Pittsburgh Steelers Safety Troy Polamalu Pulls Out Of Pro Bowl
By Matt Shetler
Pittsburgh Steelers fans who planned on tuning in Sunday to seeing a pair of their favorites competing in the Pro Bowl may be a bit disappointed, as they will only get to see one.
Safety Troy Polamalu opted out of the annual all-star game with an injury, leaving the Steelers represented by only wide receiver Antonio Brown in Hawaii.
Dec 29, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu (43) breaks off the line of scrimmage against the Cleveland Browns during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Pittsburgh Steelers won 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a bit funny that Polamalu played every snap this season for a change yet can’t participate in the Pro Bowl because of injury.
I can’t blame him though.
It’s hard to fault a veteran like Polamalu for not wanting to participate in a game that should have been put out of its misery a long time ago.
Polamalu was selected to his eighth Pro Bowl after a season he played out of position for much of the year. Due to a lack of depth at inside linebacker, Polamalu played inside the box often during the final three quarters of the season.
After a slow start to the season, Polamalu looked closer to his old form the second half of the season, something the team hasn’t seen over the past two years mostly because of a rash of injuries.
Now that he is out of the Pro Bowl, the speculation will begin regarding Polamalu’s future.
He has a $10.55 million cap number for 2014, and the Steelers can save $8 million if they release him, however it seems like both sides are interested in discussing an extension, which would keep Polamalu in Pittsburgh for the remainder of his career.
Cleveland Browns’ safety T.J. Ward will replace Polamalu on the Pro Bowl roster, giving the four-win Browns six Pro Bowlers.