. Need I say more?
Putting statistics aside, Troy was one of the players that were just “different”. He had a sixth-sense when it came to the game of football. Any time you needed a clutch play in a tight game, #43 was always ready to toll the bell.
Some of the greatest moments of his career came on the biggest stage. His pick-6 against the Baltimore Ravens in 2008 to send the Steelers to Super Bowl 43 was probably his most iconic play. The crazy thing about Troy is that from the spectacular game-changing plays to the little one-yard tackles, he was always spectacular.
Who could forget how he managed to catch many quarterbacks in their cadence and perfectly time sacks before they could even turn around? What about his famous leap over the line against the Titans in 2010? Or the strip-sack later in that same year on Joe Flacco to help the Steelers win another close game versus their biggest rival? As a lifelong fan, growing up watching him on tv, he has given all of us amazing, heart-pounding memories.
Another thing that made Troy so unique is he would smack you with all of his energy, knock you down, and then turn right around to pick you back up. Above all, he was a true human being. A true teammate and a very strong leader.
While Troy was not what some people define as a “true” safety, such as fellow rival and Hall of Famer Ed Reed, that is a moot argument because he did not need to be. His athleticism, football IQ, and raw power were more than most opponents could handle. There was always something special watching a full-speed Polamalu hit stick.
He will always be remembered as one of the greatest Steeler’s players of all time. I consider myself very fortunate to have watched him play with my own eyes. Also, I love how Troy just ruined Pat MacAfee’s day lining up in the C-gap.
There will never be another Troy Polamalu. I don’t think anyone would say otherwise.
