11
Sep
2009
Polamalu makes pro bowl in 1st quarter, out 3-6 weeks with Madden Curse
By ArtieFufkin
In case you missed it, Troy Polamalu was a one-man highlight reel in the first half of last night’s Steelers/Titans game. The Pro Bowl S was everywhere, firing into the backfield with speed and power that you just don’t see, even at the NFL level. He led both teams with 6 tackles in the first half, all the while his thick black hair floating majestically in the Pittsburgh night air.
And then there was this, ridiculous one-handed interception at the end of the 1st quarter:
With their defense picking up right where they left off, everything was looking good for the Steelers and their faithful.
But then, it happened. With about three minutes left in the half, Polamalu injured his left knee when a Titans player fell on him after the Steelers blocked a 31-yd FG attempt. Head Coach Mike Tomlin stated in his post-game press conference that Polamalu will miss 3-6 with an MCL sprain.
If I had Larry Fitzgerald on my fantasy football team, I'd be worried
In addition to being a major blow to the SB champs, Polamalu also becomes the latest victim of the Madden Curse, after gracing the cover of Madden NFL 10 with Larry Fitzgerald. I’m not normally a big believer in this sort of thing, and I thought the SportsIllustrated curse got overblown. But as Shutdown Corner points out, this is becoming a real trend. Other recent victims of the Madden curse include Michael Vick (broken leg/prison), Donavan McNabb (hernia, missed 7 games), Shaun Alexander (broken foot, 6 games), Vince Young (moron/back-up) and Brett Favre (douche bag).
The injury happened when Polamalu was attempting to pick up the ball and make yet another play for his team. He was taken to the locker room before the half, and did not return, with back-up Tyrone Carter taking his place. Tomlin said that Polamalu will undergo further tests to determine the exact extent of the injury, and couldn’t rule out the possibility that it could be worse than initially thought.
The person who may be most upset about Troy’s injury is Chris Collinsworth.
What a sloppy, hyperbole-filled performance by Collinsworth. The guy FAWNS over Troy—and FAWNS over smiley Hines Ward—roundly ignoring other players on the field (especially the Titans).
Troy is a player–no doubt. He played a great game last night, and he’s an All-Pro (not up for debate). That aside, fair coverage on NBC would bring up the fact that he cost his team 3 penalties–and 30 yards in unsportsmanlike conduct penalties during his short time on the field. Maybe that’s not sexy to bring up.
Granted, I’m not a Steelers fan—and, granted, those penalties don’t overshadow his play, but at one pioint, I had to turn the TV down—-the Titans sack Ben 4 times and go into the half 7-7, and all we hear about is BIG BEN, HINES WARD, TROY BOY, etc.
Unrewarding.
TDH
And… do we really believe there is a “curse” on the person who lands on the cover of a video game?
That said, it’s bizarre. Can we get a Steelers team photo on next year’s?
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I dunno, ‘TheDarkHorse,’ what do you expect from an announcer covering the Superbowl Champions in the first game after the Superbowl?
And Collinsworth HATES the steelers. As a Steelers fan (surprise), i have watched him for years on Inside the NFL be biased against Pittsburgh. Years. He played for the Bengals.