2
Feb
2010
It’s Groundhog Day, and Punxsutawny Polamalu saw his sha … GAAAHHH! KILL IT! KILL IT!!! (video)
This is apparently an ad which is set to air during the Super Bowl on Sunday, promoting TruTV’s new series, NFL Full Contact. And while the idea of “six more weeks of football” seems like a fantastic idea on the surface, I gotta say, this image of a freaky miniature Troy Polamalu scares the ever-loving crap out of me. Watch at your own risk:
And with that, Polamalu has officially become my least favorite NFL pitch man of all time. Between this and those awful Head & Shoulders commercials, I’d be cool with never seeing ol’ Troy in an advertisement ever again.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to undergo some hypnotherapy to try and drive that image out of my brain forever.
12
Sep
2009
Troy Polamalu’s Head & Shoulders commercial is painfully dumb
Great player, absolutely terrible commercial.
This will play 240 times every Sunday–enjoy it.
11
Sep
2009
Polamalu makes pro bowl in 1st quarter, out 3-6 weeks with Madden Curse
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.
24
Apr
2009
Polamalu and Fitzgerald are on Madden NFL 10 Cover
This year, it's all about the hair
Here is the official cover for Madden NFL 10 from EA Sports, featuring Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald.
I stopped playing Madden after the Sega Genesis days, so I may be a little out of touch here … but based on everything I learned from TV & movies, by now I thought we’d have a full virtual video gaming experience with 2000 yard fields, jet packs and rocket footballs.
The newest version of Madden features something called “Fight for every Yard” technology, which means absolutely nothing to me. There are way too many buttons on the new controllers, and the whole Wii thing just scares me. I guess that means I’m old.
Check out more of what the EA press release had to say after the jump …
4
Apr
2009
Things You Should Know (Chapter 1 of 209): What’s the difference between a strong safety and a free safety?
After we’ve been watching the game for a while, we should know what the hell we’re looking at.
If you didn’t play, you’re never going to see things the way an ex-player would. I played Pop Warner, and a little bit of high school football (the former was instructive and unforgettable; the latter was the end of the road). I’ll never forget being 10 years old and sitting with my dad in the kitchen, going over my first football playbook, a 20-page Xerox’d-and-stapled handout with plays like “32-power” and “28-sweep.” I started to comprehend–with sheer wonder–that the game of football was methodical, mindful, dissembling, and bizarre. There were systems, matchups, strengths, weaknesses, and a leaning toward deception.
There was a better time
I’ve been watching football for 25 years. It’s amazing to me how much *more* there is to learn. These days, I don’t have time like I used to. Work, family, friends, life… I don’t sit around studying football strategy like I did in 10th grade, pouring over NFL recordbooks and histories… trying to impress girls at parties with some scattered and arcane statistical rundown of the 0-7 1928 Dayton Triangles. You forget about things. These days, simply by having watched 43,000 games (the vast majority of them life-crushing losses for my team), I can chat casually–on auto pilot–about the prevent defense, the Cover 2, the 3-4, the West Coast offense, and the 46/Bear—–but if I were thrown into the fray, would I know, in detail, how these attack modules truly function from play-to-play? NEGATIVE.
I’ll never forget the 300-page book I read at school about the I-formation–much to the chagrin of my report card. It read like a war document built on deep secrets. It was titled something powerful like: “Successfull Installation of the I-Formation Attack at the Intercollegiate Level.” Oooooo…. I was in heaven. I disappeared for weeks. I broke up with my university girlfriend on a napkin sent via inter-campus mail and vanished into the deepest corners of the pin-drop silent library to study GRIDIRON TACTICS.
Basketball always bothered me on this level. In the NBA, you know both teams will knock down 80 points a night. There might be some excitement at the end, but you know where it’s going, in general. In FOOTBALL, a field goal on the opening drive might be the ONLY score all game, but it can still be a fascinating game, if you care about the matchups and the strategy. (NBA fans can say the same thing… but it just doesn’t seem the same to me, sorry. PLUS, basketball is played inside, under boring flourescant lights–football is played amidst nature.)
* * *
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW is a series about getting back to the basics–and the far reaches–of football. Comprehending the core, but also digging down into newer trends on offense and defense. Studying matchups, tendencies, history and the evolution of the game.
It’s just a discussion starter. My on-field career ended during the first Bush White House, so, naturally, I am simply throwing out subjects for the wiser of you to comment on.
CHAPTER 1 (of 209): WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STRONG SAFETY AND A FREE SAFETY?
Pittsburgh Strong Safety Troy Polamalu is a game changer
In a nutshell, in terms of formation, the strong safety (SS) plays on the “strong side,” normally dictated by which side the tight end lines up on. Strong safeties are usually asked to cover the tight end, play closer to the line of scrimmage, and guard against the run. The SS is like a last-chance linebacker, positioned down field.
On the flip side, the free safety (FS) is not typically a run defender by trade. He’s the last line of defense, typically launched into zone coverage, charged with letting no eligible receiver pass beyond him (unless he’s on the Browns, in which case opponents float by unscathed).
Both safeties offer a wildcard in more aggressive defensive schemes, as they may be asked, on occassion, to blitz the passer. When executed well, they can blow up an offense with their speed and elusiveness, subduing a quarterback into the unforgiving turf.
Former Eagles Free Safety Brian Dawkins (now with Denver) does things we can't do
Coaches like Bill Belichick (and those blooming from his tree) value building a team up the middle. This means drafting or obtaining a powerful center on offense and a hard-hitting safety on defense. In his first draft as a head coach, Belichick’s selected UCLA safety Eric Turner with the second overall pick–the highest ever for a defensive back in league history. Turner was an instant hit at free safety, and evolved into one of the most devastating defensive backs in NFL history (before dying rather suddenly of intestinal cancer at age 31). “ET,” as he was called, was a nightmare for running backs and fancy-footed receivers.
Here’s a few clips from his NFL career (witness how he absolutely SCREWS UP Troy Aikman in this reel):
Truly great safeties may be the defensive equivalent of a game-changing tight end. Only about three teams in the league have one at any given time, and they are prized–for they add immediate value, and equal danger for the opposition.
