Ex-Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu Was The Reason A Former NFL Running Back Had Nightmares

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going through some rough times on the defensive side of the ball during the 2025 season, and there is not much hope for fans that things are going to get better. However, there was a time where Pittsburgh rostered the most feared defense in the NFL. This was back when players like James Harrison and Ryan Clark were making the NFL question its player safety protocols, while Troy Polamalu lived inside the minds of opposing offenses. Pittsburgh always had a chance to win with that defense on the field, which is something the team could use today.

Polamalu is known as one of the best safeties to ever play the game, as well as his signature hairstyle. He had an unorthodox way of looking at the game as he would often abandon his assignment to make plays, which is something he often had the green light to do. His career paved the way to him being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and past players still have stories to tell about how great of a player he was. 

Former NFL running back Darren McFadden spoke with Betway, and he was asked which players he had to spend the most time game-planning to stop.

"Those defensive guys who would just give you nightmares early on in my career were Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins, Ray Lewis and Patrick Willis," McFadden said. "When you got ready to play those guys, we would highlight guys with red dots on the defensive board saying, 'These guys are game wreckers.'"

The former Pittsburgh safety is in very good company. The entire list is full of Hall of Famers, and Polamalu was one of those opponents that gave McFadden nightmares the night before taking him on. These two likely matched up when Pittsburgh would take on the then-Oakland Raiders, which is where McFadden spent his time from 2008 through the 2014 season.

Polamalu's unorthodox playstyle was a big reason as to why it was so hard to play against him. Even if the 10 other players on the defense are giving you some sort of key pre-snap as to what the defense might be doing, that does not mean an opposing offense was ready for Polamalu. He played off-book, which is how he made so many splash plays throughout his career. McFadden highlighted Polamalu as the one guy he hated playing against the most.

"I’d have to go with Troy Polamalu from my career," McFadden said. "Playing against a guy like that, if I have a blocking assignment as a running back and he’s flying over the offensive line and getting the quarterback before he takes a step back, there’s not much I can do about that. A guy like that with the passion and the energy that he played with, it was just great to be out there on the field with him."

The former safety became known for guessing the offense's snap count and flying over the line of scrimmage as the ball was being snapped. He got to the quarterback a lot by doing this, and his unpredictability probably made life extremely difficult for a running back who is trying to figure things out in pass protection.

Steelers Held Darren McFadden To One Of His Worst Performances

During the 2010 season, the Steelers took on the Raiders and won the game by a score of 35-3, and this happened to be one of the worst games of McFadden's career. The running back ran the ball 10 times, but was only able to muster up 14 yards on the ground for a measly 1.4 yards per carry. He also caught two passes on the day, but overall, it was a rough outing for the back. This might factor in to why he has such rough memories of Polamalu, as Pittsburgh's defense was able to hold him in check -- which was the case for most running backs.

What do you think about McFadden's memories of Polamalu? Let us know in the comments below!

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