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Tuesday, August 05, 2003

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The morning sun was toasting the practice field at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, pulling the moisture from the soggy field and raising the humidity to Louisiana-like levels. It was time to turn up the heat on rookie safety Troy Polamalu.

	Rookie Troy Polamalu (43) knocks the ball away from Mike Logan -- the veteran whom Polamalu is trying to beat out at safety -- during a drill at St. Vincent College yesterday. (Matt Freed, Post-Gazette) Related articles Notebook: Riemersma catches on quick ... a word from our columnist Chuck Finder: Defense needs sound Bell to make noise

And so it was that when the coaches yelled "One Dime," signaling for the regulars in the dime defense to take the field, Polamalu trotted out with the first-team defense that features six defensive backs.

On the first day of the second week of training camp, Polamalu had been elevated to the dime defense, replacing Chris Hope. The Steelers refused to say if the move is permanent or just an opportunity to see their No. 1 draft pick work with the first-team defense.

Rest assured, though, it's the first step on a road that will eventually land Polamalu in the starting lineup.

"We felt as a staff we wanted to take a look at him," defensive coordinator Tim Lewis said. "I'm not going to address whether he earned it or not."

The Steelers did not move up 12 places in the draft to have Polamalu, a hard-hitting safety from Southern California, sit on the bench. Not only do they need help in the secondary, which ranked among the worst in the National Football League in 2002, but they have a vacancy at strong safety -- Polamalu's position -- because they decided not to re-sign Lee Flowers in free agency.

"I was surprised," Polamalu said. "It probably isn't permanent. It's probably just to give me a look to see what it's like to play with the first team, to make me get better."

It wasn't as though the coaches told Polamalu to go onto the field. He was told he would play in the dime defense in a meeting Sunday night.

Polamalu said he was so surprised that initially he forgot to run onto the field when the coaches called for the first-team dime.

"I think they're doing a pretty good job of making me feel more antsy, of wanting to get out there," Polamalu said. "Only God knows what their plan is."

Asked if he was feeling antsy, Polamalu said, "Very. I mean, I want to help this team out. We'll see the best way I can do that."

Polamalu had convinced the Steelers of his physical abilities, which was why they traded three picks to the Kansas City Chiefs to draft him with the 16th overall pick. He has been timed at 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has a reputation for a hard-hitting style, which might explain the four concussions he received at Southern California.

Since reporting three days late to training camp, Polamalu has impressed the coaching staff with his ability to pick up the defensive schemes.

"At this point in time, he's everything the coaches expected," free safety Brent Alexander said. "Right now he's just looking forward to seeing reactions in game situations."

"I feel very comfortable with Troy," Coach Bill Cowher said. "One thing with Troy, the more you're around him, learning won't be a problem. You don't want to overload him. You got to be careful you don't get too caught up, just like with [Antwaan] Randle [El]. These guys can do a lot of different things. You can put them in a lot of different places. But how fair are you being to the kid? It's important we get him to the point where he's comfortable enough that he's not thinking too much."

Polamalu remains the backup to veteran Mike Logan at strong safety. But Logan could possibly end up at free safety, a more natural position.

Curiously, Polamalu's ascent could hurt Hope, a third-round pick in 2002, in more ways than one. Not only does it appear Hope has been displaced in the dime, but he could remain behind Alexander at free safety because the Steelers might be reluctant to have him and Polamalu -- two first-year starters -- paired at safety.

"He's done a good job," Lewis said about Polamalu. "He's got tremendous speed, very good work ethic and he's very bright. He's a very instinctive football player. When you talk to him, you can see the wheels turning and he understands exactly what you're talking about. Just [tell him] where to line up and he takes it over from there."