YinzPitt

During Thursday night’s NFL Kick-off in which the Titans and the Steelers faced off, Troy Polamalu was having a fantastic game.  While the running game was barely non-existent, the first quarter or so of the game belonged to Troy.  He was using his explosiveness to cover the field and cover it well.  However, everything changed when what looked to be a freak injury knocked Troy out of the game for good.

At this time, one thing is clear about the injury.  It’s a “sprained” MCL, and is out for a range of 3-6 weeks.  Tomlin and the Steelers told the media Thursday night that, an update would be made Monday about the status of his injury.  Dick Lebeau however, knows the value of his All-Pro starter, but also knows he has the depth to cover the injury for awhile.

“Troy is one in a million,” defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau said. “We’ll play well without him, but you don’t replace Troy.”

A sprained MCL usually means in the sports world as a slight tear.  While some people have surely come back after a month, I assume they will rest Troy for the duration unless he makes huge strides in recovery.  While the Steelers are certainly a different team without him, I’d prefer to have him healthy for the play-offs and beyond.

Here’s what Ryan Clark said about Polumalu:

“It’s definitely going to be difficult without him, he’s one of the best players in the league,” safety Ryan Clark said. “Preferably, we get him back as soon as possible.”

James Harrison, 2008 Defensive Player of the Year then said:

“At first, I don’t think we did too well,” Harrison said. “The communication wasn’t there. We came back in and did some adjustments and went back out and did all right.”

Finally, LaMarr Woodley had this to say about the Tazmanian Devil:

“The defense changes a lot (without Polamalu),” Woodley said. “Troy is a real big part of our defense. But you can’t worry about injured guys — the next guy that goes in there is going to be representing the Pittsburgh Steelers, and we continue to move on. Troy’s not here next week, (so) we’ve just got to count on the guy and believe in the guy who’s coming in for him.”

While it remains to be seen how this changes the Steelers in the long run.  It seems as the defense is prepared to do whatever it takes to get the job done in the long run.  I’m still blaming this on the Madden 10 Cover.  It’s all up to Larry Fitzgerald to get hurt and make the curse full-circle.

Information used from:  Oregon-Live.com