Carter's Classroom Classic: Prime Polamalu, the impossible study

One of the best players in the Steelers' rich history did things that defied all normal expectations of what safeties were supposed to do.

Troy Polamalu's speed, ball skills and general football instincts made for a player who won't ever call for a generic film study. His greatest moments didn't just come from him executing his position at an elite level but, rather, because he would feel out opposing offenses and had earned the trust of Dick LeBeau to have free rein in the secondary to act on that.

And his ability to act on that ... well, today's blast from the past, part of our Daily Fun Thing each month, looks back at the physical feats of Polamalu in some of those big moments:



TIMING THE SNAP

Part of Polamalu's lore will always be his ability to time the snap of the ball, then jump over the center at the precise moment, then grab the quarterback and end the play without committing an offsides penalty.

Although he did this multiple times throughout his career, the most notable occasion was his stop on Joe Flacco on fourth-and-inches in the 2009 AFC Championship Game:



Flacco had 8 inches and 40 pounds on Polamalu, which only added to the insanity of the timing of his controlling Flacco while hanging in the air on top of other players.

These are moments of pure will, in which Polamalu would probably put away any logic.

ONE-HANDED PICKS 

Although Polamalu is not high on the NFL's all-time interception list -- he had 32, tied for 168th -- he had some of the most spectacular. He wouldn't always be around the ball because he would be all over the field taking gambles and playing aggressively to the point of taking himself out of the play at times. However, when the ball was anywhere nearby, he was a threat to find it and change the game.

Like the game against the Chargers in 2008, when he made what was arguably his most unbelievable interception:



Watch how Polamalu laid his whole body out and managed to get his fingertips under the ball just enough so that he could roll and bring it into his shoulders.

There's no rhyme or reason for how he made plays like these, just an acceptance of how great he could be in key moments.

HIS BIGGEST SACK

Over his 12 years in the NFL, Polamalu had 12 sacks, and his most important came in a late-season game in 2010 against the Ravens for divisional supremacy. On a second-and-5 late in the fourth quarter, he crept down to the edge of the line of scrimmage and blitzed off the edge, reading the protection weakness in the offense:



This was another example of Polamalu doing what Polamalu felt was best. In a situation when the Ravens were trying to run out the clock, Polamalu sniffed out the pass and rushed at the perfect weak point of the offense just when it was too late for Flacco to call any adjustments, let alone notice where Polamalu was positioned.

Not only did Polamalu time his blitz perfectly, but he also keyed up a tomahawk chop that knocked the ball loose and sparked a comeback win that would all but solidify the Steelers' dominance of the AFC North.

MAKING HIS NAME EARLY

In just his third season, Polamalu was a young asset to a defense that had been dominant in the later half of the year. He didn't record any turnovers in the 2005-06 playoff run -- though the NFL apologized for overturning an interception of Peyton Manning -- but he was part of an AFC championship performance that would lead to a rout.

On a screen play called on third down, the Broncos had running back Tatum Bell with multiple linemen as lead blockers in front and a ton of space to work. Polamalu read the screen and contorted his body just enough to bounce slightly off one of the linemen and manage an incredible tackle to force a fourth down:



Many don't remember this play, but it was an example of how Polamalu's athleticism and unpredictability could impact the game in ways that don't get put on stat sheets. His way of dodging blockers or shifting between coverages or forcing an early pass with an unscheduled blitz made him the ultimate X-factor in the Steelers' defense.

HIS GREATEST MOMENT

When the game was on the line and the Steelers needed someone to put the Ravens away for a third time in 2008, Polamalu was that man.

James Harrison applied the pressure to force a hurried Flacco throw that Polamalu skyed to get. Once Polamalu did get it, he raced across the field to look for his teammates, who rushed to set up a wall for him to get to the end zone:



Usually, defenses find players who can fit roles like pieces on the chess board for coaches to apply in schematic battles. Even legends like Jack Lambert, Mel Blount or, more recently, Harrison, Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith, were specifically great in their roles within a scheme.

Polamalu wasn't just a player within a scheme. He was an elite talent who made his own scheme. He could play back, deep into the secondary watching the eyes of the quarterback to pounce on a long pass, or just as easily switch inside the box to rush the passer or shut down the run.

There won't ever be another player like Polamalu, not with his unpredictability, elite speed and advanced ball skills. Studying him over the years showed several unprecedented moments that couldn't be reasoned through regular football explanations.

That's why he ranks among the best of the best for a franchise with so many legends on the defensive side of the ball.