Troy Polamalu: the heart and soul of the Steel City

Through the opening two games of the 2010 season, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu is once again proving to be his team's most indispensible player. The five-time Pro Bowl defensive back, whose long hair has brought him nearly as much notoriety as his hard hits and clutch play, is back to his old role of dominating the game from the defensive side of the ball.

In two victories vs. the Falcons and Titans, the vaunted Pittsburgh defense has only allowed one offensive touchdown.  Perhaps even more impressive, in the Week Two triumph over Tennessee, the Steelers held the great Chris Johnson to a meager 34 yards rushing. 

This incredible performance has put the Steelers in excellent position to challenge for the Super Bowl, particularly when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returns from his four-game suspension.

Polamalu's 2010 contributions have included two interceptions and 11 total tackles.  Polamalu's numbers are emblematic of his tremendous versatility and the fact that he always seems to be in the best position to help his team.

During the Steelers Super Bowl Championship season of 2005, Polamalu's talents focused more on the hitting side of the sport, when he tallied 92 total tackles and two interceptions.

In the Steelers world championship season of 2008, Polamalu's influence was more apparent in pass defense, via his seven interceptions.  Polamalu's hitting did not suffer too much though.  He still was responsible for 73 total tackles.

If Polamalu remains healthy, the Steelers should be among the NFL's best.  Pittsburgh fans hope Polamalu does not have a repeat of last season, when he only competed in five games due to knee issues.

Below is a piece of video Steeler fans hope to relive this upcoming winter. The setting was the team's championship celebration from February of 2009.  Check out the Pittsburgh faithful expressing their love for Polamalu, followed by the two-time Super Bowl Champion returning the favor by literally stage diving into the assembled crowd.  

The Steel City certainly dreams of this amazing scene taking place once again come this February.