Former Steelers S Troy Polamalu and DC Dick LeBeau had quite the unique relationship during their time together in Pittsburgh.
Polamalu spoke about the impact that LeBeau had on his playing career as well as his life earlier in June when he was a guest on the All Things Covered podcast with Bryant McFadden and Patrick Peterson, talking about the love LeBeau had for him as a player. LeBeau has reiterated similar thoughts about Polamalu as well, stating that God only created one Troy Polamalu and that he is grateful to have had the opportunity to coach him and to serv as Polamalu’s presenter for enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
LeBeau has sung Polamalu’s praises as a phenomenal player and even better human being numerous times, but when he spoke Monday about Polamalu as a guest on the All Things Covered with McFadden and Peterson, he made sure to mention the impact of another safety that he coached who played beside Polamalu for many years in Pittsburgh.
“And Troy had another big plus, B Mac,” LeBeau said on All Things Covered. “He had Ryan Clark playing safety back there beside him. And he and Ryan were as close as any two players I’ve ever seen. And they studied together, and I don’t know, I just watched them day in and day out, game in and game out. I don’t know how they communicated. Sometimes I think they did it telepathically because I never saw them talking that much.”
LeBeau spoke with our very own Dave Bryan and Alex Kozora back in April prior to the 2023 NFL Draft, calling Clark the most unsung player of the legendary 2008 Steelers defense. LeBeau called Clark a smart safety who was reliable as a tackler and did a phenomenal job of covering for Polamalu when Polamalu would improvise in order to try and make a big play.
“So, if Troy messed up, which occasionally he did, we knew that there would be Ryan Clark right there,” LeBeau continued. “And that’s why we gave up the fewest amount of big plays because Ryan was always rolling around him behind Troy. But the combination of that they gave us the best two safeties in the league for a lot of years, made me a smart coach.”
Clark isn’t often referenced when bringing up the most impactful Steelers defenders during the 2000s, but he played his role well as the perfect Robin to Troy Polamalu’s Batman. He managed to know what Polamalu was thinking even when there was no verbal communication, putting Clark in a bind at times to cover for Polamalu who would go “Tasmanian Devil” on opposing offenses. He often served as Pittsburgh’s last line of defense in the secondary, making sure the defense didn’t get beat deep. He would keep a lid on opposing passing games as Polamalu freely roamed the field looking for INTs or big collisions.
Clark made only one Pro Bowl during his 13-year NFL career, but he served as the glue guy in the secondary and complemented Polamalu so well that the tandem Pittsburgh had at safety was the best in the league for several years during their heyday together. The combination resulted in two Super Bowl appearances and one Lombardi Trophy, solidifying the back end of a vaunted Steelers defense.
