Jerry DiPaola: Polamalu Has Emerged as One of NFL's Top Safeties

By Jerry DiPaola
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, January 21, 2005

There are nearly as many theories about Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu's long hair as there are passes that he has intercepted (six).

Family members tell the story of Polamalu growing his hair long as a junior at USC, just like any college kid with little time or inclination to see a barber. Suddenly, the repeated concussions that he had suffered stopped, and Polamalu detected a correlation. He hasn't had a haircut since.
Polamalu said he liked to let his hair hang outside his helmet, because it mirrored his wild, reckless style of play.

"I just let everything hang out on game day," he said.

But this is the best one:
"A lot of people have said, 'Is it the Samson complex?' But my fiancee's mother (Katina Holmes) told me that every great warrior throughout all of world history has had long hair, starting with the Samurais, the Greeks, the American Indians, the Chinese," Polamalu said. "You name it. They've all had long hair. I don't know why it's so different now to have long hair."

Polamalu has no interest in becoming a warrior, however. "I just wear it long, because in college, I just let it go," he said. "It didn't really matter to me."

Now, he said, "It has become the fifth appendage to my body."

The Steelers hope that whatever has given Polamalu his strength this season carries him through the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Heinz Field -- and all the way to Jacksonville, Fla., for Super Bowl XXXIX.

It's safe to say they wouldn't be 16-1 without him.

Polamalu has shown the speed, power and instincts to play close to the line of scrimmage and to stop a running back, or turn and run with a wide receiver. When he was drafted in the first round in 2003, some teams considered him a cornerback prospect.

"I just stepped on the scale a few minutes ago," said Polamalu, 5-foot-10, 212 pounds. "I said, man, I have to lose some weight, so I can play some man-to-man."

Steelers coach Bill Cowher has called Polamalu, who had 97 tackles, 12 passes defensed and five interceptions in the regular season, the best safety in the NFL.

But Polamalu, who asked her brother's permission before dating his fiancee Theodora, gives credit to many outside sources for his success:

His teammates for "being able to make up for my mistakes."

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. "He has made me feel a lot more comfortable. He's a father figure to everybody on this defense. We all love to play for him. He gives you wisdom -- not only through football, because obviously, he has been a great football player -- but wisdom off the field. He has some great stories that definitely give you great lessons in life."

Then, there is Polamalu's faith, which is the strongest guiding force in his life. "God calls upon Christian football players to play with passion, just like the life you live."

Polamalu doesn't watch games that don't involve him (other than USC's victory in the Orange Bowl this year), so he said he acquired his instincts for the game "just playing in the park."
He said his skills are "mostly God given."

"I'm not trying to toot my own horn here," he said, "but it is definitely a blessing from God that he has allowed me to be very instinctual and just go out and play football. My faith has got everything to do with my performance, whether it's good or bad."

Polamalu said his faith has been important to him since he was about in the third grade and his grandmother Ese Pola died.

"It was very hard on me," he said. "I went to church, maybe, four or five times a week before she died, but I didn't really find meaning in that. But from then on, was when I started praying every night and started reading the Bible."

Even today, Polamalu reads the Bible -- and his playbook -- every day.

Jerry DiPaola can be reached at trsp20@aol.com or 412-481-5432.