The Pittsburgh Steelers have the unenviable task of facing Josh Allen in the playoffs and could use a safety who can
stop the run at the line of scrimmage, cover sideline-to-sideline, dish out monster hits across the middle, track the
ball to create turnovers, and make the Buffalo Bills quarterback reconsider scrambling.
Someone like Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu.
While the Steelers legend will not be on the field this Sunday, he has faced game-changing quarterbacks before. But
he believes Pittsburgh’s greatest opportunity is to focus on the minor details that are overlooked but critical in the
playoffs.
“He’s no different than any other great quarterback,” Polamalu told Bleacher Report when asked how he would
approach a game against Allen. “You have to prepare for him like you would for Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron
Rodgers, Ben [Roethlisberger], or any of these guys.
“What’s really important in playoff football is field position, turnovers, and all the little things that happen during the
season that cause you to lose games.” All of this becomes magnified in the playoffs. Having a team that has a lot of
experience with it, as well as a program that has been in a lot of similar circumstances, is beneficial in a variety of
ways.”
Few players in Steelers history understand what it takes to succeed during this time of year better than the safety
who played all 12 seasons for the team and retired with a Hall of Fame resume that included two Super Bowl
championships, eight Pro Bowl nominations, four First Team All-Pro selections, and the 2010 Defensive Player of
the Year.