As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to face off against the Baltimore Ravens in one of four of the NFL's Wild Card Playoff games this weekend, there has been some talk that All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu could be benched or have his snaps limited in favor of Will Allen.
This, according to coaches and teammates, is a wholly absurd suggestion.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," free safety Mike Mitchell said, according to a report from Mark Kaboly of TribLive.com. "That's absurd. It just shows the disrespect that some people have, and they have no clue about our game."
Polamalu is expected to play in what will be the team's first playoff game in three years, but despite Mitchell's protestations, no one is certain what his role will be and whether Will Allen will get some - or a lot of - time in his place.
The wild-haired safety missed the last two games and four out of the team's last seven due to a variety of injury issues. He was inactive against the Cincinnati Bengals last Sunday despite practicing during the week.
"I thought he was ready to go last week," Mitchell said. "It totally shocked me that he didn't play."
Polamalu, 33, the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2010, is a surefire first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, and despite the plethora of injuries he has faced this year, still finds himself fourth on the team in tackles with 59.
But his big play ability - those crazy, game-changing moments when Polamalu would freelance his way to an interception or forced fumble, plays that had become his career hallmark - are all but gone.
When he's on the field, he still freelances, the results just aren't the same. And increasingly, he hasn't even been able to get on the field. Which - despite the three-year, $20 million extension he signed with the team in March - could mean his future in the Steel City is in doubt.
"He has that uncanny ability, that God-sent gift to diagnose plays and make the plays that other guys are afraid to make," Mitchell said.
"The only thing I can think of when he isn't on the field is that I know exactly where Will Allen is going to be at all times. That doesn't mean it's a better defense. It just says Will does it more by the book."
Without Polamalu in the lineup the last two weeks, the Steelers held the Kansas City Chiefs to 12 points and the Bengals to 17 - totals that any defensive coordinator would be happy to see from his unit.
With Polamalu's expected return to the field Saturday, it will be interesting to see what his role on the defense is, and what that means for his future in Black and Gold.
