The legendary Dick LeBeau, former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator, was recently a guest on Sirius XM NFL Radio’s Late Hits.
As the portion of the interview reached the topic of the Steelers, LeBeau was asked his feelings on his protege Troy Polamalu, who will be joining him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
“Yeah, I guided him, alright. I stayed the hell out of his way,” LeBeau said with a laugh when asked about grooming Polamalu. “…Troy had the ability to go from point A to point B probably as quickly as any man I’ve ever seen… he confused offenses. He had great anticipation. I think he’s the best safety that’s ever played, that’s my opinion. Of course, it is biased.”
“Troy is one in a million — as a player, as a person.”
LeBeau had to work for nearly five decades in football before he won his first Super Bowl ring. In 2005, his 47th season coaching, the 2005 Steelers finally brought home the Lombardi.
After a midseason four-game win streak, the Steelers lost three consecutive games to the Ravens, Colts, and Bengals taking their record to 7-5. They were dealing with injuries to Ben Roethlisberger, backup quarterback Charlie Batch and Hines Ward — the outlook for the remainder of the season was not good. Thankfully, Pittsburgh beat their next four opponents (Bears, Vikings, Browns, Lions) to finish the regular season at 11-5. That year, it was just enough to head into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.
LeBeau was asked what made that particular Steelers squad so special.
“We really got off to a good start,” said LeBeau. “We hit a snag with a lot of injuries in the middle of the year. As we began to get those key players back, it was just at the proper time that the team was really gelling. The character had been built in the games that we had to play without some of our best players. By the time we hit the playoffs, we were a handful for anybody we were going to play.”
“They were a family and a brotherhood, which all successful championship teams are. It was a joy to be with them,” LeBeau shared. “That team, that year, we were really stout, and the offense was really coming on as the season matured.”
The Steelers were only the second team ever (and the first in 20 years) to beat the No. 3 seed Bengals, the No. 1 seed Colts, and the No. 2 seed Broncos to represent the AFC in Super Bowl 40. With the victory, they became the first team post-merger to win a Super Bowl without having played a home playoff game.
“We played four great playoff teams — we were a six seed and had to go on the road all the way. We played four straight offensive teams that averaged over 400 yards a game — more than now, that was a sizeable amount of yardage.”
“I had been to the Super Bowl three times before, that fourth time was the first time we won. I wasn’t a spring chicken, I didn’t know if I was ever going to be part of a championship.”
[vertical-gallery id=472174]
[lawrence-related id=431078]