Steelers Legendary Safety Troy Polamalu Receives Big Time Disrespect While Being Discussed With Rival

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a team that is known for their toughness and strong defense, and that is something that has been instilled in the organization since its inception. It grew popular during the 1970s, when Pittsburgh won four Super Bowls while relying on its "Steel Curtain" defense. The unit was also dominant in the 2000s, and there has been a constant effort from the organization to roster one of the best defenses in the league, which has been made clear by the fact that the Steelers are going to have the highest-paid defense in 2025 for the fourth consecutive year.

One of the key fixtures of Pittsburgh's defense during the 2000s and early 2010s was star safety Troy Polamalu. He has a fan favorite, and he was loved by many NFL fans due to his long flowing hair and ability to create splash plays. He was a hard-hitter that had a nose for the football, and he was often praised for his instincts as he would go off on his own on some plays in order to make something happen. Despite all of this, he still doesn't always get the respect he deserves. 

This was shown again during Greg Rosenthal's ranking of the top-25 players of the last 25 years, where he failed to put Polamalu on the list, but he put Ed Reed at seven.

"I did have Ed Reed this high," Rosenthal said. "I did not have Troy Polamalu quite make the list. He was one of the very few people that got cut off. There were some reasons for that. The Hall of Fame All-2000s Team, Ed Reed was First Team. Polamalu actually wasn't on it. He was behind guys like Brian Dawkins, John Lynch, for what it's worth. Polamalu, an outstanding, outstanding player, but you have to make decisions on this."

There is no doubt that Reed was an amazing safety, and he and Polamalu respected each other throughout their careers. Many fans of the NFL have a hard time distinguishing which player was better, while everyone in Pittsburgh feels it was Polamalu. The former Steelers safety had an amazing career that spanned into the 2010s, so whatever all-2000s team Rosenthal is relying on while making this list is completely irrelevant.

Polamalu won the NFL's Defensive Player Of The Year Award in 2010, and he also received three Pro Bowl bids and two First Team All-Pros during the 2010s. Completely erasing that part of his career to fit whatever ranking is trying to be made is a prime example of flawed logic. The biggest issue with the list is not that Reed is ranked over Polamalu, it is the fact that Polamalu is not ranked at all. 

Pittsburgh fans have been fighting the good fight for Polamalu to be ranked over Reed on every list for the last 20 years, but seeing the two players' names in different orders is something everyone is used to now. However, Polamalu should certainly have a spot somewhere on that list as one of the top-25 best players of the last 25 years. 

Steelers Have A Modern Day Version Of Troy Polamalu Versus Ed Reed

The Polamalu and Reed debates often get so heated because Reed played for the Baltimore Ravens, who are Pittsburgh's biggest rival. That makes that situation similar to the TJ Watt and Myles Garrett debates. The two are both edge-rushers in the AFC North, and there is a constant battle going on between the fan bases about who is better. Watt has better stats, more wins, but for some reason, people love to act like Garrett is the best defender in the history of the league.

Polamalu should be on the list of the top-25 players of the last 25 years, and there is probably a good case for Watt to be on the list as well, as he led the league in sacks during three separate seasons, something that has never been done before.

What do you think about the ranking from Rosenthal? Let us know in the comments below!

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