Polamalu Takes AP Defensive POY Honors

So much for those earlier reports that Clay Matthews of Green Bay won the 2010 AP Defensive Player of the Year Award. In actuality, that award will be headed to Pittsburgh, as it was really won by Steeler safety/shampoo pitchman Troy Polamalu.

Polamalu received 17 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members, topping Matthews by two votes. Steeler LB James Harrison finished third in the balloting with nine votes, giving the team two of the top three defenders in the league in 2010. Others getting votes included Chicago's Julius Peppers (6) and Brian Urlacher (2), and Baltimore's Ed Reed and Haloti Ngata, with 1 each. So that means the league's top seven defensive players hailed from just four teams.

Despite missing two games in 2010, this was a season of firsts for #43, garnering his first Steeler team MVP award and first DPOY honor. He tied a career high with seven interceptions, scored one touchdown, and factored into numerous game-changing/season-changing plays. And off the field, he took his marketability and popularity to new levels, boasting the league's top-selling jersey (for men and women) and appearing in a comprehensive multimedia ad campaign for Head and Shoulders shampoo. Yeah, he sure has come a long way from being labeled a thug by YouTube uploaders in his college days, as illustrated in this video with 3 million views that I just saw for the first time yesterday.

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Harrison, Polamalu Named to SN All-Pro Team

Postseason honors are coming in for the Pittsburgh Steelers, with today's honorees having a distinctly defensive feel.

Troy Polamalu and James Harrison were both named to the 2010 Sporting News NFL All-Pro First Team, although both ended up losing the Defensive MVP award to Green Bay's Clay Matthews. Matthews had 13.5 sacks, 60 tackles, 1 interception, and 1 touchdown in 2010 for the 10-6 Pack.

For their individual highlights, SN noted that the Steelers are now 22-3 in games where Polamalu has intercepted a pass, and pointed out Harrison's 10.5 sacks and 100 tackles, the second-best totals for his career in both categories.

On the other side of the ball, center Maurkice Pouncey, already a Pro Bowl selection, was named to the 2010 SN NFL All-Rookie Team. The outstanding rookie eventually lost out to Detroit's Ndamukong Suh for Rookie of the Year honors, but I have a feeling this isn't the last time we'll see Pouncey getting lauded following the regular season in his career.

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Polamalu Likely Out for Thursday Night Game

The clock is ticking towards Thursday night's epic Steeler-Panther clash, but there will be one key member of the Black and Gold sitting out.

Steeler Notes: Heath Miller Doubtful for Sunday

As expected, Heath Miller did not get the automatic green-light to play on Sunday against Cincinnati. The concussed tight end, knocked out of the Sunday night game on a $40,000 hit, was officially listed as "doubtful" today by Dr. Tomlin. 

More Steeler notes from the weekly Tomlin press conference:

What's the Value of a Troy Polamalu Re-tweet?

A number of celebrities have agreed to use their Twitter accounts as vehicles for fundraising, and Troy Polamalu has joined the action.

Troy Polamalu's Newest Head and Shoulders Commercial

Between the $1 million hair insurance policy/publicity stunt and the mini-controversy about which Tweets were actually his and which ones were promotional announcements made on his behalf, it's been a banner week of publicity for Troy Polamalu on MH. But apparently that's not enough, because I neglected to mention his newest spot for Head and Shoulders, which is unofficially a non-paying sponsor of the site with all the PR they've received the past few days.

Regardless, sit back enjoy the most popular Steeler pitchman since...Joe Greene? And don't worry, there's not much else happening in the sports world other than another Pirate loss at Chicago and the Penn State Nittany Lion mascot getting busted for underage drinking. I can't imagine anyone would want to taunt the Nittany Lion fans with that bit of info, right?

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Troy Polamalu Sets the Record Straight on His Twitter Account

This weekend, I linked to a Trib story talking about Troy Polamalu's Twitter account, which included a quote from Polamalu that said, "It's not me at all," referencing his popular online feed.

Well, that's not entirely true, as #43 directly addressed my recent post on his Twitter page today.

Troy Polamalu's Hair Insured for a Million Dollars

Ever wonder what Troy Polamalu's hair was actually worth? Wonder no more, thanks to a new insurance policy taken out by Head and Shoulders shampoo on their spokesman.

