Ryan Clark: Troy Polamalu would request Dick LeBeau make changes when Steelers defense was playing soft

The 2023 season has quickly turned around for the Pittsburgh Steelers after back-to-back-to-back losses at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Fans have been spoiled for the majority of the 21st century when it comes to the franchise, but a lack of true leadership and accountability has the Steelers faithful missing the good ol' times when there was a noticeable camaraderie among the group. Currently the Steelers are on the outside looking in at the 10th spot in the AFC.

Other iconic franchises throughout the league are having a much better time in 2023 than the Steelers. Both the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are a combined 21-7 and are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Ryan Clark, who won a Super Bowl with Pittsburgh, was breaking down the Cowboys' Week 14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on "Get Up" when he recommended someone on the Philadelphia Eagles defense request a change in defensive strategy to defensive coordinator Sean Desai. The Eagles must've agreed with Clark, as they decided to let Matt Patricia be more involved with the defensive play calls. 

Clark wants someone to go to Desai and take a play out of Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu's playbook. He detailed what the legendary defender used to do when he didn't like the way Pittsburgh's defense was playing.

"We would be in football games with Coach [Dick] LeBeau and we would feel like we were playing soft. We'd play a lot of cover three, which is a zone, a single-high zone or we'd be in cover six and Troy [Polamalu] would walk up to him and be like, 'Coach, let us go. Let us attack.' Sometimes, as the coach, you have to change your mindset and you have to change the way you call the game schematically so it puts an attitude of physicality."

That seems to be the kind of leadership that the Steelers are lacking in 2023. Clark was recommending an Eagles defender go to Desai and demand a change, but the same could be relevant for Pittsburgh. The main component of this is that it needs to come from someone on the Steelers offense, and very few players are proven and trusted to make a Polamalu-esque move.

The revelation from Clark shows how much respect Polamalu demanded when he was playing. It also displays how there was a significant amount of trust between him and the coaching staff. As a young team in 2023, the Steelers don't have many guys on the roster that could demand change that would then be applied by members of Tomlin's staff.

A simple comment like this from Clark will have every Steelers fan experience some serious nostalgia. There was a time when a dominant defense was partnered with an offense that had a quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger entering his prime. Multiple Hall of Famers were dominating opponents on a consistent basis and it all included a dominant coaching staff that was apparently very open to the leaders on the team speaking up.

In 2023, it seems as if the players are more worried about personal egos and making negative headlines. The Tomlin teams of the past seem to be no longer. Everyone wishes there was a present relationship like Polamalu had with LeBeau. There seems to be a serious disconnect between the current teams and the coaching staff, which is a recipe for disaster.

Steelers Are Bracing For No Playoffs Again

Polamalu isn't around in 2023 to help Pittsburgh from a leadership perspective. And they could really use him. The team will be without star Minkah Fitzpatick due to a knee injury. They'll also be without Damontae Kazee after he was suspended the final three games for a hit that he put onto Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. The Steelers currently had a 7% chance to make the playoffs. A win on Saturday would vault them to a 14% chance. With that said, it's very unlikely this team can win out to even have a chance. 

Are you surprised Polamalu would request change on defense when the unit wasn't playing up to expectation?