NFL | USC Pro Day: SS Troy Polomalu - posted at KFFL (
http://nfl.kffl.com)
17:11 PT: Matt Gambill, of All Pro Scouting, has informed KFFL that USC SS Troy Polomalu was clocked at
4.34 and 4.37 in the 40-yard dash during USC’s Pro Day. He had a 4.37 short shuttle and slipped on the
run. On his second, he had a 4.06 time. He also had a 6.75 three-cone drill.
2002:
Polamalu, who started for his third yeat at strong safety as a senior in 2002, became USC's first 2-time All-American first team pick since offensive tackle Tony Boselli in 1992 and 1994 by making the 2002 AP, Football Writers, Walter Camp, ESPN.com and CBS.Sportsline.com All-American first teams, The Sporting News All-American second team and CNNSI.com All-American honorable mention. He was 1 of 3 finalists for the Thorpe Award in 2002. He also was a repeat All-Pac-10 first teamer in 2002. He also made The Sporting News' All-Pac-10 first team. Overall in 2002 while appearing in 12 games (all but California), he had 68 tackles, including 9 for losses of 44 yards (with 3 sacks for 27 yards), plus an interception which he returned 33 yards, 6 deflections and 3 forced fumbles. He did all this despite playing with a nagging ankle sprain for the second half of 2002 (he hurt it early in the Washington State game and was sidelined versus California) and missing all but 2 plays of the Orange Bowl against Iowa because of a hamstring injury. Sports Illustrated named him as 1 of 5 "Terminators" in college football in 2002, a player "boasting an otherworldly combination of speed, strength and athleticism…who can single-handedly kill off drives and wreak havoc on game plans." His jersey currently was on display at the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in the "Race for the Pantheon" exhibit that highlighted the nation's 10 leading candidates for post-season individual honors. A team captain for the second consecutive year, he also won USC's Most Inspirational Player Award and Co-Lifter Award. He was invited to play in the 2003 East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. He had 7 tackles (1 for a loss) against Auburn. He had a team-high 11 tackles at Colorado, earning Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week honors. At Kansas State, he had 7 tackles (2 for losses, with a sack), a deflection and forced a fumble (which was recovered by USC for a TD). He had 4 tackles and a deflection against Oregon State. He sprained his ankle on the first series at Washington State and saw only brief action late in the second half (he didn't make a tackle), then sat out the California game with the ankle sprain. He returned to the starting lineup against Washington and had 5 tackles, an interception (which he returned 33 yards to set up a USC field goal) and a deflection. At Oregon, he had 7 tackles (1 for a loss). He had a game-high 13 tackles at Stanford, including 2 for losses (with a sack). He made 5 tackles and had a deflection against Arizona State. He had 4 tackles (with a sack), a forced fumble and 2 pass deflections at UCLA. He had 5 tackles (2 for losses, with a sack) and forced a fumble against Notre Dame. He got in for only 2 plays against Iowa in the Orange Bowl because of a hamstring injury (he didn't make a tackle).
WHAT OTHERS SAY:
USC head coach Pete Carroll: "He's as good a safety as I've ever coached. He's a brilliant football player. He's just as effective as those NFL guys I coached…He is creative, fast, tough and instinctive. He has a great heart, which all great players have…He adapts to everything that we can throw out there. He makes all the adjustments, all the checks, all the calls. He helps other people play well. He can do anything we ask: blitz, cover deep, play man-to-man, and he always does a little bit extra." USC tailback Malaefou MacKenzie: "He's going to be one of the greats before he leaves USC." Former Utah offensive guard Ed Ta'amu: "When we watched film, everywhere we looked he was in the picture." UCLA head coach Bob Toledo: "He's a great football player. He's all over the field. He makes plays. You'd better account for him because he's going to be around the football all the time." Arizona head coach John Mackovic: "A lot of safeties are strong against the run but not always effective in pass defense. He's physical, arrives quickly and reads the play very well." USC assistant coach Kennedy Pola, his uncle: "He's a small-town boy and he respects his peers and his teammates. That comes from the family, environment and community that he was raised in." Ken Peters, Associated Press: "Sometimes it seems there's a whole group of Trojans wearing No. 43, blocking punts, returning interceptions for touchdowns, forcing fumbles, smacking punt returners to the ground. Actually, there's only one-Troy Polamalu, playing 'Fa'a Samoan' style. That roughly translates, he says, to being a gentleman everywhere but on the football field."
CAREER:
In his career as a 3-year starter, Polamalu has 278 tackles (29 for losses), 6 interceptions (3 returned for TDs), 13 deflections, 2 fumble recoveries and 4 blocked punts.
Height / Weight:
5-10 / 215
Position:
S
: 10/6/07
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