Troy Polamalu on His Twitter Account: "It's not me at all"

Sad news came into the light today for those of us following the soft-spoken Steeler's foray into social networking.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

We all bow before King Crosby: Sidney Crosby's hat trick gladly caused extra work for the Mellon Arena employees, as 87 led the charge in a 5-4 win over Buffalo last night in Pittsburgh.

It was not a very encouraging game for any fans of Team USA, because Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, who will represent his country in the upcoming Olympics, was clearly perplexed by the dryer-destroying center. Then again, maybe it's just a case of the Pens having Miller's number. The Sabres' netminder is 2-5-2 in his last nine games against Pittsburgh.

The Penguins rallied from a 3-1 hole by scoring four of the game's next five goals, with three coming from Crosby and one coming from the red-hot Jordan Staal, his 14th of the season.

Marc-Andre Fleury bested Miller for the win, stopping 3o of 34 Sabres shots on the evening.

After playing on back-to-back nights, the Penguins are off until Saturday night, when they travel to Montreal. [ESPN]

A new inductee into Steeler Nation: This is NBA star Kevin Durant sitting at last night's Texas-Oklahoma State game, televised on ESPN. Can't call him a fair-weather fan. (Thanks to John M. for the pic)

Polamalu to appear in new Super Bowl ad: Troy "Coca Cola Head and Shoulders" Polamalu's non-football career continues to boom, as he was recently cast in a spot for truTV that will air during the Super Bowl. This one is expected to air during the second quarter of SB44.

Programming note: The Paul Zeise/Bob Pompeani blogger-irresponsibility claims are a hot enough topic that they will be discussed on the #1 Cochran Sports Showdown on KDKA after Sunday's 11 PM news, I've just learned.

Four journalists talking about blogs? Let's just say I'm prepared for the worst.

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THREE STEELERS NAMED TO ALL-DECADE TEAM

The NFL recently announced their "Team of the Decade", and just like in the 1990s, three Steelers were named to the first team. The squad is selected every 10 years by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee, so it's a pretty good look into the voters' brains for future inductees.

The honorees this time around from Team Rooney were safety Troy Polamalu, guard Alan Faneca, and linebacker Joey Porter, who all seem like worthy choices. In the last decade, the Steelers were also represented by three players: center Dermontti Dawson, linebacker Kevin Greene, and corner Rod Woodson. In fact, the team has never had more than three players on the decade teams, not even in the '70s, when they placed Joe Greene, Jack Ham, and Lynn Swann on the first team.

Polamalu, who entered the league in 2003, can add this to his Hall of Fame bio, having already been named to five Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pros in his career, in addition to owning two Super Bowl rings. The only negative from his time in the NFL would be games lost to injury - 19 in all - since he took over as the starter in 2004. That's more than an entire season lost for Polamalu and the Steelers, and nearly 20% of his career as a starter spent on the sidelines. Voters will not gloss over that fact, but I still think he's a slam dunk candidate for enshrinement.

Faneca, who fled the Steelers as a free agent in 2008 for the green (literally and figuratively) of the New York Jets, is a nine-time Pro Bowler, six-time first-team All-Pro, and Super Bowl champion with the 2005-06 Steelers. A bust in Canton would seem to be an inevitable for the former LSU Tiger.

Porter, a third-round pick of the Steelers in 1999 out of Colorado State, was in the news for a different reason on Monday, requesting a trade from the Miami Dolphins. Assuming that no one wants to take on a highly-paid, sometimes-malcontent, aging linebacker, he will more than likely be released by the Dolphins later this month. Porter has averaged nearly 11 sacks a season since coming over to the Dolphins in 2007, but his sack numbers virtually fell in half from 2008 to 2009, going from 17.5 in 2008 to nine in 2009.

Porter's Hall of Fame candidacy is much more dicey than Polamalu's or Faneca's, despite his presence on the decade team. He has a member of four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All Pro in 2002, winning one Super Bowl ring in 2005-06, but my money on him on the outside looking in. Call it a hunch.

As far as my thoughts on the All-Decade Team in general, it's sort of a tough call because some players like Shaun Alexander peaked much earlier in the decade and became irrelevant as the years wore on. But all in all, I can't find anything to complain about. For once.

