Safety Troy Polamalu A Danger To Pittsburgh's Opponents

There goes Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, using his uncanny instincts to leap, Superman style, and sack the quarterback an instant after the ball is snapped.

And there's Polamalu again, reaching back to snare an impossible one-handed interception, the ball stuck like Velcro in his grasp.

Polamalu, among the NFL's best defensive players, is everywhere on the field — and the Steelers (4-1) are back in a familiar spot, atop the AFC North as one of the league's three one-loss teams.
The man with the cartoonish large pouf of jet-black hair cascading across his shoulders conjures a different type of cartoon for wary opponents.

"He's like 'Where's Waldo?'" Tampa Bay Coach Raheem Morris said recently. "You've got to know where he is on the field."

Miami will certainly be keeping tabs. The Dolphins play host to Pittsburgh on Sunday and will be especially aware of playing keep-away from Polamalu as they try to get the ball into the hands of star receiver Brandon Marshall.

How much of a game-changer is the former USC safety? Consider that the Steelers won three of their first four games this season without the services of suspended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, yet were completely lost last season when Polamalu was sidelined with a knee injury. He makes that kind of impact.

The 16th overall pick in the 2003 draft, Polamalu is on a collision course with Canton and is among an elite collection of All-Pro NFL players to emerge from Los Angeles schools in the past two-plus decades — a group that includes USC's Junior Seau and Tony Boselli, and UCLA's Troy Aikman.

So what separates Polamalu from other safeties? A few experts on the position make their case.
 
Hands

NBC's Rodney Harrison, another two-time All-Pro safety, calls Polamalu "the defensive Randy Moss" for his ability to pull down any pass in his area code.

"I've never seen a guy make so many one-handed interceptions," Harrison said. "Every time that ball hits his hands. I don't care if it's one-handed, if it's behind him, if it's on the sideline, he's going to catch it and he's going to make sure he taps his feet."

Steelers fans won't soon forget the leaning, left-handed pick Polamalu made against Tennessee in last year's opener, a candidate for the most spectacular defensive play of the year.

Feet

One of the reasons the Steelers can get so creative with Polamalu, nudging him close to the line of scrimmage or deep in the defensive backfield, is his ability to cover ground so quickly.

"He's got feet like a running back," said NBC's Tony Dungy, a Super Bowl-winning coach and a former Pittsburgh defensive back. "He's not off balance very much, he can change directions quickly, and he's hard to knock off his feet when you're trying to block him.

"His feet allow him to stay in position and not miss many tackles."

Instincts

Harrison says the Steelers safety has such a good feel for what's about to happen, it's as if he has "football ESP." Hall of Fame safety Rod Woodson, also a former Pittsburgh star, said those instincts allow Polamalu to bend the rules a bit in defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's system.
"I remember when I was with Coach LeBeau in Pittsburgh, and he would always tell us not to turn our back to the ball," said Woodson, an NFL Network analyst. "Well, heck, Troy always turns his back to the ball. I asked Coach, 'Why do you let him do it?' And Coach said, 'Because he can.'

"I think that's an indication of how good he is as an athlete, knowing where he wants to go, and over the years becoming a student of the game. When we first saw Troy come into the league, he was kind of just a kamikaze guy. He was all over the place but wasn't making a whole bunch of plays, he'd miss some tackles. But what he's done the last three years, he's taken his game to the next level."

Heart  

As wild as he is on the field, Polamalu is remarkably humble and soft-spoken away from it.

"I don't think football comes naturally to me," he said. "I'm not like [Baltimore linebacker] Ray Lewis that can go out there and say, 'I'm the beast of the field. I own this field.' I'm more or less fighting out of fear."

That has inspired Polamalu to go to extremes when training in the off-season, including going on long runs in the middle of the night "to get my body used to things it doesn't want to do."

He and his wife are devout Eastern Orthodox Christians, and he weaves his spirituality into every facet of his life. That includes what he calls "spiritual workouts," or pushing himself to the point of total fatigue — then beyond.

For example, he has tested himself at a gym near his La Jolla home by turning a treadmill up to maximum speed, then sprinting on it as long as he possibly can until collapsing off it in a heap.

"You're pushing yourself beyond a limit where it stops working on you physically, and it starts working on your spirit," he said.

"As an athlete, if you're able to push yourself to those limits, it can give you a certain confidence. That doesn't come out of pride or ego, it comes out of humility.

"I know this guy's pushing himself hard. I know he works out eight hours a day. So I have to do something more than him in order to compete."

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Ngata, Defense Stepped Up Big In Ravens vs Pittsburgh

After the Ravens defense allowed rookie Peyton Hillis to rush for 144 yards and surrendered their first touchdown of the season against the Cleveland Browns, the Baltimore defense, led by a great performance from Haloti Ngata, dominated up front against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.  Though the boxscore will tell you that Reshard Mendenhall rushed for 79 yards and accounted for both of the Steelers’ touchdowns, the Ravens d-line was in their face all day long.

Haloti Ngata, looking for a new contract after this season, was the Ravens leader up front yesterday with eight tackles and the team’s only sack.  Ngata’s speed went unmatched as he was able to catch up with receivers across the middle and make his way through the offensive line.  Paul Kruger also got in on the action up front as a pass rusher and appeared to fit right into the Baltimore de.

The defense limited Pittsbugh to just four third down conversions on 11 attempts and pressured Charlie Batch to just 12 completions and an interception.  Though I should give credit to Batch for quickly releasing the ball when the Ravens threw everything they had at him on third downs.

