All football players dream of making it to the NFL and someday hoisting the Lombardi Trophy and winning the Super Bowl, but nothing can prepare someone for the feeling of actually winning that big game. But what does it feel like for some, and for others, could it actually be disappointing? For Pittsburgh Steelers legend Troy Polamalu, he felt little after the team won Super Bowl 40.
Joining Bryant McFadden for an interview, Polamalu discussed those tough feelings that he had and opened up with his honest reflection on those feelings in his first win, and how that changed his feelings following the Steelers’ second win in his career.
Oh man, Super Bowl 40. Here’s one thing where I’ll be very frank with you on Super Bowl 40. It may be too deep of an answer. Super Bowl 40, I remember walking off the field thinking, ‘this is it?’” Polamalu told McFadden. “I remember thinking to myself, ‘Man, I thought the whole world was supposed to stop.’ I thought everybody in China was supposed to stop their markets and celebrate our victories. But the world kept going on. So I was like, dang, are you telling me in order to feel that momentary-like satisfaction, I gotta go through all of that to do it again? So to me, it was kind of like, dang, it was such a short moment of celebration. So when Super Bowl 43 came around, I really enjoyed that celebration.”
Polamalu ended up as one of the best safeties throughout his career, and not only notched two Super Bowl rings, but was also inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But players likely do not ask themselves what the feeling of winning a ring is like right off the top of their head. It lasts for, at most, a few days before even the NFL moves on and work for the next season begins.
Polamalu played 12 seasons for the Steelers from 2003-14 after being a first-round draft pick out of USC in 2003, winning two Super Bowls. He made eight Pro Bowls, was selected four times as a first-team All-Pro, received second-team All-Pro honors twice and was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2010.
Polamalu was selected as a member of the NFL’s 2000s all-decade team and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ all-time team. In addition to other accolades, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He finished his NFL career by playing in 158 games and recording 770 tackles, 12 sacks, 32 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles and scored three touchdowns.