League announces 2000s NFL All-Decade Team [NFL.com]

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CHANGES A-COMIN'

After yesterday's epic fail against Oakland, coach Mike Tomlin revealed the following bits of info in relation to the upcoming game against the Browns on Thursday:

--CBs Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis will not only play but could start against the Browns. CB Ike Taylor, nursing burn wounds, might find a place on the Steeler bench.

--CB William Gay, who suffered a concussion against Oakland, will undergo neurological tests. If he is able to play, he may not start.

--WR Hines Ward is doubtful because of a late-game hamstring injury, so Limas Sweed moves up the depth chart (gulp) and a receiver will be signed for depth. Either Sweed or Mike Wallace will start in Ward's place. I'm putting my money on Wallace. Call it a hunch.

--S Troy Polamalu will likely miss his fourth straight game with a knee injury. Call that the Madden Curse.

--RB Rashard Mendenhall will get limited reps in practice this week because of an ankle injury.

--And to the best of my knowledge, there were no promises to unleash anything else this month.

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MEET MAIKA POLAMALU

There's another member of the Polamalu football family? Yes, and he's playing high school football in the state of Pennsylvania.

Meet Maika Polamalu, a junior RB/LB at Pottsgrove High School (northwest of Philly) and cousin of Steeler safety Troy Polamalu. Maika was recently the subject of a KDKA TV feature, as the 6-foot, 200-pounder has become quite the hot prospect on the college recruiting trail.

With an offer to Penn State in hand, Polamalu was one of many high schoolers to take in the recent Pitt-Notre Dame game, which worked out well for the home team. So far, the only offer Polamalu has received outside of Penn State has been Villanova, but he's also garnered interest from Clemson, Syracuse, UCLA, and West Virginia.

As a sophomore, Polamalu carried the ball 185 times for 1,322 yards (7.15 YPC) and 18 touchdowns, while catching 11 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns. He is listed by Scout.com as a four-star recruit.

It's going to be unfair to this kid to be compared to one of the greatest defenders to ever play the game, but on the other hand, it might motivate him to make a name for himself. And it certainly looks like he's on the right track so far.

Polamalu's Cousin Following In His Footsteps [KDKA]

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POLAMALU OUT A MONTH

ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will miss the next month with a strained ligament in his knee, according to a source close to the situation. The injury was suffered while tackling Cincinnati RB Cedric Benson last Sunday.

If the month-long prognosis holds up, Polamalu's target return could possibly come December 20 against Green Bay in the Steelers' 14th game of the season. Luckily, the next three games following today's contest include Oakland and Cleveland, so it will not be the team's most challenging stretch. They will, however, be without Polamalu for sure at Baltimore next Sunday night in an important divisional game. But Baltimore has injury concerns of their own, with Terrell Suggs out up to six weeks as a result of an MCL injury caused by Cleveland's Brady Quinn.

Of course, all of this will mean very little to the team's fortunes unless the Steelers can shore up their biggest weakness at this point: the inability to stop opposing kick returners. Somewhere, Arnold Harrison is feeling very vindicated. Vindicated, and in last place with the Browns.

Source: Polamalu likely out 1 month [ESPN]

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COMING TO A TV NEAR YOU: TROY POLAMALU AND BARACK OBAMA

Troy Polamalu has really taken his crossover appeal to another level since winning a second Super Bowl (unless you've missed the endless Head and Shoulders ads, Madden cover or Jimmy Fallon appearance), and as the latest example, he was chosen to appear in a public service ad alongside President Barack Obama.

The 90-second PSA promotes the league's "Play 60" campaign, which encourages physical activity to combat childhood obesity, as well as the president's community service initiative, "United We Serve". Also appearing in the spot will be New Orleans' Drew Brees and Dallas Cowboys Demarcus Ware. The ad, which shows Obama and the players on the White House lawn playing touch football with local kids, will debut during the Thanksgiving day games and will run in an abbreviated version throughout the remainder of the season.

Steelers' Polamalu to Appear in PSA with President Obama [WPXI]

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TROY POLAMALU ON JIMMY FALLON

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to stay up to watch this when it originally aired, but here's the video of Jimmy Fallon's show from Tuesday night featuring the flowing locks of one Troy Polamalu.