While the Ravens were able to control the run game, they were tested in the secondary.  Though they’ve played the offenses of New York and Cincinnati, prior to this match up only Seneca Wallace and the Browns have truly tested the Ravens secondary down field.  Lardarius Webb proved once again that he has what it takes to be a great defender in the secondary yesterday.  His reactions to the quarterback Charlie Batch secured the Ravens from a few big plays down field.

And in the victory the Ravens finally ended their interception drought. They did wait until there was just 28 seconds left in the fourth game in the season, but they got it done.  Hopefully it’s the first of many and how fitting it was that number 52 came up with the ball that secured the win in Pittsburgh.

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Newest In Clan Has Polamalu Talent, Not The Hair

Maika Polamalu is a football player on the fast track to a Division I future. The Pottsgrove (Pa.) senior doubles as a bruising running back and a run-stopping defensive back and linebacker. None of that is surprising. In fact, given his surname, it might be more surprising if Polamalu wasn't a budding football star.

 

Still, the muscle-bound 18-year-old isn't as obvious a Polamalu as some might think. Unlike his cousin, hair-so-beautiful-it-needs-an-insurance-policy Steelers uber-presence Troy Polamalu, Maika's hair is more closely cropped. He even sported a slight mohawk at a March combine.

And unlike Troy or his uncle, USC offensive coordinator Kennedy Polamalu, Maika is unlikely to spend his college career at USC in sunny Southern California. Still, the latest to add to the Polamalu family's long football pedigree is all but guaranteed to spend his next four years playing college football, and he shows every inclination of living up to the family name in the process.

Polamalu is currently burning up Pennsylvania high school fields during his final season. The Falcons are 3-1, responding from their first loss at Boyerton -- the only game in which Polamalu was held to fewer than 100 yards rushing -- with a 21-10 win over Perkiomen Valley on Friday. Polamalu scored seven touchdowns on 460 yards in the Falcons' first four games, numbers which can only increase interest in the two-way starter. The senior currently has scholarship offers from Temple and Navy, but has also received significant interest from Penn State (where his father played for Joe Paterno), Pittsburgh and Michigan State, among other schools.

When the Falcons star isn't on the field, he's probably in a classroom somewhere. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Pottsgrove student athlete is taking a full five classes at the Montgomery County Community College branch in Pottstown. Already sporting a cumulative average of 91, Polamalu is likely to face little problem finishing his high school coursework in December so he can enroll in his chosen school in January for the spring semester and preseason practices. While that standardized "grayshirt" path might not be recommended for all student athletes, Pottsgrove's head football coach doesn't foresee any problems for Polamalu.

"He's a tremendous student," Pottsgrove coach Rick Pennypacker told the Inquirer. "He's a tremendous kid, and I can't say enough good things about the kid."

Regardless of where Maika heads next, his NFL cousin will be rooting for him.

"I never felt pressure because I have uncles and cousins that played at pretty elite levels of college,"

Troy Polamalu told Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "It all depends on the parenting. Some parents can put a whole lot of pressure on [their children], and some don't. His parents definitely don't do that."

"It's awesome," the elder Polamalu told Pittsburgh's KDKA-TV. "It is a younger generation of cousins that are starting to come up, so him along with a few other cousins, it's gonna be pretty cool to watch."

Considering the fact that Pittsburgh has recruited the younger Polamalu, it's possible there could be multiple Polamalus keeping an eye on defensive backfields in Heinz Field in the future. Not that there will be any trouble telling the two apart. The hair takes care of that.

"People always ask me why I don't have that kind of hair, and what happened," Maika Polamalu told the Inquirer. "My dad was one of the only few out of his brothers and sisters not to have thick, curly hair. So then, when I'm only half-Samoan, I'm definitely not going to get it."

Luckily for Maika, the hair is a less important familial trait than football aptitude. Though it might only be slightly less valuable, if you ask Head & Shoulders.

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Troy Polamalu and American Samoa - Message to the Players

This is Troy Polamalu's personal message to the football players of American Samoa. This was recorded on August 16, 2010 and was shown in American Samoa when we delivered the Nike gear to the players. It was rebroadcast on local TV and radio.

 Video courtesy of "Troyfortythree"

Fono Commends Troy Polamalu For $100K Football Donation

As a demonstration of their gratitude, all seven high schools assembled at the Veterans Field, wearing their new uniforms. Once again, the whole group burst into song. It was amazing.

A Siva Tau dance by Marist High School on American Samoa. They performed it for us when we delivered the Nike gear to their school on behalf of Troy Polamalu. These kids have great heart.

At the end of our formal presentation of the Nike equipment from Troy Polamalu, the Director of Education and the Lt. Governor of American Samoa led the assembled group in two beautiful songs. Many of the Team Polamalu members were deeply moved by this tradition.

Deutsch Nu'uelua Pu'u, one of Troy's fans on facebook, tells us about the lyrics and meaning of the songs:

Ua fa'afetai ua fa'afetai
ua malie mata e va'ai
ua tasi lava oe
...ua tasi lava oe
i lo'u nei fa'amoemoe

We are thankful, very thankful
we are pleased by what we see
your are the one
you are the one
That we have been praying God Blessed

Note***
This song is a direct "thank you" from the players and all parties involved. The old song is a story of how grateful everyone is of the things this Son of Samoa has done for his Home.

second songs says:

Ua so'ona olioli nei
lo'u loto ia Iesu
ua ia fa'aola ia te a'u
O la'u lea pese fou

I am so very happy
My soul rejoices you Jesus
you saved me
this is the new song that i sing

Pese (Pese, Pese)
Aleluia (Aleluia)
O le La (O lou agaga oe)
Iesu o le fa'aola mai
ua 'ou 'oli'oli ai

Singing (singing, singing)
Hallelujah (Hallelujah)
Your like the sun (you're the light of my life)
Jesus you have saved me
this is the new song that i sing

Note***

The first Song was a "Thank You" song to Troy and team Nike, The second song was to God for blessing Samoa through the hands of one of his own Children.

