Domata Peko celebrates his block on Troy Polamalu (Photo: The Enquirer/Gary Landers)

We’ve started a new tradition here at ReadAndReact by bringing you the Hit of the Week! We’ll find the most brutal tackle (or block) from each weekend of NFL games, and present it for your viewing pleasure.

You may have noticed (but probably didn’t) that we took a week off from presenting the HOTW … that’s because we were simply terrified that the league was going to fine & suspend us for promoting violent hits in the game. But we’re obviously pretty low on Goodell’s priority list these days, so we’re back, and this week we’re focusing on the offensive side of the ball.

The Bengals have been employing 320-lb DT Domata Peko as a fullback in their goal line package, and last night he showed the world why.  Watch as Peko takes Steelers S Troy Polamalu head-on in the 4th quarter, leading the way into the end zone for Cedric Benson. The result is a cataclysmic explosion of hair that ends with Polamalu flat on his back. It’s quite spectacular:

We’re starting a new tradition every Tuesday here at ReadAndReact by bringing you the Hit of the Week! We’ll find the most brutal tackle (or block) from each weekend of NFL games, and present it for your viewing pleasure

We’ve gotta give some props to the Pittsburgh Steelers defense, who were the star of the show in Tennessee on Sunday, getting 4 sacks and SEVEN turnovers in their 19-11 victory over the Titans. Oh, and they also held wonderboy RB Chris Johnson to only 53 total yards (34 yards rushing).

On this play, S Troy Polamalu (and his million dollar hair) times the snap perfectly on a goal line attempt by the Titans, leaping over the offensive line to bring down QB Kerry Collins before he even has a chance to get moving:

It’s not necessarily a bone-crushing hit, but it’s one of the best players in the game making a beautifully-anticipated goal line stop. And yes, I realize the Titans scored a TD on that same series … but they lost the game, and Polamalu is one of the main reasons why.

HONORABLE MENTION: Rolando McLain Suplex Maneuver

(Photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images via BleacherReport)

We couldn’t give this one the award since he got flagged with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, but Raiders rookie LB Rolando McClain made his impact felt in yesterday’s 16-14 win over the St. Louis Rams … particularly on WR Danny Amendola.  Watch as he violently slams the little guy to the ground:

You just know Raider nation loved that one, legal or not.

LATE ENTRY: Patrick Willis levels Reggie Bush

This is the late entry from last night’s Saints 25-22 win over the 49ers, and it’s the best pure tackle of the bunch. Here, LB Patrick Willis absolutely flattens Reggie Bush on a swing pass in the first half:

If you like defense, you oughta love Patrick Willis … this kid is the real deal. Bush left the game later with a leg injury, and will miss 6 weeks with a broken fibula, but Willis was all over the field in Greg Manusky’s defense, keeping the 49ers in the game against the defending champs.

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.

This will play 240 times every Sunday–enjoy it.

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.

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 …

“Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu are exemplary examples of the epic battle between offense and defense in the NFL,” said Sr. Product Manager Anthony Stevenson.   “Madden NFL 10 showcases the Fight For Every Yard, and nobody fights harder than Troy and Larry, making them the perfect athletes to grace the cover.”

Utilizing the all-new Pro-Tak animation technology, Madden NFL 10 on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3, ensures that the Fight for Every Yard doesn’t end until the whistle blows.  This new game changing animation technology delivers steerable tackles, three to nine man gang tackles, as well as the ability to fight for fumbles at the bottom of a pile. In addition, Pro-Tak allows quarterbacks to avoid the oncoming rush to extend a play, or step into the pocket to deliver an in-stride pass.  With Pro-Tak, the authenticity of NFL game days is brought home like never before in Madden NFL 10.

So yeah.  No jet packs.  But I guess this is still cool.  Whatever.

Moral of the story: expect one of these guys to get injured this year.

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.