In football and other sports, there is a “what have you done for me lately” mentality. Is it fair? Probably not. But sports fans have short attention spans, and some are just uneducated. It’s not their fault. It is what it is. For some, they ask the questions that some don’t have the guts to ask. In some instances, they ask the questions that others just don’t happen to think of. Recently some football fans that I know asked the question that has really never crossed my mind. Is it time for Troy Polamalu to maybe call it a day?
He gets injured too often and can’t play a full season. I told you that some fans are just plain crazy and uneducated. Then for some reason, we had to think about that question for maybe just a second. Were they on to something? Have other fans thought this also? It does seem that Polamalu gets injured often, but when he is healthy, he takes over games defensively. To me, I feel he has some football life in that 31-year-old body.
When looking at the body of work he has amassed, it’s easy to say he is a sure Hall of Famer. But the injuries have affected him and the Steelers over his career. Going back to 2009, he missed 16 games and for the math buffs out there, that equals a whole season. In the previous 15 games, the Steelers have gone 7-8. When Polamalu is on the field for the 37 games, the Steelers are 28-9. It’s easy to see the defense needs for him to be on the field. Even watching this year with him out, you can see that they are not quite the same despite them coming together and playing well.
It’s also easy to think they may be looking at a better record than 5-3. The injuries he has had are not something new. We can see since 2007, that there have been a few injuries such as the nagging hamstring. Then on 2009 on opening night, he sprained his MCL which came back to bother him later in the year. Polamalu went on record saying if he kept playing and he re-injured it, the doctors told him it could be career ending.
In 2010 he had the ankle injury, and now in 2011 and 2012, he has had calf strain issues. Is this something to expect every year or is bad luck? I have always say he plays with a little recklessness, and that the hits and grind have taken a toll. Whatever the reasons are, the Steelers need him healthy on the field because the numbers with him don’t lie.
So to answer the question of those “fans,” no it is not time for Polamalu to call it a day. This player is going to be a legend if he isn’t already. I’m going to say with seven Pro Bowls, a two-time Super Bowl champion, 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, being named to the 2000’s all decade team, and future Hall of Famer, fans of the NFL need to give him the benefit of the doubt to see what happens when he gets back onto the field. Steelers fans can agree that he is the staple of the defense, and just needs to be healthy. With that, they may be raising the Lombardi Trophy for the seventh time.
Photo Credits: MSN
