Both players got drafted in 2003 one in the 1st round the other in the 4th round. They both happened to be the staples of the Pittsburgh Steelers backend for the last 12 seasons. Both Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor have decided to hang up their cleats for good.
Fans of the Steelers won’t know any of the players in the secondary name next year with their two main players of the last decade gone.
Coming out of USC Polamalu was always tabbed as of one of the next great safeties and he lived up to expectations, making multiple pro bowls, winning multiple super bowls and a defensive player of the year award. In Polamalu’s prime he was a player every team had to account for and if you didn’t somebody on your offensive team was going to pay.
For Taylor when he came out of Louisiana-Lafayette he wasn’t labeled with high expectations, but he ended up being a top-tier cornerback during his time in the NFL. I always thought he was one of the most underrated corners in the NFL because of his lack of interceptions he didn’t get as much publicity as the other highly touted corners. Taylor was a player you knew would give any number one receiver hell all day.
Every time a person retires nowadays it seems like I’m getting that much other and as I write this the feeling couldn’t be anymore truer.
As least the former teammates were able to go out on their own terms, even if father time has caught up to both of them.
