February 2
Indianapolis Star
columnist Phillip B. Wilson
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Perhaps some of you have heard of my friend, Troy. He runs around like a crazy man, smacks the crap out of people, and gets paid millions to do it. Like me, the dude takes special care of his hair. Take a look at the photo. Cool, huh? As much as I try to keep the blond spikes in order, this Troy guy has me beat with his black locks."
December 31
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Maurkice Pouncey will play Sunday against Cleveland, while Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu likely are to join him in the starting lineup for the regular-season finale. Pouncey (ankle) went through a full practice for a third consecutive day Friday and said he will start against the Browns. "I know for a fact that I am playing," Pouncey said. Roethlisberger worked through his third consecutive day of practice without any complications from a high ankle sprain and is expected to start Sunday. However, he wouldn't confirm his status after practice yesterday. "I don't know," Roethlisberger said. "We'll see. Go ask Mike Tomlin." Polamalu (knee) practiced yesterday for the first time this"
November 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Steelers provided no update Monday on Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu, who exited the game early Sunday night with what coach Mike Tomlin said were "concussion-like symptoms." Polamalu appeared to lobby the coaches to go back into the game but was rebuffed. "We just wanted to err on the side of caution," said Tomlin, who will update Polamalu's status today at his weekly news conference. "That's why we didn't let him return to the game.""
November 13
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Steelers have just four takeaways through nine games, and strong safety Troy Polamalu is mystified as anyone as to why the defense hasn't been more opportunistic. "The saying goes (turnovers) come in bunches, and we're just waiting for that time to come and hopefully it comes soon," Polamalu said. The Steelers registered 20 takeaways through their first nine games in 2010. They had five in two games last season against the Bengals, whom they visit today for a 1 p.m. game. "I know a lot of people get caught up in turnovers or run defense or pass offense or whatever it is," said Polamalu, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. "Whatever can get us out of games winning is the most"
October 19
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Steelers expect to have one of their most indispensable players Sunday when they visit Arizona. All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu is likely to play against the Cardinals after passing a concussion test. "We anticipate him practicing (Wednesday) and moving on throughout the week like everyone else on our football team," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. "He met with our neurosurgeons, and they are very comfortable with where he is." Polamalu, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, left last Sunday's 17-13 win over Jacksonville after taking out the legs of Maurice Jones-Drew and stopping the Jaguars running back for no gain."
October 17
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Strong safety Troy Polamalu made one of the plays of the game Sunday for the Steelers, then left for good because of concussion-like symptoms. Polamalu injured himself while taking out the legs of Jacksonville running back Maurice Jones-Drew on third-and-1 with 9 minutes, 36 seconds left in the game. The injury is not believed to be serious, and coach Mike Tomlin said after the 17-13 win that the Steelers held out Polamalu because they "wanted to err on the side of caution." Polamalu, who stopped Jones-Drew short of a first down, did not address the media after the game. In other injury news, starting left guard Doug Legursky left at the beginning of the second quarter with a dislocated"
September 16
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu briefly scuffled with Ravens running back Ray Rice on Sunday. But that isn't what proved to be costly for the six-time Pro Bowler. The NFL fined Polamalu $15,000 for making a horse-collar tackle in the Steelers' 35-7 loss to the Ravens, a league source said. The tackle came late in the third quarter at the end of a 26-yard run by Ravens running back Ricky Williams."
September 11
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Steelers concluded a busy offseason with an 11th-hour signing of one of their best and most recognizable players. The team agreed to a four-year contract with strong safety Troy Polamalu, locking up the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year through the 2014 season. "I'm happy to say I will retire a Pittsburgh Steeler!" he wrote on his Twitter account Saturday. Polamalu, 30, signed his new contract at Pittsburgh International Airport before the Steelers flew to Baltimore."
September 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers linebacker James Harrison and strong safety Troy Polamalu played only sparingly during the preseason. But Tomlin expects both to log far more playing time at Baltimore. "I imagine (Harrison) is sandbagging," coach Mike Tomlin said when asked if Harrison's two offseason back injuries will limited his playing time in the season opener. "James Harrison likes to play." Tomlin added that right cornerback Ike Taylor had the pin removed Tuesday from his left thumb, which was broken in the exhibition opener at Washington."