I must imply that Samoa is a very Christian based land. In Samoa you will not be able to go five minutes in any direction and not see a Church. Hence Polamalu's Christian Background being as strong as it is. All businesses are closed on Sundays at least until Church is complete. It is not a Law it is respect the Samoan People have for God. Samoa is a state where Religion and State ARE NOT DIVIDED! The motto for the American Samoa Government is "Samoa Muamua Le Atua" (Samoa God is first) And for the neighboring Island of Independent Samoa theyre motto is Fa'avae i le Atua Samoa (God be the Foundation of Samoa). 

 Courtesy of "Troyfortythree's" for the Youtube footage!  

Professional football player Troy Polamalu, whose long curly hair has been insured for $1 million has been commended by the Fono for his contribution to local athletic development through his contribution of $100,000 worth of football equipment.

Last month the football gear was presented to Lt. Gov. Faoa A. Sunia, who was accompanied by Education Department director Dr. Claire Poumele. It was made by Nike Sports Marketing Manager Forrest Sherman on behalf of Polamalu, who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

For his generous contribution, a House Concurrent Resolution was approved this week by the Fono conveying sincere gratitude and appreciation to Polamalu, who the resolution says “is a household name in homes across the United States and American Samoa, especially those homes which enjoy...football.”

Original sponsors of the resolution are Manu’a lawmakers, House Vice Speaker Laolagi F.S. and Reps. Fetu Feui Jr. and Talia Fa’afetai Iaulualo. Later the House amended the resolution to include all members of the House as co-sponsors.

According to the resolution the name ‘Troy’ was chosen by his modest mother Suila ‘Sue” Polamalu-Fiame of Ta’u, Manu’a, “for her youngest son, who mirrors his mother’s modesty as an adult.”

The resolution outlines personal information about the now 29-year old NFL player, who was born in Garden Grove, Calif. and his mother raised Troy and his brother and sisters on her own.  When Troy was nine years old, his mother took him and his siblings to visit her brother in Oregon.

“Troy truly enjoyed the town of Winston where his uncle Salu lived. It was a small community of people who knew each other well,” the lawmakers said in the resolution.

It also says that Troy’s mother and his uncles — former Sen. Fa’amausili Pola and Salu Polamalu — were instrumental in Troy’s “rise to fame.”

“Together they nurtured, encouraged and pushed him to utilize his God-given talents with humbleness and hard work,” according to the resolution, that adds Troy’s athletic talents began to exhibit in school where he was outstanding in baseball, basketball, and football.

Upon graduating from high school in 1998, Troy entered the University of Southern California and in hopes of learning more about his Samoan culture, he joined Polynesian clubs on campus.

The resolution outline several information during his football career at USC, where he “redshirted” his Freshman year and was a substitute safety and linebacker the following season.

Some of his football achievements at USC includes having been voted team captain; earned First Team All-Pac 10 Honors; named a 1st Team All American. He led his teammates with the most tackles since 1986, named USC’s first All-America’s Safety and voted the team’s Most Valuable Player.

“Troy graduated from USC, leaving a legacy of 278 tackles, 6 interceptions, 13 pass deflections and 4 blocked punt,” the measure says.

In his professional football career, Troy began in 2003 with the Steelers and his “diligent hard work with the Steelers won him two Super Bowl Championship in 2006 and 2009” and he’s been named to five Pro Bowls as well, according to the resolution.

It also noted the important and useful donation of over $100,000 worth of football equipment through his association with Nike which was shipped to the territory for local high school football players and coaches.

“The NFL-quality of the equipment has instilled a sense of pride in the athletes and Troy’s inspirational message positively boosted their morale for the entire season,” according to the Manu’a lawmakers.

“...the encouragement of those who traveled thousands of miles to present the equipment demonstrates the confidence that Troy and many others have that our children are destined for great futures if they work hard, remembering their Samoan heritage and not just themselves,” the lawmakers observed.

“The people of American Samoa commend and congratulate you, Troy, on your amazing accomplishments during your young life,” the approved resolution states. “You, along with Samoan athletes of the same NFL caliber, have continually brought your Samoan people to center stage.”

“...the Legislature of American Samoa, for itself and on behalf of the people...of American Samoa, expresses its gratitude and appreciation to you Troy Polamalu for your generosity,” the resolution concludes.

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Polamalu Went On 'Quest To Find The Truth'

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said his quest for religious guidance was an attempt to find true meaning in his life.

"I wasn't satisfied with what my idea of faith was," said Polamalu, 29, who said he felt blessed to be exposed to Catholic, Mormon and Protestant churches as a child in Oregon. "I went to church. Some days I would feel the music, I'd feel the sermon; some days I wouldn't. Sometimes, I would be crying. Sometimes, I would be dead and bored.

"That emotional experience was a very shallow experience. I wanted something that would touch my heart, not my emotions."

Polamalu started reading about religions and their history. He met with monks, even finding a Buddhist who lived in the desert in California.

"I was on a quest to find the truth," he said.

