Video(s) of the Day 2/1/11: More on Matthews and Polamalu

With Pittsburgh's strong safety Troy Polamalu winning the AP Defensive Player of the Year award last night, despite Matthews being favored by many (including myself), I think it's time for a little bit more hype on the Polamalu vs. Matthews headline in the Super Bowl.

Here are a couple of highlight videos I found on youtube which feature the two long-haired, hard-hitting defenders. Enjoy.

Most of the highlights aren't from this year alone, but these were the two best videos I was able to find.

Hair (Matthews) vs. Hair (Polamalu): AP Defensive Player of the Year?

The Associated Press' Defensive Player of the Year will be announced tonight at 8 PM ET on the NFL Network.

This raises one obvious question: who will win the award?

At this point it's basically between the two long-haired ball hawks playing for the two Super Bowl teams: Clay Matthews III and Troy Polamalu.

Here are the possible candidates and their regular season stats:

Clay Matthews: 60 combined tackles, 13.5 sacks, 1 INT, 2 FF

Troy Polamalu: 63 combined tackles, 1 sack, 7 INTs, 1 FF

DeMarcus Ware: 66 combined tackles, 15.5 sacks, 0 INTs, 2 FF

James Harrison: 100 combined tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 INTs, 6 FF

Cameron Wake: 57 combined tackles, 14 sacks, 0 INTs, 3 FF

Ray Lewis: 139 combined tackles, 2 sacks, 2 INTs, 2 FF

Julius Peppers: 54 combined tackles, 8 sacks, 2 INTs, 3 FF

Jerod Mayo: 175 combined tackles, 2 sacks, 0 INTs, 1 FF

Of these candidates, it seems Polamalu and Matthews are the most logical choices. Not only did they put up good numbers on the season, but they were their respective team's playmaker on the defensive side of the ball and was the deciding factor in just about every game they played this season.

Each and every week the opposing quarterback had to keep tabs on Nos. 52 and 43 in order to succeed on that given day. Obviously, more times than not Matthews and Polamalu got the most of their opposition.

When it comes to individual achievement I believe that Matthews is a bit more deserving of the award partly because he is playing a much bigger role in the defense as one of Green Bay's outside linebackers. He must direct traffic on defense, and is both a great pass-rusher (13.5 sacks) and coverage guy (60 tackles, 1 INT, 2 FF).

Polamalu's hair is better, but I think that Matthews will take home the award in just his second season in the National Football League.

*Runner-up: Troy Polamalu, Steelers

*Dark horse: James Harrison, Steelers

Photo credit

Clay Matthews: Todd Rosenberg/NFL

At 3-0, Roethlisberger-less Steelers Sit atop Power Rankings

Heading in to week four, the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing with its fourth string quarterback Charlie Batch, are one of the three undefeated teams remaining. What may be even more surprising may be who they beat, and how they won.

It's clear that Pittsburgh's "Steel Curtain" defense of old is back in action with the return of safety Troy Polamalu lurking the defensive backfield. Dick LeBeau's defense is ranked No. 1 in scoring, with just 11 points per game allowed, and fourth in the league in sacks.

Two of the team's three games were against possible playoff contenders, Atlanta and Tennessee, and the third, Tampa Bay, has gotten off to a surprising 2-1 start. Just two touchdowns allowed on defense and a week three blowout against the Bucs is what has the nation convinced that Blitzburgh is back in 2010.

With one last game without the suspended Ben Roethlisberger under center (Sunday v.s. 2-1 Baltimore), the Steelers have a shot at starting the season with a 4-0 record. And with Baltimore running back Ray Rice banged up, Pittsburgh shouldn't have much trouble keeping the Ravens one dimensional, meaning another victory in the 'W' column.

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Chris O'Meara