What if Troy Polamalu played for the Steelers in the 1970s?

Steelers 1974-1975 seasons

Here is where things get fun.

In 1974, Pittsburgh then added four more Hall of Famers to the team Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Mike Webster, through the draft. Offensively, it become a juggernaut and opened up the passing game while relying on a strong ground game featuring Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier.

Then, the Steelers sign as an undrafted free agent, future Hall of Famer Donnie Shell, thus putting Troy Polamalu and Shell together as with Mel Blount and J.T. Thomas in the same defensive secondary, while rotating in Mike Wagner and Glen Edwards as needed. Lambert adds to the pass coverage, as he is now the starting middle linebacker with Jack Ham and Lauren Toews as the other linebacker.

Conceivably, things could really go haywire here in that with Polamalu and Shell, the Raiders do not beat the Steelers, and the Steelers defeat the Broncos instead of finishing with a tie, and Joe Gilliam stays the starter instead of Terry Bradshaw.

However, perhaps for this article, we will assume the developments with the offense play out as they did, and Bradshaw finishes the season as a starter.

With the addition of Shell and Lambert, the defensive secondary becomes nearly impossible to throw against. The rushing pressure forces teams to rely on the run, and with Polamalu’s ability at covering the run and blitzing run games, teams even struggle to run the ball.

Nothing changes and the Steelers still win the Super Bowl in 1974 and 1975, if not in a more dominating fashion.