By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Matt Freed/Post-Gazette
Troy Polamalu, seen here taking down the Colts' Anthony Gonzalez, will face the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson tomorrow for the first time since the two filmed a Nike commercial together.
If the situation arises, Troy Polamalu will do more than come up on Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and not make the tackle on a toss play.
He will do more than just eye Tomlinson the way a Doberman eyes a soup bone -- hair flying, sweat dripping -- then not even touch the five-time Pro Bowl running back when they converge near the sideline.
Oh, Tomlinson might get up and pat Polamalu, a four-time Pro Bowl safety, on the helmet after the play. And there will be plenty of "action" on the set.
But this time, there will be no pulling back. This time, there will be contact. There will be no stand-ins, no body doubles. This time it will be the real thing when the San Diego Chargers (4-5) come to Heinz Field to play the Steelers (6-3) at 4:15 p.m. tomorrow.
It won't be a Nike commercial.
"I'd probably get run over in real life," Polamalu said.
Hardly.
Polamalu and Tomlinson will meet for the first time since they filmed the commercial at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego in the summer, several weeks before the start of training camp.
The commercial -- entitled "Leave Nothing" -- traces the players from childhood to high school to college and ends with them meeting on the field in a "game" between the Chargers and Steelers on a play in which Polamalu tackles Tomlinson near the sidelines.
"I thought it was pretty cool," Polamalu said.
"One of the best commercials I've ever seen," said linebacker Lawrence Timmons. "I got it on my computer."
"Sweet," said inside linebacker James Farrior.
"That's a cool little commercial," cornerback Ike Taylor said.
The same collision could occur at Heinz Field. Tomlinson is the player who will command the attention of the defense, which ranks No. 1 in total defense and No. 2 against the run in the NFL. Polamalu called Tomlinson "maybe the greatest [running back] to ever play the game."
This time, if he has to tackle Tomlinson on a toss play, Polamalu won't pull up and run past him, as they were instructed to do in the commercial. This time, his body double -- former Texas A&M running back Sir Parker -- won't be the one making the tackle.
"I had to run and do all that stuff," Polamalu said. "They had a whole Steelers football team and a whole San Diego football team out there. The extras are amazing. They're actually ex-football players. The stand-ins probably hit each other 30 times, and the other guys ran the whole play, blocking, cutting, they probably did it 70 to 80 times.
"They ran a toss play and we were in cover-2 and we kept running past each other. Then they would show his extra running and my extra running and we sat back and watched them hit each other about 50 times full speed. They were getting beat up."
Polamalu and Tomlinson weren't involved in any contact scenes. The only time it was really Polamalu, he said, is when they showed his face. Like, when he was sitting on the team bus, riding to the game. Otherwise, it was Parker who played his role, including the scene where Polamalu -- ponytail bouncing behind him -- is shown running the stadium steps as part of his training regimen.
"I was supposed to do that, but I missed that part," Polamalu said.
The commercial was directed by David Fincher, who also has directed such movies as "Se7en" and "The Game." It began with a sonogram of a fetus and showed the evolution of life with the two NFL superstars, beginning with Tomlinson walking in diapers and running and weaving through the halls at grade school and a youthful Polamalu jumping through water sprinklers and leaping on -- and collapsing -- a coffee table at home.
"I was pretty bad then," Polamalu said, grinning.
Life gets a chance to imitate art tomorrow when the Steelers hope to leave nothing behind against Tomlinson and the Chargers.
"I was kind of upset that Troy doesn't really knock him on his butt," Farrior said. "It was kind of, like, even."
Next up
• Game: Steelers vs. San Diego Chargers.
• When: 4:15 p.m. tomorrow.
• Where: Heinz Field.
• TV: KDKA.
Gerry Dulac can be reached at gdulac@post-gazette.com.
First published on November 15, 2008 at 12:00 am
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