Life Without Polamalu is Drawing Closer

It’s never easy for fan bases to say goodbye to their favorites but that day is coming for many in the Steeler Nation.

With speculation swirling around whether Troy Polamalu will return for another season, I was told this week that his end of season exit meetings were very emotional.

In meetings with both Head Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert, Polamalu was apparently very unhappy with many of the players on the team and didn’t start to feel better until veterans James Harrison and Brett Keisel returned.

Both of those players returned to the Steelers relatively early in the season so it would seem that Polamalu was upset throughout training camp. We can also speculate that Polamalu’s emotions were running high with the departure of Dick LeBeau as well.

Perhaps Polamalu is recognizing the end is near and he isn’t taking it very well. That’s not a knock on him, it’s just something that many players face after long careers. When this way of life is all that you have known for most of your years on Earth, it isn’t so easy to just walk away.

It’s even worse when you feel like you can’t go out on your own terms and I’m guessing Polamalu’s injuries are playing a part in his feelings.

I hope Polamalu can come to grips with this being the end of his career because in my opinion it’s time to move on to his life’s work as Chuck Noll used to say. Having him part of the Steelers has been great but his skills have diminished and his presence is no longer the threat it once was.

Will it be strange not seeing his flowing locks on the field? Yes it will, but he is yet another in a long line of players whose time to move on has come.