Wednesday, January 28, 2009
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/steelers/
Peter Diana/Post-Gazette
An overview of Troy Polamalu shows how alone you can be in the sea of media if everyone wants to hear what you have to say.
TAMPA, Fla. -- On the podium, in front of the prying worldwide Super Bowl media, with at least 10 television microphones about 2 inches from his face, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu was surprisingly smooth, every bit as at ease as when he took that interception back for a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens Jan. 18.
Off the podium later, during a brief walk to the Steelers' hotel that provided a moment of quiet reflection so rare amid the big-game hysteria, Polamalu made a fascinating pronouncement.
"I've never needed or wanted to be a red-carpet A-lister."
Seconds later, Polamalu was engulfed by a throng of Steelers fans outside the hotel. Security tried to chase them away like flies, but a few got autographs, one or two a picture, one older woman even a hug. You can bet each of the lucky few called or texted home to brag about their good fortunate meeting the great Polamalu.
So much for that quiet reflection.
So much for that A-lister business.
What a joy -- an absolute joy -- it is to watch Polamalu handle himself here on sports' grandest stage. The quarterbacks in Super Bowl XLIII -- the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and Arizona's Kurt Warner -- are the brightest stars along with otherworldly wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals. But Polamalu could be the biggest of all, if he chose to be. The extraordinary talent that has him going to his fifth Pro Bowl and, one day, barring injury, the Hall of Fame. The dark, throbbing good looks. That amazing hair.
Think of the endorsements out there!
The money!
"I've done four or five commercials for Nike and one for Coke. That's it," Polamalu said, quietly, which is how he says everything.
Four or five seem about two dozen too few for an athlete of Polamalu's stardom, doesn't it?
Not that it's surprising, though. The celebrity world still is a place where Polamalu isn't truly comfortable. This is a man who once said: "I don't like prestige. I could go off and live in the mountains and raise my family."
That was back in early 2006, not long after the Steelers beat Seattle in Super Bowl XL in Detroit. Polamalu loved sitting in the backseat then, watching the Jerome Bettis homecoming/farewell tour unfold. He would prefer to take that same seat this week, but he knows that isn't possible because of his high-profile status in the game. He does better with the fame and is much better at handling the adulation that goes with it even if he fully realizes that so much of it is phony and for the wrong reasons.
If you asked Polamalu, he would tell you, flat out:
"Like and respect me because I'm a man of faith and a good family man, not because I'm pretty good at football."
Since that isn't going to happen …
"I deal with it," Polamalu said. "But I don't really like the attention. I mean, everybody likes it a little. But Monday through Saturday, I'd rather ensconce myself with my family."
And Sunday?
"Sundays are different," Polamalu said, grinning.
The Sunday against the Ravens, for instance.
Polamalu sealed the deal in the Steelers' win in the AFC championship game by intercepting a Joe Flacco pass and returning it 40 yards for a touchdown. That play -- rather, the image of Polamalu lugging the ball into the end zone and pointing skyward -- was on the front page of this newspaper the next morning and many others across America.
Troy Polamalu is interviewed by his teammate Ike Taylor during the team's media day for Super Bowl XLIII Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009, in Tampa, Fla.(AP)
Even Polamalu will agree that kind of attention is pretty cool because it usually means the Steelers win.
You should have heard him discussing the play, so calmly, so thoughtfully, so strategically. Many people tend to think of him as a freestylist in the Steelers' defense. That couldn't be further from the truth.
"I have responsibilities like everybody else," Polamalu said. "I was man-to-man with the tight end in the backfield. But when you have James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison all blitzing, you know nobody probably is going to release. When you know your responsibility isn't going to be a threat, it allows you to free up and read the quarterback and make a play."
As Polamalu dropped into coverage, he noticed Flacco looking at wide receiver Derrick Mason. When he saw Flacco release the pass an instant before he wanted because of pressure from Harrison, he closed to the ball, made a leaping interception and then made that fabulous runback.
"We were already winning," Polamalu said when asked what it felt like to win such a big game. If that weren't a strong enough effort to downplay his role, there was this: "I got lucky on that play."
That's the beautiful thing about Polamalu, that humility. It's such a hard trait to read in people. Many are less than genuine and use it deceitfully. But with Polamalu, it's all real. There isn't a more humble athlete in any sport, star or otherwise.
Take Polamalu's observations about Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson: "I aspire to be as good and I try to take a lot from his game because he's a great run defender and a great blitzer. He's awesome." Then, this: "If he were in our system, he'd probably do better than me. He's a better athlete. He's stronger and faster."
Yeah, right.
A lot of us who thought Polamalu wasn't quite as good as Ravens All-World safety Ed Reed were schooled by Polamalu's performance in that AFC title game. It wasn't just the splash play -- the interception and touchdown. It was his leap over the pile to stop Flacco on a fourth-and-1 sneak, his closing speed to tackle Flacco for an 8-yard loss on an option play, his ability to get downfield to knock away a pass for Mason and his quickness to get to tight end Todd Heap to stop him for a 2-yard gain on a play that looked as if it might go for big yards.
An eager interrogator asked Polamalu if he thought that sort of postseason performance elevated him to the pantheon of Steelers all-time defensive greats, the ones with names such as Greene and Lambert and Ham and Blount.
"I'm just another Steeler. Like anyone else," Polamalu said, dismissively.
His words were barely audible, but his pained look practically screamed:
"You gotta be kidding me!"
Humility really is a beautiful thing.
Polamalu's humility, anyway.
Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com.
First published on January 28, 2009 at 12:00 am
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