The Steeler safety continued the team's assault on network TV in 2009 with a pleasant appearance to plug Operation Once In a Lifetime, which Polamalu described "like a Make-a-Wish for soldiers that are coming home from overseas, for veterans."

Coincidentally, the show also featured a segment with actress January Jones, who make blog headlines from coast to coast last month when she mentioned that she was going to dress up as Polamalu for Halloween.

Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu Appears on Jimmy Fallon [WPXI]

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AARON SMITH OUT THREE MONTHS

If you thought the Steelers' defense had problems playing without Troy Polamalu, that was just the beginning. Their concerns just multiplied with the news that DE Aaron Smith could be out up to three months due to pending surgery on his right rotator cuff on Friday. That would put his return sometime in the mid-January range, which means Mike Tomlin could have a decision on his hands: to IR or not to IR. Interesting.

While Smith does not get the "national" praise that Polamalu receives, make no bones about it - this is a tremendous loss for the defense; if it's not as big as losing Polamalu, it's pretty close.

Rookie Ziggy Hood will be part of the rotation in Smith's stead, but being that he is not quite ready for prime time, it's not going to be his gig exclusively. Travis Kirschke and Nick Eason will also be in the mix.

In other injury news, it looks like safety Troy Polamalu and RB Willie Parker will be back in action for Sunday's game against Cleveland. So at least there was some good news to come from Mike Tomlin at his Tuesday press conference.

Aaron Smith out with shoulder injury [PG]
Smith to undergo surgery [Scout.com]

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RETURN OF THE PODCAST!

The wiseguy pictured behind the regulation ESPN football and I just wrapped a podcast, and we're cordially inviting you for a listen. Instead of our usual banter about the WNBA, tennis, and the MLS, we've decided to go in a new direction this year and talk exclusively about Pittsburgh sports. Candace Parker just doesn't pull in the listeners she used to.

I kid, I kid. Of course I don't care about the WNBA. In reality, our latest meeting of the black-and-gold bleeders was heavily devoted to the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a final look back at the Tennessee game and a look ahead to the Bears contest on Sunday.

We discuss a few hot-button issues, most notably "the Steeler way", the offensive line, the defense sans Troy Polamalu, and what exactly to make out of the Chicago Bears. It's as much as a preview as I'll do, so I guess that would make the podcast the exclusive home to my extended pregame analysis, for whatever that's worth.

Dave and I close with some talk about the Pitt Panthers, including the conspiracy theory on the Scout.com Pitt message board that I am an avid poster about the script logo on their board. Sorry to burst their bubble, but their search must continue, because it's not me. We also discuss the passing game and my delight at the use of Dorin Dickerson, as well as the big news that heralded QB Anthony Gonzalez will be coming to Pitt next year. Dave Wannstedt's recruiting magic strikes yet again, much to our delight.

To listen to this week's podcast, just click here.

One more thing:

Dave wrote a great column for ESPN.com Page 2 outlining why you don't have to pick between college and pro football. It's an interesting look back/look ahead at college and NFL football, and Dave bravely takes on Vegas as well. Trust me, it's definitely click-worthy.

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TROY POLAMALU ON THE TODAY SHOW

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The Today Show did a tear-jerking piece this morning on Troy Polamalu and the relationship he has forged with 11-year-old Heather Miller, who is fighting cancer and faces surgery on Friday, just one day after she watches the Steelers' home opener in person as the guest of Polamalu. In the piece, Miller was taken to training camp and got to meet all of her Steeler heroes, including the "teddy bear", Casey Hampton.

It's stories like these which serve to remind us that NFL is not entirely populated by the likes of Michael Vick, Pacman Jones, and Leonard Little. There are a lot of good guys, and luckily, many of them happen to play in Pittsburgh.

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TROY POLAMALU'S HEAD AND SHOULDERS COMMERCIAL

At long last, Troy Polamalu has finally cashed in on his trademark flowing locks with an endorsement from a shampoo manufacturer. I saw a print ad featuring Polamalu in the Big Ben-covered SI this past week, and now, courtesy of the Kiss 96.1 Morning Show, here's the televised version. The Coke/Mean Joe Greene re-creation ad, the Madden '10 cover, a Head and Shoulders campaign....it's been a pretty profitable year for #43.

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