Gold Jacket Spotlight: Troy Polamalu 'played very loud with a very soft voice'

President Theodore Roosevelt famously said, “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” 

One easily could describe the career of Pro Football Hall of Famer TROY POLAMALU(Opens in a new window) with only a slight modification to the quote: “Speak softly and deliver a big hit; you will go far.”

The playing style of the soft-spoken, hard-hitting Steelers defensive back takes center stage in this week’s Gold Jacket Spotlight.

“If you watched him play on the field, he was completely opposite of that off the field,” future Hall of Fame coach BILL COWHER(Opens in a new window) told NFL Network’s Rich Eisen when the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Troy. “He was very quiet, very humble. But if you watched him play on the field, the guy had great passion.”

Cowher called Troy “one of the best preparers I’ve ever been around.”

“He studied the game; he was a student of the game. He just played very loud with a very soft voice.”

Prior to the Steelers playing in Super Bowl XLIII, Mike Tomlin, who succeeded Cowher as Pittsburgh head coach, said, “When he (Polamalu) walks out of the tunnel with a helmet on, he’s going to be a factor in the football game.”

The New York Times reported that wide receiver Hines Ward described Troy as “Clark Kent, who goes into his phone booth on Sundays and comes out as Superman.” 

Troy not only “played very loud,” he played instinctively and was known to make defensive adjustments without necessarily communicating the modifications to his coaches. 

“We always know where he’s going,” former Steelers defensive coordinator and Hall of Famer DICK LeBEAU(Opens in a new window) told ESPN.com, “But we’re not always sure how he’s going to get there.”

“He’s all over the field,” Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitgerald acknowledged prior to their Super Bowl matchup with Pittsburgh. “He causes so much disruption. You have to know where he’s at, and then, right when you think he’s over here, he’s in your backfield or he’s picking off a play on the backside.”

Self-aware, Troy knew there were limits to his freedom regarding in-game adjustments.

“When you do go a little bit off the map,” he told Karen Crouse of the New York Times, “you have to make sure you make the play. If you don’t, it’s your fault.”

Troy made plenty of plays throughout his career, and following the 2010 season, his passionate and instinctive efforts earned him the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. Teammate and linebacker James Harrison also received votes for the award that year.

“Troy brings this defense from a ‘C’ defense to an ‘A’ defense. He’s someone that you have to account for in the secondary,” Harrison told NFL.com. 

Teammate LaMarr Woodley added, “...you look at all the game-changing plays Troy’s made; game-changing plays. Things that he (does) not only in the secondary, coming up, tackling backs in the backfield. Troy does it all.”

Harrison also appreciated Troy’s off field demeanor and leadership telling Crouse, “At times when we need a little guidance, he’s the guy we go to. Troy’s a lot deeper than a lot of people who actually preach the word.”

“Troy was a difference-maker,” Cowher told Joe Rutter of TribLive.com. “Troy Polamalu was a guy that every team had to gameplan for. When you become that kind of player and people are game planning differently because of you as a player, that puts you in a very unique category.

“He was a unique player with an unbelievable skill set,” Cowher said, “and they only come along every now and then.”

Recognized as a first-team All-Pro selection four times, elected to eight Pro Bowls and as a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s, Troy’s career went far, and in 2020 reached its pinnacle when he was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.