(Ed. note: This story originally ran before the Jets-Steelers game in Week 15. It proved a prophetic piece. Troy Polamalu did not play for the Steelers, and New York won, 22-17. In a coincidence so fitting we could not have scripted it, Polamalu had an injured Achilles' tendon. As you'll see, few players in football have the kind of impact on his team that Polamalu does.)

 

In ancient lore, the Defense of Troy inspired the great poets to honor the combatants in epic tale.

 

The bloody defense chronicled in ancient classics The Iliad and The Aenid was led by Hektor. But it didn't go too well for the Trojan defender or his countrymen. Hektor was slaughtered by Achilles, who then tied his body behind his chariot and dragged it in front of the walls of the city as Hektor's family and friends looked down in horror.

 

Ouch.

 

And, of course, it ended badly for all the residents of Troy: clever Odysseus and the Greeks tricked their way behind the Trojan walls by hiding inside a giant condom.

 

Or something like that.

 

In contemporary lore, the Defense of Troy Polamalu might also inspire the great poets – or at least us – to honor the combatant in epic tale.

 

And in this case, it's the former Trojan defender, not the attackers, dragging the bodies of the vanquished behind him on the way to legend and victory.

 

Polamalu's return this year from injury in 2009 has sparked an incredible resurgence by the Pittsburgh defense that's positioned the Steelers as a prime Super Bowl contender.

 

It's a position made all the more impressive when you remember that Pittsburgh played a full quarter of the season with its Pro Bowl quarterback serving a suspension for gross dickheadedness.

 

Polamlau has been in his finest form in the past two weeks, in two defensive-fueled wins over AFC North rivals Baltimore and Cincinnati.

 

Pittsburgh looked destined to lose at Baltimore in Week 13. The Ravens led, 10-6, and had the ball in a great situation with less than 3:30 to play: at their own 43, with an offensive-friendly 2nd and 5. A couple first downs would ice the game, or allow the punting team to pin Pittsburgh deep, or set up a key field goal to put the Steelers in a seven-point hole with perhaps seconds remaining.

 

Things were looking rosy for the Ravens.

 

Then Polamalu raced in from his safety position and strip-sacked Joe Flacco. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley recovered and by the time the play was over, the Pittsburgh offense was set up with a 1st and goal at the Baltimore 9.

 

Ben Roethlisberger soon hit Isaac Redman for a 9-yard touchdown, and the Steelers were on their way to securing a bloody 13-10 victory. The Baltimore offense threatened to score, but was ultimately stopped 31 yards from a tying touchdown by Polamalu and his battlemates.

 

The Defense of Troy had changed the course of the biggest game of the year in the AFC North.

Polamalu made a similar impact this past Sunday against the lowly Bengals in Pittsburgh. The Steelers struggled to get things going in the wake of their hard-hitting primetime win over the Ravens. In fact, the sad-sack Bungles held a surprising 7-0 lead in the second quarter.

 

Then Polamalu jumped a post route, hauled in an errant Carson Palmer pass and raced in his wild jailbreak style down the left sideline. Finally, in one of the most athletic plays of the season, he leapt Superman-style inches off the turf, his body flying out of bounds, but the ball held out in his right hand so that it touched the pylon and crossed the goal line. (See the video here.) The touchdown sparked what proved to be an easy 23-7 rout. Polamalu, meanwhile, is tied for second in the NFL with six INT this year.

 

The Defense of Troy had changed the course of yet another key divisional battle, allowing the Steelers to maintain their one-game lead over the Ravens in the AFC North and the inside track on a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs.

 

You can make the argument that no stopper in the game today has a bigger impact on his team's fortunes than the Defense of Troy.

 

The last two weeks have provided prime examples of his impact, but it goes so much deeper than just those two game-changing plays.

 

The All-Ages safety missed most of last year and the Steelers clearly suffered as a result. He's played every game this year, and the Pittsburgh defense is likely to lift the team to a first-round bye in the top-heavy AFC playoffs.

 

Take a look at the Steelers in 2009 (Polamalu played five games) and the Steelers in 2010 (Polamalu has played all 13 games):

 

	2009	2010
Record	9-7	10-3
Scoring defense (rank)	20.2 PPG (12th)	15.2 PPG (2nd)
Total defense (rank)	305.3 YPG (5th)	293.0 (4th)
Run defense (rank)	3.85 YPA (5th)	2.92 YPA (1st)
Negative Pass Plays (rank)	9.75% (11th)	10.07 (7th)
Third-down defense (rank)	42.3% (28th)	33.13% (3rd)
Defensive Passer Rating (rank)	83.45 (15th)	77.99 (7th)

 

But the difference in the Steelers can be seen beyond just the improvements in every measurable indicator last year to this year.

 

Consider that Polamalu has played just three full seasons in his eight-year career. Those three years have coincided perfectly with the three best Pittsburgh teams of the past 30 years.

Polamalu played all 16 games in 2004. The Steelers led the NFL in both total defense and scoring defense and went 15-1 with a rookie quarterback, before finally falling to the dynastic Patriots in the AFC title game.

 

Polamalu played all 16 games in 2005. The Steelers went 11-5 and won three straight playoff games on the road before finally capturing the franchise's first Super Bowl title in a quarter century. Pittsburgh's defense surrendered just 15.5 PPG in the postseason.

 

Polamalu played all 16 games in 2008. The Steelers again led the league in both total defense and scoring defense, captured the AFC's No. 2 seed with a 12-4 record and won their second Super Bowl in four years.

 

Polamalu has played all 13 games so far in 2010. The Steelers are 10-3, positioned for the AFC's No. 2 seed and again a prime contender to win the Super Bowl.

 

Pittsburgh, in other words, is clearly better when Polamalu spends the entire year on the field. The Cold, Hard Football Facts bear out this contention, too. Polamalu has missed 19 games in his career. The Steelers are better by every measure when he's on the field.

 

	Without Troy	With Troy
Record	11-8 (.579)	64-26 (.711)
Points allowed	17.8 PPG	16.7 PPG
Rush yards allowed	124.7 YPG	92.5 YPG
Pass yards allowed	229.9 YPG	201.4 YPG
Total yards allowed	354.6 YPG	293.9 YPG
Turnovers forced	1.3 PG	1.5 PG

 

The ancient Defense of Troy has been immortalized through the centuries in poetry and prose, and in the ancient bronze busts that have survived through the ages.

 

The contemporary Defense of Troy is already being honored in poetry and prose. Don't be surprised if someday it's immortalized in a modern bronze bust, too.