Former star safety Troy Polamalu had an interesting end to his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since his retirement after the 2014-15 campaign, the relationship between the two sides hasn’t been the same. For a guy that spent all 12 years of his career with the black and gold, it's unfortunate to see how things have unfolded. As of late though, we have been seeing a little bit more of the former star safety.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden (left) celebrates the team's Super Bowl XL victory.
On Monday, a new episode of the All Things Covered podcast came out, which features co-hosts Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson. The duo had Polamalu on the podcast, and the Hall of Famer shared several fun stories. We don’t typically get to hear from the eight-time Pro Bowler, so it’s a good listen for Steelers fans. McFadden asked Polamalu whether he ever truly considered joining the Tennessee Titans back in 2015.
Would he retire or head to a different team for the first time in his career? At first, it was something he considered when first having that tough conversation with the Steelers. That feeling didn’t last long though, as he came to realization when he got home after a quick drive.
"No, it wasn't really [close to happening] man. I had a tough conversation with the Steelers at the end of my career. As soon as I left the office, all of those competitive juices were like 'Aw, man, I've gotta do this.' By the time I got home [from a 35-45 minute drive], I was like I ain't gonna do that. I can't do that."
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Despite a sour ending with the Pittsburgh Steelers, safety Troy Polamalu stayed loyal and opted to retire rather than join a new team.
If you remember, the Steelers had just split ways with legendary Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau. Polamalu and LeBeau had built a close relationship, as they had been together in Pittsburgh for 11 years. LeBeau was hired as the team's DC back in 2004, which was the safety's second year in the NFL. The Steelers had told the safety that they were essentially moving on after the 2014 season, so he had a decision to make.
The Titans had hired LeBeau to have a role in coaching their defense, making it a naturally appealing destination for Polamalu. LeBeau would end up coaching just three seasons with the Titans before ultimately retiring from the game. To this day, he is obviously known for his role in leading those legendary Steelers defenses for 11 years. Polamalu remembered a specific moment in which he knew he was ready to retire.
"When I realized I was done, it was actually in the middle of a game. To me, football was just fun. [I was] really trying to push the envelope on how the safety position was played. I remembered one game, I get an assignment where I get a lot of freedom on what I wanted to do," Polamalu recalled. "Man, I've exhausted the creativity and innovation that I've had within myself. That was the first sign of me being done, and that was actually my last year."
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Legendary defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau lasted just three years with the Tennessee Titans, as he wasn't able to have the same success as he did with the Steelers.
The safety recalls that this specific game was against the Indianapolis Colts. This game was a memorable one for a few reasons, as it's the one in which Ben Roethlisberger threw for 522 yards and six touchdowns in the bumblebee uniforms. While Pittsburgh won that game, the defense gave up 34 points and Polamalu struggled. He made five total tackles in that game, including one for loss, but the safety couldn't keep up in coverage.
The Hall of Famer explained that he was so used to being overly creative in how he played the position, but this particular game, he essentially ran out of ideas. As a result, he chose to just play the safety position how it's supposed to be played, and that's when he knew he was ready to hang it up. It's great to hear stories like this from one of the all-time greats in Polamalu.
What was your favorite memory of the legendary safety? Do you remember this game against the Colts in the throwback bumblebee uniforms? How would you have felt if he joined LeBeau in Tennessee? Share your thoughts in the comments below, yinz!
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