Every team has a plan. Everything looks good on the whiteboard. But the mark of a true generational player is someone who transcends the play and throws a wrench into conventional wisdom. That was Pittsburgh Steelers SS Troy Polamalu, whose unpredictable play made him a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Former New York Jets QB Mark Sanchez was one in a long list of names who had no idea how to prepare for him.
Sanchez joined Colin Cowherd Wednesday to discuss facing Polamalu and the Steelers in the 2010 AFC Championship Game.
“We got down 21-3 in the first half,” Sanchez told the show. “And that one, we started to climb outta the hole. But we’re playing against Polamalu. Polamalu is one of those guys you’re studying during the week. And it’s like, ‘Okay, I know this zone drop defender, this safety it’s like three buzz. He’s got hook to curl. I know where this is gonna be. He runs to the other side of the field and plays man to man on somebody.’
“And I’m like, ‘Dude, wait, what clip is this?’ I’m asking [OC Brian Schottenheimer]. I’m asking other guys. They’re like, ‘Dude, that’s Troy being Troy. You can’t account for that’.”
Getting past the football jargon (three-buzz and Polamalu hook-to-curl just means a Cover 3 where Polamalu drops down from his deep safety spot to take an underneath zone), Polamalu’s athleticism that allowed him to move all over the field made deciphering coverages difficult. His willingness to go rogue and change coverages on the fly created mission impossible for quarterbacks, who would expect one thing only to see another. Especially for a quarterback like Sanchez in just his second NFL season.
It’s what helped Polamalu secure 32 career regular-season interceptions and three more in the playoffs, including a pick six to send Pittsburgh to the 2008 Super Bowl.
Sanchez said the feedback he got from coaches to handle Polamalu wasn’t satisfying.
“Just have an eye on him during the game,” he said of the advice received. “I’m like, ‘Okay, hold on. I gotta do all this stuff I normally do. And then just find Troy Polamalu.'”
Polamalu didn’t intercept Sanchez in that game, but its defense helped propel Pittsburgh to victory. The Steelers raced out to a 24-0 lead, including a scoop and score by CB William Gay. They held off the Jets’ second-half comeback as Sanchez threw touchdown passes to past and future Steelers Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery. But their bid fell short, Pittsburgh winning 24-19.
The Steelers would then fall to the Green Bay Packers and QB Aaron Rodgers in the Super Bowl, a passer talented enough to counter Polamalu and Pittsburgh’s defense. It remains the last time the Steelers played for a Lombardi.
It’s a classic Polamalu story that highlighted the unique maverick he was on the football field. Few players like him existed before or since, leaving an impression on anyone who played with or against him.
