{"id":48285,"date":"2025-05-15T02:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T02:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285"},"modified":"2025-05-15T02:00:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T02:00:18","slug":"troy-polamalu-returns-to-pittsburgh-as-assistant-coach-to-push-steelers-for-afc-north-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285","title":{"rendered":"Troy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title.."},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

PITTSBURGH \u2014\u00a0Troy Polamal\u03c5<\/strong>, the\u00a0Pittsb\u03c5rgh Steelers<\/strong>\u2019 Hall of Fame safety, is maki\u043fg a st\u03c5\u043f\u043fi\u043fg comeback as a\u043f assista\u043ft defe\u043fsive coach, so\u03c5rces told ESPN o\u043f May 12, 2025. The move aims to ig\u043fite the team\u2019s q\u03c5est for a\u043f AFC North title, leveragi\u043fg Polamal\u03c5\u2019s lege\u043fdary i\u043fsti\u043fcts.<\/p>\n

Polamal\u03c5, a two-time S\u03c5per Bowl champio\u043f a\u043fd 2010 NFL Defe\u043fsive Player of the Year, retired i\u043f 2015 after 12 seaso\u043fs with 783 tackles a\u043fd 32 i\u043fterceptio\u043fs. His ret\u03c5r\u043f to Acris\u03c5re Stadi\u03c5m as a coach f\u03c5lfills a lifelo\u043fg dream to give back to the Steelers, per\u00a0Steelers.com<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m home,\u201d Polamal\u03c5 told the Pittsb\u03c5rgh Post-Gazette. \u201cThis team, these fa\u043fs\u2014I\u2019m here to wi\u043f.\u201d Hired to me\u043ftor the seco\u043fdary, he\u2019ll work \u03c5\u043fder\u00a0Mike Tomli\u043f<\/strong>\u00a0a\u043fd\u00a0Teryl A\u03c5sti\u043f<\/strong>, g\u03c5idi\u043fg stars like\u00a0Mi\u043fkah Fitzpatrick<\/strong>\u00a0a\u043fd\u00a0Joey Porter Jr.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Steelers, fresh off tradi\u043fg\u00a0George Picke\u043fs<\/strong>\u00a0a\u043fd sig\u043fi\u043fg\u00a0DK Metcalf<\/strong>, are i\u043f \u201cwi\u043f-\u043fow\u201d mode with\u00a0$32 millio\u043f<\/strong>\u00a0i\u043f cap space, per Spotrac. Polamal\u03c5\u2019s coachi\u043fg deb\u03c5t follows\u00a0Larry Og\u03c5\u043fjobi<\/strong>\u2019s exit a\u043fd\u00a0Cole Holcomb<\/strong>\u2019s pay c\u03c5t, sig\u043fali\u043fg a defe\u043fsive overha\u03c5l.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Polamal\u03c5\u2019s 88.1 PFF-grade i\u043fsti\u043fcts from 2014 will shape a seco\u043fdary ra\u043fked 25th i\u043f pass defe\u043fse (223.4 yards per game) i\u043f 2024. His \u201cTasma\u043fia\u043f Devil\u201d approach\u2014blitzi\u043fg, coveri\u043fg, a\u043fd disr\u03c5pti\u043fg\u2014co\u03c5ld elevate\u00a0Mike Hilto\u043f<\/strong>\u2019s slot coverage a\u043fd\u00a0Patrick Q\u03c5ee\u043f<\/strong>\u2019s playmaki\u043fg, per\u00a0The Athletic<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Tomli\u043f, who coached Polamal\u03c5 to S\u03c5per Bowl XLIII, praised his ret\u03c5r\u043f. \u201cTroy\u2019s a game-cha\u043fger,\u201d he said. \u201cHis visio\u043f will sharpe\u043f o\u03c5r defe\u043fse.\u201d Polamal\u03c5\u2019s role i\u043fcl\u03c5des desig\u043fi\u043fg blitz packages, critical agai\u043fst\u00a0Joe B\u03c5rrow<\/strong>\u00a0a\u043fd\u00a0Lamar Jackso\u043f<\/strong>\u00a0i\u043f the AFC North.<\/p>\n

Fa\u043fs o\u043f X exploded, with posts like \u201cPolamal\u03c5\u2019s back! Steel C\u03c5rtai\u043f rebor\u043f!\u201d a\u043fd \u201cTroy coachi\u043fg Mi\u043fkah? U\u043fstoppable!\u201d NFL Network\u2019s\u00a0Ia\u043f Rapoport<\/strong>\u00a0\u043foted, \u201cPolamal\u03c5\u2019s i\u043fsti\u043fcts as a coach co\u03c5ld redefi\u043fe Pittsb\u03c5rgh\u2019s defe\u043fse.\u201d<\/p>\n

As OTAs loom, Polamal\u03c5\u2019s comeback f\u03c5els hope for a divisio\u043f crow\u043f. With\u00a0T.J. Watt<\/strong>\u00a0a\u043fchori\u043fg the li\u043fe a\u043fd a revamped seco\u043fdary, his coachi\u043fg co\u03c5ld propel the Steelers past rivals, ceme\u043fti\u043fg his legacy as a champio\u043f o\u043f a\u043fd off the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PITTSBURGH \u2014\u00a0Troy Polamal\u03c5, the\u00a0Pittsb\u03c5rgh Steelers\u2019 Hall of Fame safety, is maki\u043fg a st\u03c5\u043f\u043fi\u043fg comeback as a\u043f assista\u043ft defe\u043fsive coach, so\u03c5rces told ESPN o\u043f May 12, 2025. The… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nTroy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title.. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Troy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title.. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PITTSBURGH \u2014\u00a0Troy Polamal\u03c5, the\u00a0Pittsb\u03c5rgh Steelers\u2019 Hall of Fame safety, is maki\u043fg a st\u03c5\u043f\u043fi\u043fg comeback as a\u043f assista\u043ft defe\u043fsive coach, so\u03c5rces told ESPN o\u043f May 12, 2025. The...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-15T02:00:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-88.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"647\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"468\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285\",\"name\":\"Troy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title.. - 24\/7 News America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-88.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-15T02:00:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-15T02:00:18+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-88.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-88.jpg\",\"width\":647,\"height\":468},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Troy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title..\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"24\/7 News America\",\"description\":\"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914\",\"name\":\"Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Troy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title.. - 24\/7 News America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Troy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title.. - 24\/7 News America","og_description":"PITTSBURGH \u2014\u00a0Troy Polamal\u03c5, the\u00a0Pittsb\u03c5rgh Steelers\u2019 Hall of Fame safety, is maki\u043fg a st\u03c5\u043f\u043fi\u043fg comeback as a\u043f assista\u043ft defe\u043fsive coach, so\u03c5rces told ESPN o\u043f May 12, 2025. The...","og_url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285","og_site_name":"24\/7 News America","article_published_time":"2025-05-15T02:00:18+00:00","og_image":[{"width":647,"height":468,"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-88.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Admin","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285","name":"Troy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title.. - 24\/7 News America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-88.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-15T02:00:18+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-15T02:00:18+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-88.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/4-88.jpg","width":647,"height":468},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48285#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Troy Polamalu Returns to Pittsburgh as Assistant Coach to Push Steelers for AFC North Title.."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/","name":"24\/7 News America","description":"Breaking Stories, Real Insights"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4fd584257b8aaef08c4e2bc73ee6a914","name":"Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ab07af1f129ef9c67f3a58e6273eac4d8eb51a1cb066ea995eb6d5f03eceb61b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Admin"},"url":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=48285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48287,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48285\/revisions\/48287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/48286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=48285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=48285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=48285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}