Troy Polamalu decides to hang up the ol cleats
NFL offenses can sleep easier at night. Troy Polamalu decided that after a 12 year career, all of it spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers, that it was time to call it quits.
Steelers make it official, announcing that safety Troy Polamalu has retired.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 10, 2015 USA Today
Like I said, what it came down to was definitely family," Polamalu told the Herald-Standard. "If I'm in my fourth year, fifth year, even if I'm in my 10th year, I'm playing in Alaska. But when I started this process and started to debate whether I should come back or should I play, that was kind of the sign for me to say, 'Whoa, if you're just even debating it maybe you shouldn't play anymore,' because what I do know about this game is it takes a lot — a lot — of commitment just to be an average player.
Polamalu will be remembered for his huge hits and instinctive plays. His signature play will be him trying to time the snap and jump over the center and sack the quarterback just as he gets the ball. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't but it was always fun to watch him try it.
Polamalu's retirement leaves another hole in the Steelers defense that is going through transition. When they open the 2015 season it will be the first time in more than a decade without longtime Coordinator Dick LeBeau and now Troy Polamalu.
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