He chose Greek Orthodox and was baptized four years ago.

"The only church that I can say really never swayed was the Orthodox church," he said.

Polamalu found the truth on Mount Athos, a peninsula in Greece where he spent four days living with monks in a monastery.

Enormous, old castles dot the seashores and mountain slopes of Greece, and male monks — no women are permitted on the peninsula — live a life of confinement, prayer, asceticism and contemplation. Many monks live in caves, as they have for thousands of years.

"You're talking 1,500 years of tradition that has been passed down and unblemished," said Polamalu, who acquired a small, wooden cross on Mt. Athos that he wears around his neck at all times.

Polamalu is almost insulted when someone expresses amazement at how seriously he embraces his faith.

"We're talking about faith. We're talking about God," he said. "How can you not take that seriously? We're talking about the meaning of life, really."

Polamalu is careful not to push his beliefs onto others.

"It can lead to resentment, and that is not what you want," he said. "There is also a sense of arrogance sometimes when people are really hearty, evangelizers, and that is opposite of what faith is. Like, 'I know this better than you.' There are a lot of pitfalls to that."

Asked if it's proper to pray for victory or a game free of injury, Polamalu said: "That's for God to judge."

But he adds: "It's not about winning games. It's about winning your soul."

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Troy Polamalu's Long Locks Insured For $1 Million

You'd think that an All-Pro safety who missed 11 games in 2009 due to a knee injury would be most concerned about other body parts, but Pittsburgh Steelers superstar Troy Polamalu(notes) also has endorsements to consider. One of his endorsements is with the Head & Shoulders company, which makes sense when you consider Polamalu's famed three-foot-long hair. It's a tribute to his Samoan heritage, and it's not something he plans to cut anytime soon.

[Photos: More images of Polamalu]

Once in a great while, a Steelers opponent will try to use Polamalu's hair against him in a game (as Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson(notes) did in 2006 as Polamalu returned an interception), and it's quite possible that the concern over such matters was the catalyst needed by Head & Shoulders to insure Polamalu's hair with Lloyd's of London for $1 million, which was reported by the Associated Press.

Then again, it could be a publicity stunt. Lloyd's is famous for unusual policies that can be turned into media gold; the company has insured Tina Turner's legs, Keith Richards' fingers, the legs of noted Riverdance ponce Michael Flatley, the bodies of several professional wrestlers (including Ric Flair -- Woo!), Jimmy Durante's nose, and Celine Dion's vocal cords (they're also talking with Virgin Galactic about insuring space travel, if that ever gets off the ground). Polamalu's hair isn't going anywhere, but it's a nice press haul for company and endorsee.

And if you want to ask Polamalu why his hair is insured ... well, just don't ask with your eyes. He can pick that up pretty well.

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Healthy Troy Polamalu Gives Steelers Defense Its 'Quarterback Back'

Troy Polamalu may be the most popular player at Steelers training camp. The Pro Bowl safety gets more hopeful "We Love You!" shouts than anybody else. He stays long after practice to sign just about every autograph for just about every fan who lingers on the grassy hills here at St. Vincent College. His signature cascading hairstyle makes him easy to spot, his soft-spoken earnestness makes him easy to like.

And the fans of the Steelers like him very much.

So do Pittsburgh's other players, who are more than a little bit happy to have him back from the knee injury that cost him 11 of their 16 games last year.

"It's like having our quarterback back," Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said. "Troy's a special player. Probably one of the best players in this league. Every game he's on the field, I tell him I need him to be special. And when he's special, he gives us a chance to win a lot of ballgames."

When he was absent in 2009, it definitely increased the Steelers' chances of losing ballgames. In the five games in which Polamalu played, Pittsburgh was 4-1 and allowed an average of 13.8 points per game. In the 11 he missed, they were 5-6 and allowed an average of 23.2.

"I'm not going to sit here and say I'm going to come back and make 10 points' difference," Polamalu said. "I'm just glad I feel healthy enough to be out here practicing, and so far, so good."

"He allows you to open up the playbook. When you have Troy back there ... it allows you to ... do some more creative things than you're able to do with just a normal, good NFL safety playing in that same spot. "
-- Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeauPolamalu said his goal was to be healthy enough to participate in training camp. He's cautious with predictions and said he hopes to be 100 percent in time for the season, but that he can't be certain until he starts seeing some game action. But the Steelers are hanging a lot of their 2010 hopes on the idea that their do-it-all safety will be back where they need him to be, creating all kinds of havoc in the secondary.

"The way he plays, he's not playing a normal safety position like everybody else plays it," linebacker James Harrison said. "There may be 32 safeties out there playing in the NFL, but there's not one of them that's going to play like Troy."

What makes Polamalu so tough to replace are the non-quantifiable qualities that makes him so good. He takes what Harrison calls "calculated risks," and he gets away with them because of his intelligence and his athleticism. He has a sense for which way the play will run, where the ball is going to be, which is what makes it appear at times as if there's more than one of him on the field. Without him in the lineup, the Steelers were able to plug in safeties they felt were good NFL players, but none of them brought what Polamalu brings to the game.

"He allows you to open up the playbook," defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. "When you have Troy back there, and you're kind of counting on him to make plays the way he does, it allows you to pull guys from one place or the other and do some more creative things than you're able to do with just a normal, good NFL safety playing in that same spot. It's nothing against anybody else here or anywhere else. Troy's just different."

