Polamalu is a silent warrior
LATROBE 鈥� On Thursday my 13-year-old daughter visited camp, and stood, along with the rest of the fans, on the sideline next to the main practice field.
She also 鈥� and probably like the rest 鈥� wanted to know why she couldn鈥檛 walk over to the other field and watch the defense and Troy Polamalu work through their individual drills.
The public鈥檚 not allowed over there, so the defense works daily in its solitude while Ben Roethlisberger, the flashy receivers, new rookie runner Le鈥橵eon Bell, the young-and-emerging offensive line, and the punt returners work in front of the fans. All of that high-powered offensive work really does placate those in attendance.
Polamalu, meanwhile, is part of that quiet and hard-working defense, and he just might be the quietest of them all. But his veteran savvy is allowing him to be even quieter than normal.
I don鈥檛 know if Polamalu is pitching a shutout here with the media, but he鈥檚 practically been a ghost since the first couple of days required him to give only a brief interview or two just to say hello.
Beyond that, his status and experience allow him to skip the cafeteria 鈥� our favorite waiting place 鈥� and Troy routinely takes the motor carts out the back end of the practice field where the media鈥檚 not allowed. Or he鈥檒l begin signing autographs for fans and cunningly outlast the media who eventually must eat and sleep.
Polamalu has honed his media-ducking craft for 11 years now, and this year he seems to have it down perfectly.
And with good reason: He鈥檚 in eye-popping shape.
Troy has told me in the past that he doesn鈥檛 like to begin working out too early in the calendar year. He said he did it once, very early in his career, and found himself physically exhausted by mid-season. And last year, after he had let his weight go in the spring, he said his body鈥檚 natural inclination to shed weight over the summer would get him into shape by the start of the season.
That plan didn鈥檛 materialize, though, as he struggled through another injury-plagued season.
But this year Troy apparently has realized his mortality. The 32-year-old began working out with Marv Marinovich early, and Troy also enlisted the services of a physical therapist to work solely on the issues in his low calf/Achilles/heel area that have dogged him through two seasons now. We know this because on the first day of OTAs, Troy stood on the practice field and answered every single one of our questions.
And then 鈥� poof 鈥� he was gone, silent since.
If you鈥檝e ever heard the philosophers talk about how the act of donating money anonymously will provide one with an uncommon inner strength, but only if one keeps the donation truly anonymous, you might have some insight into what Polamalu seems to be doing at this camp.
He鈥檚 in the shape of his life, feeling good, looking good, but he certainly doesn鈥檛 want to crow about it. And conversely he doesn鈥檛 want to lie to us. So, he avoids us.
But he couldn鈥檛 avoid the glare of the 鈥淔riday Night Lights,鈥� as the player in Polamalu emerged the other night in front of an estimated 18,000 fans.
While he has refused to throw his body around like a young Robert Golden, in an attempt to impress a coaching staff that Troy doesn鈥檛 need to impress in this new live tackling world, Polamalu appeared out of nowhere at the goal line to break up the last pass attempt by Roethlisberger in the two-minute drill.
I can鈥檛 say that it was the classic Polamalu burst, because I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever actually witnessed the classic Polamalu burst, at least live. That鈥檚 what has made him such a headache for quarterbacks: They don鈥檛 see him coming.
Polamalu didn鈥檛 intercept this pass. He should have. And he probably would鈥檝e gone 100 with it. But then he would鈥檝e had to answer questions about his skill, his shape, his bid for Comeback Player of the Year.
There鈥檒l apparently be none of that here. Too much is at stake this season for the great Troy Polamalu.