5 most violent and physical Pittsburgh Steelers of the 2000s

3. SS Troy Polalamu

Troy Polamalu didn’t quite have the same level of crushing blows as Ryan Clark, but his overall grittiness and consistently aggressive playstyle lands him at number three on my list of the top five most violent and physical Steelers of the 2000s.

Polamalu wasn’t opposed to wrapping up with his tackling when the situation called for it, but you’d better believe that he wanted to punish ball carriers whenever he would get the change – whether that meant chopping out their legs, delivering a blow to the midsection, or pouncing on their backs like a prowling lion.

But for Polamalu, it wasn’t always the ball-carrier he was looking to hit. The Hall of Fame safety was infamous for his willingness to dart in the backfield a blow up a fullback or to butt heads with an offensive lineman that outweighed him by 100 pounds.

Though he played just 6 healthy seasons out of 16 in his career, there was no questioning Polamalu’s violent demeanor, and his willingness to throw his body into the mix on any given play is part of what made him so special.