So they're happy to have him back at practice. It's hard to say they're taking it easy with him, since the Steelers don't do much hard hitting in their practices anyway. He's going through the individual and team drills, getting his timing down like everybody else, getting into what he describes as "football shape."

"I was out for a while, so it feels good to be back in there," Polamalu said. "But at the same time, you miss that kind of time, it's going to affect you. I have some work to do to get back to where I want to be."

He's not the only big addition the Steelers plan to make from within. They're also getting back defensive end Aaron Smith, who missed 11 games last year with a torn rotator cuff.

"Aaron Smith means a great deal, both for our run support and our pass rush," Harrison said. "If you're running the ball, you need two people to block him. And when you have two people blocking Aaron, that means one of us is going to be free to do damage. So both of those guys, Troy and Aaron, are big if they can come back all the way."

This time last year, the Steelers were Super Bowl champs with reasonable hopes for a title defense. This year, they're a team that finished in third place in the AFC North and watched the two teams ahead of them -- Cincinnati and Baltimore -- add multiple pieces to improve their offenses.

The Steelers didn't do that. They traded Santonio Holmes and elevated Mike Wallace to the No. 2 receiver spot opposite Ward. They'll play at least the first four games of the season, and possibly the first six, without suspended starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. They're counting on third-year running back Rashard Mendenhall to carry a full-season load behind an offensive line that was questionable before it lost tackle Willie Colon to a season-ending injury.

Yeah, there's a pretty good chance the Steelers will struggle to score this year. Which means it'll be up to the star-studded defense to keep points off the board. And while Harrison and James Farrior and Casey Hampton and Lamarr Woodley are all monsters in their own right, they'll all be better if Polamalu and Smith are back, healthy and playing the way they played two years ago.

"We were playing without their personal capabilities," Harrison said. "We had other guys who were capable to stand in, but it wasn't those two guys, and we missed them. It made a difference." 

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Troy Polamalu Eager to Erase Disappointing 2009

With his signature black locks neatly tied back and his soft-spoken responses to questions, Troy Polamalu presented a more subdued persona than one might expect.

But it's just fine with Polamalu, Pittsburgh's hard-hitting All-Pro safety, if the Steelers stay quietly under the radar for the time being.

"We're getting a lot of attention away from football, but as far as proper football attention, people don't expect us to do anything," said Polamalu, making an appearance at William and Mary's Colonial All-Pro football camp Tuesday. "If you look at the past, that's kind of where we've prevailed, as the underdog. We've come back from Super Bowl years where we were supposed to be another Super Bowl squad, and we've just blown it."

That's what happened in 2009, when the Steelers followed their world championship the previous season by going 9-7 and failing to make the playoffs. Polamalu wasn't on the field for much of the season after first spraining the medial collateral ligament in his left knee and then straining the posterior collateral ligament in the same knee, injuries that limited him to playing in parts of only five games.

"I get paid to be a football player, not a cheerleader or a coach. I don't belong on the sideline," Polamalu said. "As a football player, you take a lot of things for granted – each snap, camaraderie in team meeting rooms – and whenever you can't be a part of that, it's disappointing."

As Polamalu rehabbed his knee without surgery, the Steelers' troubles continued in the off-season. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual misconduct when a 20-year-old woman claimed that Roethlisberger assaulted her at a Georgia nightclub on March 5.

Roethlisberger was not charged in that incident, but still faces a lawsuit filed by a woman who says he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel and casino.

Polamalu said Roethlisberger's troubles haven't been a distraction and that he's not disappointed in the quarterback, but "I guess it would be similar to dealing with a brother in a way that, you know, you're like, 'Ah, man, come on. You're better than that,' " Polamalu said. " … Obviously he's been a really big focal point of our team in the last few years, but the thing that the Steelers have built their tradition on is depth and team. Our team is not like a New England Patriots or an Indianapolis Colts in the sense that you can take Peyton Manning or Tom Brady away from the team and they would be a completely different team. We've won games without Ben, but I don't think we can win a championship without him – or it would be really tough to win a championship without Ben.

"But we'll see. He's a great friend to all of us on the team, and we're all dealing with it together."

Polamalu has no problem pinpointing what went wrong on the field for Pittsburgh in 2009.

"We didn't play Steeler football," he said. "People understand when they play the Steelers that we're going to run the ball, we're going to control the clock, we're going to play good defense and solid special teams. If one of those aspects of our game lacks, then we lose the game. That's how important Steeler football is. Whereas if you take a team like Indianapolis, they can have a bad special-teams game, they can have a bad defensive game, but their offense can always make up for it. In Pittsburgh, it's always been a team concept, and we went away from that last year."

If the Steelers can get back on track next season, then a little more attention would suit Polamalu just fine.

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Polamalu Paving The Way For Samoans

After years of nothing but terrorizing the Cleveland Browns, Troy Polamalu is inadvertently helping to change the landscape of the Cleveland Browns. Known for his hard-hitting plays and physical toughness, Browns' management has been recently scouting and looking to the Pacific Islands recently in a quest to find players of his same caliber.

In the 2009 NFL Draft, Rey Maualuga of Samoan descent, was high on the list of the Cleveland Browns fans in the days preceding the event. Instead passing on Rey Maualuga, who later went to the Cincinnatti Bengals, and selecting David Veikune 52nd overall out of Hawaii, before then picking up Kaluka Maiava 104th out of USC.

Is it sheer coincidence? Or is there something in the water surrounding those islands?

"Polynesians, they're pretty strong, very powerful, physical people," said Veikune. "The NFL is a very physical game, so I think they put two and two together and started recruiting over there."

