Troy Polamalu held out hope earlier this week that he could play the Chargers Friday, but the Steelers acknowledged Friday that he's out for the Sunday night game.
Willie Parker is officially listed as doubtful, while the Chargers will get back LaDainian Tomlinson, who is listed as probable.
There are plenty of good storylines Sunday night, but Tomlinson is among the most intriguing. Tomlinson and the Chargers talked up what a great comeback season the future Hall of Famer would have all offseason, but he missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury.
Darren Sproles was a huge factor in the receiving game while Tomlinson was gone, but is averaging only 2.4 yards per carry on the ground this year.
A year after the Steelers knocked the Chargers out of the playoffs, a big game from both San Diego backs could put the Steelers in a big hole as they try to claw their way out of an early hole in the AFC North.
Polamalu ruled out, Tomlinson probable for Sunday night
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on October 2, 2009 4:12 PM ET
Steelers have both a big hole and an early hole? Is it also a deep hole - did you measure it? Is it dark?
I always thought that the steelers secondary was a lil soft... But there is no doubt about it with Polamalu out of the picture. They look like a completely different D... Prolly got the best front 7 in the NFL, but that secondary is painful to watch w out #43
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uyF3VXODPI&feature=PlayList&p=3CA911616F3997A4&index=20
"There's a hole in the defense tonight"...
lol!
Wow! Polamalu missing this week's game equals the amount of games LT has missed in his eight year career. Is Polamalu soft?
Troy Polamalu and Bob Sanders are both game changing defensive players who are the keys to their teams D. They will not be the same without these guys out on the field. The Chargers have an opportunity to gain respect around the league with a win. Don't screw it up Norv.
I say Troy has to miss at least one more week. It is just not fair for the Detroit Lions to be his first game back.
They SHOULD start using the pass catching ability of L.T. to kick start the offense.
Good to see you take a break from your global travel schedule Sourdough to add your cogent analysis. 2 things you can count on besides death and taxes are Troy P. will return shortly and the San Diego Super Chargers will be someone else's bitch come January. They always have been and they always will be.
I hope Troys out for the year... Go LT2 steelers are done.
We reside in Tampa Bay. We'd love to see a game NOT involving the Steelers. Tired and over it!
The difference of how the Steeler's defense played before and after Polamalu got hurt is night and day. Steelers fans should pray this guy comes back soon. Not a Steelers fan at all but I absolutely love watching that guy play.
Yo dracula. I am, almost, flattered to know you noticed my absence from PFT. I'd say I noticed your absence too...but it isn't easy to remember someone as unremarkable as you. Enough of the unpleasantries...
I'm guessing you jumped on the Steelers bandwagon within the last few years so I don't hold the fact that you don't know just how big of a bitch the Steelers were to the Chargers in the 1994 AFC Championship game (January no less) against you.
Let me set the scene for you drac. Late 4th Quarter. Steelers @ home & down by 4 pts. Neil O'Donnell leads the Steelers down the field in the final minutes of the game for what Steeler fans hope is a game winning drive. On 4th & 3 O'Donnell throws a pass into the end zone that is intended for Barry Foster......but was knocked down by Chargers MLB Dennis Gibson to seal the Bolts win. Just as the Steelers were the bitch that day, so too will they again be the Bolts bitches this weekend. Sadly, this example goes to show that what you say can't be taken as fact my friend. Because on that cold January day, the Steelers had to bend over and take it from the Bolts. Three more yards....
Enjoy the game my friend!
Sourdough
See you soon!
NAACPNOFRIENDOMINE says:
October 2, 2009 7:16 PM
We reside in Tampa Bay. We'd love to see a game NOT involving the Steelers. Tired and over it!
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Well dude, while you have my condolences that your home teams games are blacked out (I would go f'n insane if that happened here), that's what comes with winning the SB the prior year....you get more prime time games. That's just how it goes....
What's up with this LT2 or LdT crap on this website? Do people not realize that LT is his nickname? Oh, but wait, Lawrence Taylor was nicknamed LT too? whhhoooooo cares? So should OJ Atagwe be called OJ2 because of OJ? Nope. So STOP THE HATING. It's just in a name.
Sourdough...it speaks volumes that you have to go back 15 years to find something to talk about. What have you done for me lately? I can tell you what the Steelers have done lately, that is beat your team in the regular season last year, and then ruin their over-hyped super bowl chances last year. Just sayin'......
We'll see Sunday. And your repeated use of derogatory (you can pronounce that word, can't you?) language speaks even louder as to your maturity level. Now stop stalling your online game of Dungeons and Dragons, the other internet nerds are getting upset.
