Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety and Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu has heaped praise on current Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick before, comparing him to Ed Reed for his ability to go get the ball. During an appearance on Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast, Polamalu also praised Fitzpatrick for his smarts and mindset, comparing him to a few of his former teammates. Polamalu said what Fitzpatrick does for the Steelers is “truly special.”
“If I think about the teammates that he reminds me of, all of them were geniuses. Think about Deshea Townsend, who taught me so much about the game, knew about every position, taught me about the ins and outs and details of all the positions,” Polamalu said. “Will Gay is somebody who’s very similar like that. But then you have someone like him who is truly special at that next level that thinks the game like that. The game was much more simple when I played, so the fact he’s still outsmarting and doing a lot of really amazing things that people that really appreciate the skill set of what safeties bring, I truly admire that about him.”
Polamalu said he would’ve loved to play with Fitzpatrick, but noted he played with two great safeties in Chris Hope and Ryan Clark, both of whom he won a Super Bowl playing alongside. He added that Fitzpatrick’s mindset is on the same level as all the great safeties that Polamalu played with for the Steelers.
“He falls in line with all the great safeties that I played with the organization,” Polamalu said. “He’s the 2k version in the sense that, his mindset is another level, and I really appreciate that about him.”
While some may think a comparison to Townsend or Gay might be underselling Fitzpatrick, both of them are currently NFL coaches, Townsend with the Detroit Lions and Gay with the Washington Commanders. To compare Fitzpatrick’s brain with two guys who saw the game well enough as players to make a successful transition into coaching and doing so at the NFL level is high praise.
Polamalu is someone who really studies safety play and appreciates it. Even during his playing days, he would watch full seasons of tape on other safeties around the league, so there’s no doubt that he’s watching Fitzpatrick closely and recognizing things that maybe not everybody sees. Polamalu has the experience of being a Hall of Fame player at the position, so he’s obviously more able to easily recognize something where Fitzpatrick’s mindset and ability to outsmart the opponent comes into play.
It’s also high praise that Fitzpatrick is someone Polamalu would’ve wanted to play with and comparing him to his safety partners in Clark and Hope while calling him the “2k version” is praise that Polamalu surely isn’t throwing around lightly. The game has evolved even since Polamalu retired, and he’s recognizing that Fitzpatrick has still been able to adapt and think and use his football IQ to make plays all over the field.
After a season where injuries played a factor and he didn’t get a single interception, Fitzpatrick is looking to bounce back in 2024. With a new safety partner in DeShon Elliott, he could be in store for another impressive season.
Watch the full podcast below:
