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Polamalu misses first week

By Ed Bouchette
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 9 years ago

Good morning,

 

--- Troy Polamalu may not need these things but perhaps some of his new teammates could use him at practice, especially his new partner at free safety, Mike Mitchell.  Polamalu spent last spring with his teammates because, he noted, he was among the dwindling veterans on defense. If that were the case last year, surely he and Ike Taylor should be part of that defense now.

--- But repeat after me, it’s all voluntary.

--- I have one question I did not see raised during the trial of the three accused of attacking Mike Adams or by anyone else since their acquittal. Plenty of scorn reigned down on Adams for the 0.185 blood-alcohol content measured in the hospital after he was knifed. Did they account for all the blood that he lost in that knifing when they determined the percentage of alcohol in the remaining blood in his body? If not, wouldn’t the loss of blood have skewered the percentage? Maybe they did, but I have not seen if anyone else asked it.

--- There is, by the way, plenty of contact going on in these contact-free spring practices.

--- Some Ask Ed questions:

--- YOU: In your Wednesday slog you mentioned Heyward would be playing the right side end after playing the left side last year. Obviously with Worilds it seemed to make a difference which side he played linebacker on. Is there any reason to think Cam would not be as effective switching sides at his position, considering he played so well on the left last season?

ED: He may have played well on the right too if given the chance, but the chance came on the left because of Ziggy Hood. Some players do feel more comfortable and are more effective on one side or the other. Heyward has been on the right side for most of his career, but he has played both. I would assume that he and the coaches feel his best position is on the right, which often is the weak side.

--- YOU: I am baffled by the Ray Rice situation. Ben gets suspended 4 games and was never charged with a crime. He was simply accused by a woman with no credibility what so ever. Ray Rice knocks a woman out cold. OUT COLD. He was charged with a crime. It's on video. No suspension announced yet. Please explain this to me.

ED: Let’s see what punishment Roger Goodell gives Rice first.