The opening kickoff sailed to Willie Ponder, stationed at his own 9-yard line. Ponder started up the middle through a huge opening before cutting to his right and completing his return down the sideline. A last-ditch effort by Troy Polamalu to trip up...

Combining anticipation and quick diagnosis with speed/range/playmaking ability, and you have a player like Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, or Earl Thomas. Football IQ also means a player rarely makes the same mistake twice, and can adapt on the fly very quickly.

And will veteran backup Larry Foote become a salary-cap casualty after nine seasons with the team? But, there are no such concerns or questions at the safety position, where the Steelers have a tandem of Pro Bowlers ---- Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark --...

Tim Tebow looked like Terry Bradshaw that day at INVESCO Field, throwing the ball deep and especially over the middle, i.e. Demaryius Thomas' overtime game-winner. There was no help over the middle. Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley get...

Maneri actually lined up as a TE for one play against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. He did more on that one play for the Chiefs than “Shabby” Sabby Piscitelli did the entire season. He caught a ball and nearly crushed Steelers safety Troy...

He was never able to replicate his 2009 numbers when he had 76 tackles and seven interceptions, but that's more of a result of opposing teams trying to avoid throwing his way. Much like overstating the importance of an impact wide receiver, a safety can...

New York Jets. But four straight losses to end the season derailed a 5-7 record and a sense of progress. View full sizeJoshua Gunter, The Plain DealerCharlie Frye -- like Colt McCoy -- was a third-round draft choice who briefly raised the hopes of...

Please shy away from the rabble rousing on the Godfrey deal, because there's a lot of intentional misinformation flying around to make for good radio. Charles Godfrey is not making more than Troy Polamalu, not unless the Panthers keep him in 2014,...

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are also candidates to restructure their contracts to get the Steelers under the cap. The Giants started the 2011 season with a number of injury problems. They will start next season with...

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger are also candidates to restructure their contracts to get the Steelers under the cap. The Giants started the 2011 season with a number of injury problems. They will start next season with...

Polamalu's hair is so iconic that it, along with him, is often seen in Head & Shoulders commercials. Fans and players know that when they see that frizzy black hair coming out of the back of that black Pittsburgh Steelers helmet, they're about to see...

Center on February 4, 2012 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The New England Patriots will play the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI on February 5, 2011 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) A fan kisses the...

That's fine, Hines Ward represented the team last year, and Troy Polamalu graced the cover of Madden NFL 10 • Picks: Ward's an obvious pick. And am I looking at Troy Polamalu's hair? No! Am I looking at Troy Polamalu's hair? Yes ... Houston's Andre...

2012 Taste of the NFL and Super Bowl XLVI Media Day with 2012 Miss America Laura Kaeppeler and Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Indianapolis on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Read the full story at Las Vegas Sun

NFL will not only be crowning its best team this weekend, but they will honor their best players on Saturday night in Indianapolis. One of those awards is the Defensive Player of the Year. In each of the last two years, the award was won by a defensive...

2012 Taste of the NFL and Super Bowl XLVI Media Day with 2012 Miss America Laura Kaeppeler and Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Indianapolis on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2012. Read the full story at Las Vegas Sun

He was murdered by the regime of Presiden Idi Amin, right, in 1972. 6 Over 45 Super Bowls, 3,512,727 fans have attended the games. The largest crowd was for Super Bowl XIV, which drew 103,985 people in 1980. 7 Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers...

Another was signed because a respected uncle thought he could compete at USC's level. Still another originally came in as a walk-on and was selected to his third consecutive NFL Pro Bowl while already sporting a Super Bowl ring. It's hard to fathom...

Decent G’s can be had fairly cheap in FA. On Ed Reed: "I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’" "We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him." But don’t bet your season on him as your...