"We're just people trying to play football and have a job," Maiava said modestly. "I don't know if we're the chosen few or anything. We're just trying to make a living."

This year was no different in Cleveland, as the Browns picked up another Samoan player with a high motor in Shawn Lauvao. An offensive tackle out of Arizona State, that head coach Eric Mangini praises as a player that never stops working, hitting his man and then 'cleaning out the pocket' until the whistle blows.

Lauvao's attitude is one that has been sorely missed in Cleveland for years, “I like to knock heads, if I don’t have anything to do, I’m going to go see if I can smash somebody else."

Fast-forward to today, the Cleveland Browns announced the signing of undrafted free agent Martin Tevaseu, a Samoan nose tackle out of UNLV. In attendance at his Pro Day, Cleveland scouts undoubtedly walked away impressed by his performance, but Tevaseu went overlooked on draft day.

Tevaseu shed weight from an over-sized 420 pound frame, to an absolutely dominating 335 pound monster. Coming from a smaller school like UNLV, Tevaseu had to work harder to even be noticed, much like 2009 Browns' Eric Wright and Beau Bell.

Tevaseu's impressive 2009 season where he overpowered double-teams all year, earned him a spot in the East-West Shrine Game where he was coached by NFL legend Marty Schottenheimer. It's reported that the blown away coach ran up to Tevaseu in the parking lot afterwards, introduced himself, and then said the words, “I want to tell you, son, you are doing a hell of a job. A hell of a job."

It remains to be seen if Tevaseu makes the opening day roster, but with current nose tackle Shaun Rogers facing a gun possession charge, it seems his chances are that much better.

Martin Tevasau highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EmSnKXjJPI

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Steelers' Troy Polamalu Was Concerned Knee Injury in 2009 Was Career-Threatening

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said he was concerned at points last season that the knee injury that limited him to five games in 2009 was potentially career-threatening.

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, center, suffered a knee injury in win against the Titans.

Polamalu told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that doctors warned him if he played through the pain of a torn ligament in his left knee, he was risking the end of his career.
Said Polamalu:

"Yes, it was a concern. The hardest thing was if I would have injured it again, the doctor was saying that it will be a career-ending injury, most likely. I had to face that."

Polamalu was hurt in the season opener and missed the next four games. He returned for four games, but another injury sidelined him for the remainder of the season (though he remained hopeful in December that he might play by the end of the year).

The Steelers safety began wearing a brace reluctantly because of the seriousness of the injury. After eschewing surgery in favor of rehab, he practiced with teammates at the team's minicamp last weekend.

What's his prognosis?

"Right now, I feel fine," Polamalu told the Tribune Review. "(But) I don't know what happens when we start tackling."

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Troy Polamalu Packs The Harrisburg Mall For Autograph Signings

Steeler Nation was out in full force, decked in black, bright yellow and white garb to honor one of its heroes.

And when the five-time NFL All-Pro strong safety Troy Polamalu came down the escalator outside Big Bass Pro Shop at the Harrisburg Mall, the throng of fans showed appreciation with a deafening ovation.

Polamalu was in town to sign autographs for the IUP Alumni Sports Card Show, which ends today at the Harrisburg Mall. For $155 a pop, one of the league's best signed helmets and pictures. An additional $60 got a jersey signed. Proceeds benefited Harrisburg-area students attending IUP.

But price didn't matter. Not to these diehards, who sold the event out by purchasing all 820 tickets available for the signing.

"It was worth it," Tom Geiser, of New Cumberland, said. "Besides, the money goes to charity and if you go online and get a signed jersey, it is $200. Plus, we got a chance to meet him and that means a lot more."

Geiser, who has 12 Steelers jerseys, held son Konnor in his arms. His wife Jessamy, who was wearing a home black Polamalu jersey, had a white No. 43 jersey, which will be framed and hung on the wall, in her arms.

This was a chance for Jessamy to not only see a Steelers player up close, but her favorite player in the NFL.


"He is so hot," Jessamy Geiser said. "I just wanted to touch his hair, but I guess he had it up so the women wouldn't grab it.

"He is such a good player. It was horrible that he didn't play last year. We could have gone to the Super Bowl if he would have played. But we do have next year."

Polamalu suffered an injury to the medial cruciate ligament in his knee in the Steelers opener against Tennessee. He missed four games before returning against Cleveland. Later in the season, he tweaked his posterior cruciate ligament against Cincinnati, which ended his season.

The Steelers missed Polamalu's presence in the secondary for 11 games. The team dropped to ninth in the league against the pass and lost five straight games in the middle of the season, blowing leads in each of the losses.

"The team wasn't really that good with him not in there," said 10-year-old Shelby Benner of Halifax. "It was really cool to see him. This is one of the best things that has ever happened to me."

Benner said she has been watching football since she was little with parents Terry and Lisa. She is a cheerleader and was so nervous about meeting Polamalu that she was shaking before and after she went through the line.

Like many of the fans lined up in anaconda fashion, Benner respects the way Polamalu plays the game. They love his big hits and playmaking ability that has netted him 20 career interceptions and 452 tackles.

Countless flashbulbs went off as Polamalu, who refused to grant interviews to the media, signed everything from old USC Trojans gear, to Super Bowl apparel and even a three-foot bobblehead that was purchased by Harrisburg's Tim Dunchock.

"I went to a Pittsburgh game and was looking for Pittsburgh Steelers stuff when I found this," said Dunchock, who paid $525 for the statue. "He is my favorite player, and you definitely see how good he is because that defense was nothing without him last year.

