Tomlin Says Polamalu Could Miss 3-6 Weeks

The Steelers escaped the season opener with an overtime win over the Tennessee Titans, but may have lost something much more significant. After getting rolled on by a Titans player during a scrum for the ball after a blocked field goal, Troy Polamalu went to the locker room and was not seen again after halftime.

So what's the prognosis? Well, either Polamalu was in a lot of pain, and it looked that bad, or head coach Mike Tomlin is just the worst of all pessimists. From the information he was quickly able to gather during and after the game, Tomlin says his All-Pro safety could miss 3-6 weeks.

In fact, he says it could be more than that.

"I'm sure there's a possibility of it, but I don't have any concrete eviden[ce] that there is anything more than that," Tomlin said.

Knee injuries are always scary for a team to begin with, but usually the coach will come out and downplay its severity. The fans and media know he's being an optimist, but it puts their minds at ease at least for the time being. It can't be a good sign that Tomlin is seemingly preparing everyone for the worst.

As everyone knows, this defense revolves around the play of Polamalu. He is the lifeblood of that Steelers defense, and there's no question they wouldn't be as good without him on the field. Will they completely crumble and allow 40+ points every game? No, not as long as they have Dick LeBeau, but it will be a different defense without the Lu.

I mean honestly... Did you see that interception? The man is sick.