Polamalu

[Wee-Bey 0]

Anyone else think Troy Polamalu is overrated? Supposed to be a big time playmaker but did not record a takeaway until Week 14 this season and was badly burned several times during the Broncos playoff game - on two of Thomas' big catches including the game winner and he bit badly on a move by Fels for a long gain. He is very good along the line of scrimmage but when asked to do anything in coverage I have noticed he is constantly out of position. Gambles too much looking for a big play and ends up getting beat.

[Bay 2,003]

He's definitely lost a step from a coverage standpoint.

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

He's starting to get older and is regressing in coverage. He has always been a very aggressive player though and sometimes his risks end up resulting in big plays.

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

Polamalu wasn't in deep coverage on any of the big plays. Ike Taylor couldn't cover ANYONE and they continued to have 10 men in the box with Ryan Mundy deep to try and stop the pass. That was on Mundy and Taylor, not Polamalu.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

Something that always seems to get lost in all the talk about Polamalu is that he isn't a FS... He's a SS.

 

That being the case, the SS in Mr. Lebeau's 3-4 scheme is pretty different then the SS in an average scheme. In a lot of cases, he's just another LB who blitzes on many occasions and playing a lot of intermediate zones. And in the run game, he is responsible for cleaning up a lot of running plays. In the game against the Broncos he played a lot of run support, and was responsible for cleaning up a lot of running plays.

 

His strength has never been pass coverage, and it is rarely ever asked of him to be the man in the deep middle of the field. A lot of times when you see Polamlau deep it's just because he's that instinctive, he knows where the ball is going and tries to get to it, he's normally not supposed to be there by design.

 

TL;DR version, no matter how 'overrated' he may seem, you won't find another SS in the NFL with his instincts, his ball skills and awareness and very few safeties in general who can tackle better. Turnovers are not the only way that playmakers, sacks, TFLs, stops, are all plays that Polamalu still does on a weekly basis.

 

There is a reason why the defense is worse when he isn't on the field.

Edited January 9, 2012 by DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F

[BwareDWare94 723]

In order to beat Troy Polumalu, you have to find a way to confuse him. If you run at him, he's going to make the tackle. He's essentially another linebacker on the field. You have to trick him into not knowing where the ball's going if you don't want him to make the play.

 

That being said, it's fortunate for Troy that LeBeau can maximize talent. Outside of Dick LeBeau's scheme, and in the hands of a lesser coordinator, Troy might not be that effective.

Edited January 9, 2012 by BwareDWare94

[FIDDYDEUCE 81]

Something that always seems to get lost in all the talk about Polamalu is that he isn't a FS... He's a SS.

 

That being the case, the SS in Mr. Lebeau's 3-4 scheme is pretty different then the SS in an average scheme. In a lot of cases, he's just another LB who blitzes on many occasions and playing a lot of intermediate zones. And in the run game, he is responsible for cleaning up a lot of running plays. In the game against the Broncos he played a lot of run support, and was responsible for cleaning up a lot of running plays.

 

His strength has never been pass coverage, and it is rarely ever asked of him to be the man in the deep middle of the field. A lot of times when you see Polamlau deep it's just because he's that instinctive, he knows where the ball is going and tries to get to it, he's normally not supposed to be there by design.

 

TL;DR version, no matter how 'overrated' he may seem, you won't find another SS in the NFL with his instincts, his ball skills and awareness and very few safeties in general who can tackle better. Turnovers are not the only way that playmakers, sacks, TFLs, stops, are all plays that Polamalu still does on a weekly basis.

 

There is a reason why the defense is worse when he isn't on the field.

 

 

People compare Polamalu to Reed because they're both Safeties but they never truly understand that FS and SS are two different positions. That being said, Troy's position doesn't demand as much coverage as one might think, especially in LeBeau's scheme where he is basically a player void of the confines of a position; the Steelers trump card. He'll cover, play the run, rush the passer, play man, and straight up prowl the field. I will say he is getting older but, as Dmac said, you'd take him on your team in a heartbeat for what he is able to do.

 

And as for last nights Broncos/Steelers game, Ike Taylor couldn't cover a hole if he sat on it last night! Ike was fucking terrible, he literally played the shittiest game of his life. William Gay was the Steelers' best CB last night which is a frightening thought. Ryan Clark - although I think people over-credit him a wee bit - was certainly missed in that secondary as well. Everyone on that defense was to blame but Troy Polamalu wasn't exactly the focal point of the collapse.

[Turry 755]

Agreed with everything that Dmac and Irishcoffee said. FS and SS are way different positions and Reed and Polamalu are different type of players. Reed plays centre field and is a ball hawk while Troy crashes the LOS and blows up plays in the back field. They are both very excellent players but do very different things and they do those things better than any other in the game.

[blotsfan 2,112]

He might be overrated, but I'd trade anyone on the Bills for him.

[Sarge+ 3,436]

It's been proven time and time again that our defense is average without him, so I don't see how he's overrated. pFF graded him at +3.1 in last night's game, so I would have hated to see what our defense would have looked like without him. Probably would have given up 40.