Troy Polamalu: The Best Addition to the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2010 Roster

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made some nice additions this week. Ryan Clark, Antwaan Randle El, Jonathan Scott, Arnaz Battle, and Will Allen should all be major contributors in 2010, helping to solidify a team that truly needs little to return to the top.

But the most important and arguably the best addition that will be made to the roster will be the return of Troy Polamalu, who was all but invisible last season.

Polamalu is one of the game's top defenders and is the heart and soul of the Steelers' defense. Coordinator Dick LeBeau gameplans around his skills. To say his departure from the lineup was catastrophic is not doing it justice.

Polamalu is only one player, but he affects the players around him.

In LeBeau's blitz-heavy scheme, an effective and dynamic safety like Polamalu makes everyone better.

He creates mismatches that the linebackers can exploit by charging into the line and taking on linemen and backs.

He makes Ryan Clark more dangerous by playing center field and allowing Clark to prowl and take on tight ends and slot receivers. Most quarterbacks are accounting for Polamalu, so Clark can sometimes go almost unnoticed.

He makes the corners better by covering his territory and some of theirs too, which makes up for some of the poor talent the Steelers employ at the position.

Make no mistake. Wherever Polamalu is on the field, the entire offense is watching him. He makes everyone else on his team better by simply distracting the enemy.

Also, he's not such a bad overall player himself.

Polamalu is adept at getting to the quarterback, making the big interception, or separating a receiver from the football. The Steelers failed badly to generate turnovers without him last season.

A turnover or two would have gone a long way in several of the team's close losses.

You can bet everyone will be glad to see No. 43 back on the field this summer.