"It was an automatic no-brainer coming here to get him to sign it. You see these guys on the field, but it's a great experience getting to meet him. It's hard to describe how it feels."

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Only 6 Poly's Drafted In 1st Round of NFL Draft Since 1970!

Only 6 players of Polynesian decent have been drafted in the 1st round of the NFL Draft since 1970 ,with the merger of the AFL and NFL.

The following players include:

1. Atlanta Falcons

1. 1977: Wilson Faumuina, San Jose State, DL
1. 
   

   Date of birth:	June 11, 1954 (1954-06-11) (age 55)
   Place of birth:	American Samoa
   Date of death:	1986
   Career information
   Position(s):	Defensive lineman
   College:	San Jose State
   NFL Draft:	1977 / Round: 1 / Pick 20
   Organizations
   As player:
   1977-1981	Atlanta Falcons

2. Cincinnati Bengals

1. 1979: Jack Thompson, Washington State, QB
1. 
   
   

   Date of birth:	May 18, 1956 (1956-05-18) (age 53)
   Place of birth:	Tutuila, American Samoa
   Career information
   Position(s):	Quarterback
   Jersey №:	12, 14
   College:	Washington State
   NFL Draft:	1979 / Round: 1 / Pick 3
   Organizations
   As player:
   1979-1982 1983-1984	Cincinnati Bengals Tampa Bay Buccaneers
   Playing stats at NFL.com

    
3. Seattle Seahawks

1. 1979: Manu Tuiasosopo, UCLA, DT
1. 
   
   

   Date of birth:	August 30, 1957 (1957-08-30) (age 52)
   Place of birth:	Los Angeles, California
   Career information
   Position(s):	Defensive lineman
   College:	UCLA
   NFL Draft:	1979 / Round: 1 / Pick: 18
   Organizations
   As player:
   1979-1983 1984-1986	Seattle Seahawks San Francisco 49ers
   Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com

    
4. San Diego Chargers

1. 1990: Junior Seau, Southern California, LB
1. 
   
   

   Date of birth: January 19, 1969 (1969-01-19) (age 41)
   Place of birth: San Diego, California
   Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	Weight: 248 lb (112 kg)
   Career information
   College: Southern California
   NFL Draft: 1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
   Debuted in 1990 for the San Diego Chargers
   Career history
   As player: San Diego Chargers (1990–2002) Miami Dolphins (2003–2005) New England Patriots (2006–2009)
   Career highlights and awards
   7× First-team All-Pro (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000) 2× Second-team All-Pro (1997, 1999) 12× Pro Bowl selection (1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) NFL 1990s All-Decade Team NEA NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1992) UPI AFC Defensive Player of the Year (1992)
   Career NFL statistics as of 2009
   Tackles	1,849
   Sacks	56.5
   Interceptions	18
   Forced fumbles	11
   Pass deflections	21
   Stats at NFL.com

    
5. Pittsburgh Steelers

1. 2003: Troy Polamalu, Southern California, S
1. 
   
   

   Date of birth: April 19, 1981 (1981-04-19) (age 28)
   Place of birth: Garden Grove, California
   Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	Weight: 207 lb (94 kg)
   Career information
   College: Southern California
   NFL Draft: 2003 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16
   Debuted in 2003 for the Pittsburgh Steelers
   Career history
   As player: Pittsburgh Steelers (2003–present)
   Career highlights and awards
   5× Pro Bowl selection (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) 2× 1st Team AP All-Pro selection (2005, 2008) 1x 2nd Team AP All-Pro selection (2004) 2× Super Bowl champion (XL, XLIII) “Joe Greene Great Performance Award” (2003) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
   Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2009
   Tackles	452
   Sacks	7.0
   INTs	20
   Stats at NFL.com

    
6. Baltimore Ravens

1. 2006: Haloti Ngata, Oregon, DT
1. 
   
   

   Date of birth: January 21, 1984 (1984-01-21) (age 26)
   Place of birth: Inglewood, California
   Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	Weight: 345 lb (156 kg)
   Career information
   College: Oregon
   NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12
   Debuted in 2006 for the Baltimore Ravens
   Career history
   As player: Baltimore Ravens (2006–present)
   Roster status: Active
   Career highlights and awards
   1× Pro Bowl selection (2009) 2× Second-team All-Pro selection (2008,2009) 2005 College Football All-American (consensus) 2001 High School All-American (USA Today)
   Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2009
   Tackles	184
   Sacks	6.5
   INTs	3
   Stats at NFL.com

    

Mike Iupati, Offensive Guard for Idaho, looks like #7 on the list to be drafted in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.  From various 2010 NFL Mock Drafts, and scouting reports, he is considered to be the #1 Offensive Guard in the 2010 NFL Draft class.

Maika Polamalu Making A Name For Himself

Everyone knows his last name.

And, that alone, has produced expectations and pressure, especially considering that Maika Polamalu may even play the same position in college as his famous cousin.

The thing is, the Pottsgrove High junior has a football role model in his own house. His father, Aoatoa Polamalu (He goes by Ao, which sounds like "Al"), was a starting defensive tackle on the Nittany Lions' national title team in 1986.

His uncle, Kennedy Pola, is now the running backs coach for the Tennessee Titans.

And, of course, his cousin Troy Polamalu is an all-pro safety with the Pittsburgh Steelers.


Maika Polamalu is doing his best to make a name for himself.

Schools such as Penn State and Villanova have shown interest, but he's still waiting on his first written scholarship offers.

