Polamalu is my favorite NFL player by far. The guy is a manimal as I like to call him. Half man, half animal. Polamalu is a game changer. He proves this everytime he hits the field. The energy and grit he plays with usually ends up with pick sixes, crucial tackles, or forced fumbles like when he flattened Joe Flacco an the Steelers went on to win that important game. Often times when Polamalu is injured the Steelers are not the same team on defense. The guy makes that much of a difference on Dick LaBeau's defensive scheme. One of Polamalu's finest moments in the 2010 season was his interception returned for a TD vs the Bengals. The play was something of a manimal, not a human. After that play, the Steelers cruised to victory on Polamalu's momentum.
Now despite Polamalu's amazing season, you could argue that Matthews should have edged him for the award. Polamalu suffered an injury and failed to play in all 16 games this season, while Matthews started in every game. Matthews recorded a stunning 60 tackles and is also a game changer on defense making 13.5 sacks and several picks. Matthews has the same effect on his team that Polamalu does in terms of helping the Packers pick up major momentum when he's out on the field. The younger player Matthews is also only in his second season and is putting up numbers like this. His future in this league is going to be unreal as long as he stays healthy.
In the end though, Polamalu was deserving of the defensive player of the year honors and there hasn't been a safety in the NFL like him maybe ever. A future hall of famer, Polamalu has elevated the position of safety to something greater and that in itself is an amazing accomplishment. Polamalu and Matthews may have hair that many women would envy but there is nothing feminine about their grit and determination on the football field.
Copyright Marisa Ross
@TheDivineMsRoss
