No Troy Polamalu, No Super Bowl Defense for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Without those long, ferocious, black locks soaring through the secondary, unleashing fury on opposing receivers and running backs, the Pittsburgh Steelers have nothing.

Take away the man who listens to orthodox chants before games, calls Istanbul his favorite city, may be the only NFL player to spend more free time reading than playing Xbox, and you take away the Pittsburgh Steelers’ chance to defend their Super Bowl title.

Safety Troy Polamalu said Tuesday that he is unsure whether or not he will play again this season.

Polamalu has been nursing two injuries to his left knee.

On the opening night of the season, Polamalu sprained his anterior cruciate ligament and missed Pittsburgh’s next four games.

Polamalu re-injured his left knee in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals. This time it was the posterior cruciate ligament that took the blow and has missed all three games since. The injury to Polamalu’s PCL was initially thought to be less serious than the injury to his ACL, but Polamalu confirmed that he will miss his fourth consecutive game when the Steelers play the Cleveland Browns Thursday night.

“God willing, hopefully I’ll be able to play,” said Polamalu, when asked about the prospect of him taking the field again this season. “I’ve exercised all legal options [of rehabilitation], but we’ll see what the doctor says.”

Polamalu hasn’t been cleared to practice yet, which means he is still at least one week away from playing, probably two. The best-case scenario is that Polamalu rejoins the Steelers on Dec. 27, when Pittsburgh hosts Baltimore in a divisional game that could determine the AFC’s final Wildcard.

But is it really worth it? With two injuries to the same knee, is it worth rushing back your best defensive player when odds are you'll need him to win out to make the playoffs? Is gambling with Polamalu’s future—and, to some extent, Pittsburgh’s immediate future—worth the risk of a possible, but not guaranteed, playoff berth?

I don’t think so. If the Steelers are still alive come Week 17—or perhaps are even in the playoffs, and Polamalu is cleared to play—then absolutely, put your best defensive player on the field and see what you can make of a season that was built on stilts.

But if we assume that Polamalu is done for the season, then it is fair to assume that the Steelers can begin making plans to spend January in Cabo San Lucas. At this rate, there won’t be any playoff football in Pittsburgh.

After 13 weeks, the Steelers are 6-6. They have games against Cleveland, Green Bay, Baltimore, and Miami remaining. At Cleveland on Thursday is a win (if the Steelers don’t beat the lowly Browns, America will weep for how far, and fast, the NFL’s premier organization has plummeted). But none of the Steelers' final three games are "gimmies."

At worst, the Steelers should go 1-3 in that stretch, finish 7-9, and have a nice, new year shoveling snow. At best, Pittsburgh goes 4-0, finishes 10-6, and earns the opportunity to defend their crown. I don’t think the Steelers are going to win all four games. After watching their performance at home against the Oakland Raiders last week, I think 8-8 is a very realistic record for this team.

That just won’t cut it, not with the ubiquitous competition for the AFC’s two wildcard spots.

The Ravens, Dolphins, and Jets are all tied with the Steelers at 6-6. Above them, we have the Broncos at 8-4 and the Jaguars at 7-5. The Broncos still have to play the Colts and Eagles, both on the road—both probably losses, but they also get both the Raiders and Chiefs at home. That’s 2-2 to finish the year (Oakland and KC only have so many feisty games in them, and neither will win in Denver) and a 10-6 final record.

Welcome to playoff football, Josh McDaniels.

If Denver is in, that leaves Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Miami, the New York Jets, and Jacksonville all clamoring over the final playoff birth. The Jaguars have a one-game lead, but they still have to face Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Miami. Look up the schedules and you’ll see that they favor the Ravens (with Detroit, Chicago, and Oakland still left to play).

Which brings us back to the Steelers and Polamalu. If Polamalu was healthy, I would pick the Steelers to win their final four games, go to the playoffs, and then cause hell while enjoying an improbable title defense. I probably wouldn’t even think twice about it, actually.

Without Polamalu, this team is drastically different.

In fourth quarters this season, with a Steelers’ D once famous for securing wins and demoralizing opponents, Pittsburgh has allowed nine touchdown passes (worst in the NFL) and 1,037 passing yards (second worst in the NFL). In five of Pittsburgh’s six losses, the defense has relinquished the lead in the final period (stats courtesy of AP).

“Honestly, I don’t think one person would make a difference in how this season has ended up for this team,” said Polamalu.

Say what you want, Troy, but it’s hard to ignore the facts. The Steelers are 2-6 when Polamalu hasn’t been on the field, including the loss to Cincy when he injured his knee the second time. In the other four games, when Polamalu did play, Pittsburgh is 4-0. Not coincidentally, there were no fourth-quarter meltdowns with Polamalu on the field.

The loss of defensive end Aaron Smith, in October, to a torn rotator cuff crushed the Steelers’ 3-4 defense and has undoubtedly played a big role in the regression of the unit. Without Smith on the field to help pressure the opposing quarterback, the Steelers have fallen to 17th in the league against the pass.

Polamalu’s presence in the secondary would have mitigated the loss of Smith, but it also would have kept the Steelers' trademark swagger alive.

In past seasons, nobody wanted to go into Heinz Field in December or January to take on this group. Nobody. The ferocity was palpable. Pittsburgh expected to dominate the game.

Now? Bruce Gradkowski struts in, puts his feet up on a La-Z-Boy and asks for the remote. Honey, I’m home.

It would be almost unfathomable in this era of Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward to have a playoff that didn’t include the Steelers. Still, with Roethlisberger dealing with concussion issues and the defense looking meager rather than mighty, it may just become a reality.

The NFL is finding out just what Troy Polamalu means to the Steelers. Without him, the Steelers will be throwing snowballs earlier than they had hoped.

You can reach Teddy Mitrosilis at [e-mail].