Defensive Turmoil

The loss of Troy Polamalu has proven to be costly to the Steel Curtain defense. Without Troy’s energy and skills they became mediocre and lackluster. They did what they had to do, some of the time. With the confirmed loss of Aaron Smith from the lineup for the balance of the season it looks like we should be pushing to get Troy some time in Sunday’s game against Cleveland. . If he’s ready, of course. I previously was an advocate of keeping him on the bench for the Cleveland exhibition. However, without Smith in the lineup they need Polamalu to be sharp for Minnesota next week. With the addition of Sonny Harris to the lineup and with Ziggy Hood the defense should be okay, if Troy is back. At least they have some depth this season. It would be a much different story if Troy was not soon returning. It will be interesting to see if Ziggy Hood can get himself up to NFL status. Luckily, all of this won’t play much of an impact against Cleveland. Looking ahead to Minny and Denver is daunting and a sharp Troy Polamalu is imperative. Look for a big win over the Little Sisters of the Poor, err ah Cleveland.