Would You Trade Troy ...

[feltdizz]

No, I hope that helps.

Pappy

Agreed

But, I would trade Gay for a bucket of chicken wings.

Shoot, I'd trade Gay for that plastic thingy that holds bottled water together.

I actually think Gay will improve. Most DB's in our secondary are out there thinking their first year as a starter. He was bad but he wasn't Chard Scott bad. I think he was more concerned about keeping his guy in front of him than jumping routes or playing the ball.

I'll give him one more year..... if he shows no improvement then replace him.

[ter1230_4]

I have been a Steelers fan for more than 40 years, and I have to say that one thing about the past season that really bothered me was Troy Polomalu missing 7 games because of a sprained knee. Troy is undoubtedly one of the most talented Steelers defenders that I have seen in my lifetime, and that is saying something. But Troy marches to the beat of a different drummer than most NFL players, and it's pretty obvious that getting back on the field last year as soon as possible was not at the top of his priority list. He insists on healing naturally, no surgery or painkillers for him. That's great if you're playing in the after work softball league, but not so great for a professional football player making more than $6 million a year , like Troy did last season.

Does anyone think for one second that Hines Ward, with the exact same injury that Troy had, would have missed 7 games? I think that the trainers would have had to tie Hines up in the locker room and hide his helmet before Hines would have missed one game. But perhaps it is unfair to use Hines Ward for comparison, because he is such a special case. So let's look at Ben Roethlisberger. In some quarters Big Ben is derided as a drama queen who makes too much of his injuries, but getting back on the field is his highest priority. In 2005 Big Ben had his knee scoped in the middle of the season and missed a couple of weeks, and he was healthy enough to lead the Steelers to the Super Bowl. In 2008 Big Ben had Mario Williams fall on his throwing shoulder in the first game of the season, which resulted in a separated shoulder (the degree of which separation is not known to this day). Would anyone have have thought less of Ben if he had missed multiple games in order to let his shoulder heal? Instead, Big Ben continued to play even though he was unable to practice normally for at least half the season, and again he led the Steelers to the Super Bowl.

There is no doubt that Troy's absence was a major factor in the disappointing year that the Steelers had last season. We Steelers fans are fat, dumb and happy because we'll have Troy back next season. But what happens if Troy has another injury that causes him to miss a substantial number of games? He's been with the Steelers for 7 seasons now, and although it is true that he didn't have any injuries the first three or four seasons (he didn't play much the first season), he's only been injury free in one of the past three seasons. Troy is getting older which makes him more susceptible to injury, and that coupled with his aggressive playing style makes it more likely that he will continue to have more injuries that keep him out. And when you add in Troy's holistic approach to healing, it is a bad combination. And oh, by the way, Troy only has two years left on his contract.

So in answer to the title of this thread, yes, I would trade Troy Polamalu. I wouldn't trade him for a top 10 pick this year, but I would trade him (to an NFC team only) for two first round picks, one this year and one next year.

[Jooser]

You'd find yourself to be VERY fortunate if in those two first round picks you find a player that has had an impact on the game the way that Troy has. One injured season doesn't mean he's expendable. We have no idea just how injured his knee really was, nor do we know what type of medical treatment he was receiving. Don't rush to judgment and compare his injury with another player's, every injury is unique to each player. Besides, I think that it was a coaching decision to rest him and hope we made the playoffs at the end of the season. Had things lined up for us and had we gotten into the playoffs, I think we'd have seen a healthier, more determined Troy.

[Shawn]

Ter...they could amputate Ward's right leg and he would hop onto the field..."ehh coach it's just a scratch". He would still catch 80 for 1000+.

That's just one of the reasons Ward is my favorite Steeler.

[hawaiiansteel]

Hines Ward is like the Black Knight in Monty Python...



King Arthur: [after Arthur's cut off both of the Black Knight's arms] Look, you stupid Bastard. You've got no arms left.

Black Knight: Yes I have.

King Arthur: *Look*!

Black Knight: It's just a flesh wound.

[frankthetank1]

No, I hope that helps.

Pappy

Agreed

But, I would trade Gay for a bucket of chicken wings.

Shoot, I'd trade Gay for that plastic thingy that holds bottled water together.

I actually think Gay will improve. Most DB's in our secondary are out there thinking their first year as a starter. He was bad but he wasn't Chard Scott bad. I think he was more concerned about keeping his guy in front of him than jumping routes or playing the ball.

I'll give him one more year..... if he shows no improvement then replace him.

i really hope they dont bring gay back. i though he would be a solid cb but after last year's display i have lost hope that he will ever turn out to be a good player. he was good two season's ago, but i dont even think chad scott ever had a worse season than gay had. chad scott was bad but he had one good year and went to a pro bowl. i would bet anything that willie gay will never come close to making a pro bowl

[RuthlessBurgher]

When they drafted Gay in the 5th round in 2007, we had Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, and Deshea Townsend ahead of him on the depth chart. I figured that he may someday be a decent nickel corner for us, but I did not foresee starter potential.

However, he played well in his second year in spot duty when injuries struck, and expectations changed when McFadden signed in Arizona following the Super Bowl. After seeing him start for a year, I think my initial evaluation was pretty much on-target. I still think he be a decent nickel corner for us, but I do not see starter potential there.

We need a better starting corner than Gay. Might Lewis or Burnett or an early draft pick be that guy? We'll see about that, but will be kept around with a low-level RFA tender.

[AngryAsian]

So last night at work I was reading through this trade and this Die-Hard Dolphins fan passed by and caught a glimpse of the thread title and some of the postings. He said, "Are you guys insane! Trade the greatest safety of his generation?" He continued to spill rhetoric about how special defensive players like Troy come rarely and threw out names like Lambert, Lott, Singletary, LT.... Coming from a guy who despises the Steelers, he said you can't deny Polamalu's athleticism.

So to repeat everybody's else's assessment on the subject... absolutely not.

[fordfixer]

So last night at work I was reading through this trade and this Die-Hard Dolphins fan passed by and caught a glimpse of the thread title and some of the postings. He said, "Are you guys insane! Trade the greatest safety of his generation?" He continued to spill rhetoric about how special defensive players like Troy come rarely and threw out names like Lambert, Lott, Singletary, LT.... Coming from a guy who despises the Steelers, he said you can't deny Polamalu's athleticism.

So to repeat everybody's else's assessment on the subject... absolutely not.

You talked to a Dolphins fan .......................... I hope you showered when you got home

[Shawn]

So last night at work I was reading through this trade and this Die-Hard Dolphins fan passed by and caught a glimpse of the thread title and some of the postings. He said, "Are you guys insane! Trade the greatest safety of his generation?" He continued to spill rhetoric about how special defensive players like Troy come rarely and threw out names like Lambert, Lott, Singletary, LT.... Coming from a guy who despises the Steelers, he said you can't deny Polamalu's athleticism.

So to repeat everybody's else's assessment on the subject... absolutely not.

You talked to a Dolphins fan .......................... I hope you showered when you got home

Shoot...I felt dirty just reading that.