Achilles' injury not hampering Polamalu
PITTSBURGH — Troy Polamalu’s strained right Achilles’ tendon isn’t allowing him to practice most weeks. The Steelers don’t want to take the chance that one of the NFL’s most valuable defensive players will aggravate the injury and won’t be able to play.
The rest of the NFL must be wondering what the five-time Pro Bowl safety could possibly do better if he were fully healthy.
Despite his sore foot, Polamalu made a rally-stopping interception late in the fourth quarter of the Steelers’ 19-16 overtime decision Sunday in Buffalo. He also made a fumble recovery, another play that illustrated how his alertness and ability to decipher plays might be unmatched in the league.
In his last two games, Polamalu has accounted for three turnovers by himself.
“He’s all over the place,” Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. “I think he’s one of the best defenders in the league for a reason. He just flies around and he has a great football sense in terms of reading plays, relying on his instincts and reacting to what he sees.”
He’s also doing it with almost no practice. No wonder Polamalu’s No. 43 is the third most popular in jersey sales among all NFL players, trailing only quarterbacks Tim Tebow and Drew Brees. He’s No. 1 among defensive players.
“We simply want to take every precaution possible to keep this man up and running,” coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. “It’s obvious he’s playing really good football for us and we want that to continue. There’s a fine line in terms of that, when you talk about limiting someone’s (practice) participation, but he is a veteran football player and a good one. We’re going to do the best we can to get him to the stadium in one piece.”
Polamalu, who has four interceptions this season, recently said he wasn’t sure how he was playing, but that he expected to make more plays. The Steelers use him in so many roles other than pass defender — he’s a key player in their run defense, and in their pass rush — that mere numbers sometimes don’t accurately quantify his play.
“I can’t tell you too many games that I walked away from satisfied with my performance,” Polamalu said. “In my mind, there’s more plays out there that I should make.”
