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Sunday, April 27, 2003

Under normal circumstances, the Steelers' extraordinary effort to select Troy Polamalu yesterday would have made no sense. No safety is worth a third-round draft choice, not even one who plays the position "like Junior Seau plays linebacker," to quote Steelers Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert on Polamalu. Hines Ward and Joey Porter were third-round picks. So was Amos Zereoue. OK, the Steelers blew third-round choices on Kris Farris and Chris Conrad, but that doesn't change the fact that pick is a precious commodity. It's hard to give one away to move up in the first round to take a pass rusher or a shutdown cornerback or a Kendrell Bell-type linebacker. It's nearly impossible to do it to take a safety.

But these aren't ordinary times, as you well know. The Steelers aren't just a Super Bowl contender. They're convinced they would have won it all last season if not for a sorry secondary that forced them to try to win 36-33 games. Since the new schedule came out with Baltimore as the opponent in the opener, Bill Cowher and his defensive coaches have fretted about whom will cover Ravens tight end Todd Heap, who embarrassed every defensive back on their roster last season. They aren't fretting anymore.

"This kid is going to bring a lot of energy to a need position," Colbert said of Polamalu.

"He's one of the few guys in this draft who has that unique ability to hit like a linebacker and cover like a corner," Cowher said.

I know what you're thinking. Teams always brag about their draft choices as if they're headed to the Hall of Fame. If you look in the archives, you'll see that Cowher once raved about Jamain Stephens. The next time he or any coach says he expected his player to be available will be the first.

But this is a little different. The Steelers targeted their man from day one and did what they had to do to get him. It was impressive to watch them pull it off by sending the Kansas City Chiefs their third- and sixth-round picks. Their conviction about Polamalu makes me believe it was a smart move.

There was a much different feel at Steelers headquarters than there was a few years ago when Cowher and Tom Donahoe badly reached to fill a desperate need at wide receiver by taking Troy Edwards with the 13th selection. No other team had him rated so highly. Now, we know why.

Everybody had Polamalu high on their draft board. Cowher loved what he saw with his own eyes -- "This guy is a tremendous athlete" -- but called Southern California Coach Pete Carroll just to be certain. Carroll, a former NFL head coach, told him Polamalu was as good as any safety he has coached.

Taking Polamalu was better than picking one of the available quarterbacks -- Kyle Boller or Rex Grossman. The Steelers will need to think soon about a replacement for Tommy Maddox, but this wasn't the time. They needed a guy to help them win now, not in two or three years.

Picking Polamalu also was better than taking one of the top running backs -- Willis McGahee or Larry Johnson. McGahee could end up being a star for the Buffalo Bills, but he might not to be able to play this season because of a serious knee injury. Johnson is going to be an outstanding player for the Chiefs and surely will end Penn State's running back jinx, but the Steelers don't need him now. Forget Zereoue, who is a quality runner. Jerome Bettis is going to bounce back and be the man with one more great season.

Polamalu, best known for his ferocious hitting, isn't perfect, but what player is? Cowher was ready for questions about his coverage ability, which USC seldom asked him to use. "Speed is such an asset ... he's playing the game faster than a lot of people are on the field." Questions about Polamalu's durability weren't so easily dismissed. Perhaps as a result of how hard he played, he had four concussions and was 80 percent last season -- his estimation -- because of lingering ankle and hamstring injuries. But, hey, football is a brutal game. Players get hurt. There's no reason to think Polamalu is soft or especially injury-prone.

"I think he'll probably deliver a few more blows than he'll take," Colbert said.

If anything, Polamalu sounds like he could be another Ward, a guy who plays every play with great passion. All you need to know about his attitude is this: He said he has spent past NFL Sundays -- including Super Bowl Sundays -- working out. It turns out he couldn't stand watching players in games in which he wants to play.

"I just feel guilty if I'm not out training."

Pittsburgh is going to love Polamalu. And if things go the way the Steelers expect, he won't be working out on the next Super Bowl Sunday.