"I tell you what, I feel bad for the young man," his father said. "Everybody thinks he's the next Troy. People need to relax and let the kid get better in his own skin. . . . Those who think he should be more have their opinions. It ticks me off at times. I wish they'd just treat him as a junior in high school."

Said Maika: "It was tough as I grew up, but as I matured the pressure eased off, and I realized that I'm my own person and not him."

Certainly, the kid has skills and potential.

He's started since his freshman year on a team with at least two other big-time talents and is now a star running back and linebacker. He may be interested in trying to play college football in California, where his father and aunts and uncles grew up after leaving American Samoa.

For now, he's not sure where things are headed.

"He's big, he's physical . . . almost like a freak of nature," said Rick Pennypacker, his coach at Pottsgrove High. "He's big and strong and runs like a deer.

"But everybody thinks he's Troy Polamalu, and he's not. . . . Everybody compares him. Right away, everybody wants to talk about Troy. Everybody in our school wants Maika to get autographs of Troy, everybody wants Troy to come to our school. The kid just needs to be himself."

His best attribute?

 

"Not another person Penn State recruits works as hard as this kid," Pennypacker said, noting his two hours of daily speed and strength training.

And if the scholarship offers do line up as expected in the coming months, he will have an interesting choice:

Stay close to home, maybe at his father's alma mater? (Ao Polamalu was noticed by the Lions' staff while they were recruiting his brother, Kennedy).

Or he could head out West, where he was born, where much of his large family still lives and where he could truly be immersed in his heritage.

"I think Maika missed out on a lot of that. . . . I learned everything from my brothers and sisters about my heritage," said his father, the youngest of 11 kids.

"Taking him to a reunion, he's amazed. It's really neat seeing him smile, realizing that he's part of such a family."

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Polamalu Didn't Have Knee Surgery in 2010 Season

 

Pittsburgh Steelers star safety Troy Polamalu didn't require surgery to address the knee problems that addressed him all season, according to director of football operations Kevin Colbert.

"No, he did not have surgery," Colbert told ESPN.

Colbert also theorized that Polamalu could have possibly played in the playoffs if the Steelers had qualified.

"I know that he was practicing prior to our last game," Colbert said. "If we had advanced into the postseason, he would have probably increased his practice load, and I think his ability to be able to play in a potential playoff game would have been determined by how he practiced that week. But he was able to practice the week before."

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Polamalu Named to All-Decade Team

Troy Polamalu was one of four safeties and the only Steelers player named to the All-Decade team released Sunday by the NFL.

Two former Steelers, guard Alan Faneca and outside linebacker Joey Porter, are also on the 53-man squad that was selected by the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters.

Polamalu had made five consecutive Pro Bowls prior to this season. Knee injuries limited him to five games in 2009 though Polamalu still tied for the most interceptions (3) on the Steelers.

Polamalu was a two-time first-team All-Pro pick last decade.

Both of those selections came in seasons (2005 and 2008) that the Steelers won the Super Bowl.

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Why Are Samoans Flocking to The NFL? Watch "60 Minutes" Sunday

HY DO MORE NFL PLAYERS COME FROM A TINY GROUP OF SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS THAN FROM ANY OTHER PLACE IN AMERICA? “60 MINUTES” FINDS OUT – SUNDAY ON CBS 

60 MINUTES goes to American Samoa to find out how a territory with a population less than the capacity of a pro-football stadium sends more players to the NFL than any similarly populated place in America. In fact, boys born to Samoan parents are estimated to be 56 times more likely to play in the NFL than other Americans, reports Scott Pelley in his story to be broadcast Sunday, Jan. 17 (8-9 p.m., ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.

The Samoan people tend to be on the larger side and the islands’ six high schools have sent 10 linemen to the NFL in the last five years. One of those 10 NFL linemen who played Samoan high school ball is the Cincinnati Bengals’ Domata Peko, who says Samoans’ speed plays a role as well. “The combination of size and ability and speed, that’s kind of hard to find. Big dudes who can have nimble feet and are able to run and go sideline to sideline,” says Peko. Peko’s teammate, another Samoan named Jonathan Fanene, is a defensive end who proves Peko’s point with his six sacks and a touchdown this season. Says Fanene, “With the talent that we have, we have to take pride of it, especially when you have the opportunity to come to the mainland.”

Fanene’s little, well, not so little, brother, 17-yr.-old Aiulua, is poised to follow in Jonathan’s footsteps. At 6-5 and 280lbs., he’s considering offers from Arizona University and Oregon State. Like many other Samoans, he does a day’s worth of chores before school starts. His father, David, thinks the discipline has a lot to do with his kids’ football success. “That’s how he’s been brought up. Discipline. Obedience should be involved in this house and I am expecting our children to obey us,” Fanene tells Pelley

Jonathan Fanene built his family a palatial home in Samoa with the seven-figure salary his NFL career affords him.

Perhaps the most famous Samoan in the NFL, Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu – born in the U.S. to Samoan parents – says the island is lucky to have the option of football. Beyond a career in the NFL, Samoans have little opportunity beyond the military or work in a tuna canning industry based there that is threatening to pull out soon. “The beautiful thing about football is it’s allowed us to get into education,” says Polamalu. “Football is something that comes naturally to us,” he tells Pelley.

There are currently more than 30 Samoans in the NFL and another 200-plus playing Division 1 college football. There are just 65,000 people living on the islands. “What if there were 120 million Samoans,” wonders Polamalu. “How many Samoans would there then be in the NFL?”

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