The effect of the loss of Polamalu is being exaggerated. I assume anyone on this page is a pretty big NFL fan, and therefore knows these games are won & lost in the trenches (for the most part). The Steelers O-line stinks...as evidenced by their pathetic rushing "attack." How they got it together for the Super Bowl run last year is beyond me, but they did, and have now reverted to their prior listless form. If Big Ben wasn't the best QB in the NFL - and for my money he is - the Stillers would have no offense at all.
On the other side of the ball, the vaunted front 7 just isn't getting it done as of yet. Harrison & Woodley have 1 sack. Timmons is an over-hyped replacement for Foote. Maybe because of injury, but he's done a whole lot of nothing so far. Farrior may finally be showing some age. Casey Hampton, on the other hand, who was rumored on this site to be a possible roster cut, has looked great in the games I've seen. Whatever, the bottom line is if Woodley & Harrison don't make some noise, it's a long season for the Stillers (even though they'll benefit from a ridiculously soft schedule v. the tougher road the Ravens have to traverse). If they return to wreaking havoc on opposing offenses, the Stillers will be back creating havoc in the playoffs.
Don't get me wrong...Polamalu is a great player and can be a difference maker. I just think the Steelers woes are more fundamental and basic and won't just go away when Troy returns.
GO RAVENS!!!
Oh yeah...you didn't even win the SB that year either. I'm sorry that I forgot to mention that, gotta include all the facts!!! That year was the last time the Bolts actually played in a game of great significance. Wow, that must suck.
We'll see how that 14th ranked defense holds up. Allowing 21+ change points a game. That 26th ranked rush defense could have a hard time stopping the Steelers "lowly" rushing attack.
@MSWRavens
I can partially agree with you. Our offensive line isn't playing THAT BAD. Their pass protection hasn't been bad so far this year. At least half of the sacks we have given up have been Ben's fault...so the story goes. The run blocking improved against the Bengals, there were actually holes there. The Titans are a difficult team to run on period, so I really wasn't expecting much in the way of the run game then. There were holes against Chi-Town, but closed quickly. I would split the blame 50/50 on the backs and line in Chicago.
Troy does cause some QB's to hold the ball just a tad longer than normal b/c he is ALL OVER the place. While the Steelers sack total is suffering a bit right now, we do have a fair share of knockdowns. What turns knockdowns into sacks? The QB holding onto the ball for another 1/2 a second. That's where the Long Haired Demon comes into play. Did you seem him in the first half of the Titans game? Just watch it...and you'll see exactly how much we are missing.
I wouldn't call Timmons over-hyped yet...he has been dealing with a high ankle sprain and those take time. Maybe with Woodley and Harrison having trouble getting there it's creating less opportunities for him to make plays. It is a team game. I can't agree with you about Farrior either, while he is up in age, he comes in every year in phenomenal shape and is still very effective and dangerous rushing the QB, stuffing the run, and playing in coverage with maybe 10-12 yards off the line of scrimmage. He really is our version of Ray Lewis (just not as loud LOL)...and NO, as much as it pains me, i'm not saying he's as good as Ray, just comparing their longevity.
My question is where is Lamaar Woodley?? I could talk about James Harrison and a very specific excuse for him (we already know what that is, and it's true) so I won't even bring it up. But Woodley needs to get there, maybe at least enough to move the QB up in the pocked more to give someone else a shot. So far he is the one that hasn't really done anything.
My main gripe has been with the play calling believe it or not. Most obvious in the Cincy game. We were way to conservative IMO, and showed a lack of balls. Mostly offensively, but I really hate the soft cover defenses we're going into late in games as well. As much as I am disgusted by Rex Ryan, he knows one thing without a doubt, GET TO THE QB. While I would take LeBeau any day of the week over him or anyone else, he needs to remedy that situation in a hurry.
I agree that games are won in the trenches but games turn around when big plays are made such as interceptions, QB sacks and forced fumbles. Polamalu has the speed and instinct along with the power to make receivers think about going into the middle of the field. When the front 7 are manned up he quickly fills the gap. Hope the Chargers take advantage of this hole in the steelers D.
@NAACPNOFRIENDOFMINE
I live in Central Florida and the Bucs have been televised every week. Week 1 gave us a Thursday game, three Sunday games, and two Monday games--only one was a Steelers game. Week 2 was four games--only one was a Steelers game. Week 3 was four games--the Steelers weren't televised because we got the Dolphins game. The Steelers are televised because they're the defending champs--it's a perk of winning--and they have one of the largest fan bases in worldwide sports. If you don't like it:
a) buy NFL Sunday Ticket
b) change the channel
But please stop whining and exaggerating. Real Floridians don't whine.