August 24
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Within a span of three weeks, the Steelers handed out more than $138 million in contracts to their second-ranked defense, and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year didn't get one cent. Troy Polamalu will become an unrestricted free agent following the season if the Steelers don't get a deal done with the three-time All-Pro safety within the next two weeks. And with the Steelers so close to the salary cap this year, Polamalu likely will have to wait until after the season to get a long-term deal. Either way, Polamalu isn't talking specifics. "I'd love to be here; I'd love to retire a Steeler," Polamalu said. "All comments regarding the contract stay between the Steelers and my"
August 24
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Veteran offensive lineman Trai Essex returned to the Steelers on Tuesday and revealed that he came close to eating himself out of football. Essex, the last of the Steelers' unrestricted free agents to sign with a team, said he dropped a "significant amount" of weight before signing a one-year contract. The 6-foot-5 Essex, who is listed at 324 pounds, did not give a specific figure as to how much weight he had lost. "A couple of newborn babies," Essex said. Essex said the Steelers realized how much bigger he had gotten when he attended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's wedding in late July. "They see there's a huge different between now and then," Essex said. "I had to take a look at myself"
August 19
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Dejan Kovacevic
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There was a whole lot to like about the Steelers' first-teamers in the 24-14 domination of Philadelphia's self-proclaimed Dream Team Thursday night, not least of which was Ben Roethlisberger in peak playground form, the Rashard"
August 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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With LaMarr Woodley's contract done, the Steelers will turn their efforts toward signing safety Troy Polamalu to a long-term deal. Polamalu, who will become an unrestricted free agent following the season, signed a 5-year, $33 million deal in 2007 that made him the highest paid safety in the league at the time. "My only comment is, because I know things can really get misconstrued a lot, is that everything regarding our contract talks will stay between the Rooneys and my agent," Polamalu said. "Other than that, I would love to retire a Pittsburgh Steeler." When asked if talks have already begun, Polamalu smirked before saying: "I'd love to retire a Pittsburgh Steeler." Polamalu, 30, is"
July 30
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Admittedly, Troy Polamalu didn't intimidate the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. Typically, the hard-hitting safety delivers blows that shift momentum. But his shots that night were weakened by a myriad of nagging injuries, including a partial tear of an Achilles tendon that resulted in an uneven performance in the 31-25 loss. For Polamalu, it didn't matter that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shouldered the blame again Friday, saying, "I told everyone it's my fault we lost the Super Bowl." Polamalu agonizes over his subpar effort. "I didn't play very well, and we can leave it at that," he said. "I've played some of my best games injured." Polamalu still isn't where he wants to be"
July 22
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Dejan Kovacevic
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Even with the NFL's what-was- that -all-about labor drama Wednesday, the lockout still? moved a vital step closer to resolution. Doesn't look to me like it will be long before local eyes turn toward Latrobe and the usual conversation about the Steelers' conditioning and Casey Hampton's caloric intake. The weightiest subjects right away, though, will involve contracts, primarily whether management can reel back Ike Taylor from the free-agent pool and whether LaMarr Woodley`s $10 million franchise-tag money can be reworked into a multiyear deal. But here's another, a bit off the beaten path: Should the Steelers extend Troy Polamalu's contract, which is due to expire at the end of the coming"
May 14
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers safety Troy Polamalu traded his helmet and shoulder pads for a cap and gown Friday, as he graduated from the University of Southern California. "I'm officially a USC graduate!" he wrote on his website, troy43.com. "The majority of top picks in the NFL get drafted before they complete their college education. I truly love football, and it's such an immense blessing and privilege as an athlete to be given the rare opportunity to use those talents at the highest professional level, but it's certainly not a replacement for an education." Polamalu, who majored in social sciences/history while at USC, announced he was starting a Student of the Year Award in which he encouraged educators"
February 9
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers safety Troy Polamalu did not win another Super Bowl ring Sunday, but he rang in $135,000 for veterans, service members and their families through an online auction on Twitter. The gift is a record for Operation Once in a Lifetime, a Dallas-based charity that helps the military, often with free tickets for travel or entertainment. But the total fell short of expectations -- possibly because of the Super Bowl. "I'm happy ... but I was hoping for a little bit more," said Patrick M. Sowers, founder and president of Operation Once in a Lifetime. Sowers said about 30 celebrities, including some Steelers and Dallas Mavericks owner and Mt. Lebanon native Mark Cuban, had said they would"
February 3
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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Pittsburgh's Troy Polamalu and Green Bay's Charles Woodson see a different game and have the nerve to act on what they see. Not only do their brains and their boldness stamp them as unique players, the combination also won the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award for Woodson in 2009 and for Polamalu in 2010. Each has the cunning, the vast experience and the athletic gifts to emerge as the most valuable player in the 45th Super Bowl on Sunday. By the same token, each could be the goat. "They take educated guesses, and they're usually right," Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. "(Woodson) is like Troy. You've got to find him before the ball's snapped. You've got"
February 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Both are disruptive playmakers with long, flowing hair and a shared alma mater. They also are so close to one another as far as impacting games that initial reports Monday had Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Clay Matthews, not Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu, winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. Polamalu, as it turned out, edged Matthew by the slimmest of margins, getting 17 first-place votes out of 50 among those on a nationwide Associated Press panel. Matthews received 15 first-place votes. The two can settle any debate about who's the NFL's top defensive player Sunday when their respective teams meet in Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium. Polamalu became the second"
January 27
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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It's a good thing Clay Matthews doesn't have male-pattern baldness. If he did, the run-up to Super Bowl XLV would be all about hum-drum football stuff, such as sacks and quarterback hits. Instead, get ready for a blitz - pardon the pun - of hair stories. Matthews, the all-pro outside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, has joined Pittsburgh Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu in an exclusive club: Super Bowl participants with shampoo contracts. Matthews has signed a one-year deal with Unilever's Suave brand. The deal includes media appearances before and after the Super Bowl and a production day should the company want to film a commercial with him. Contract terms were not disclosed."