“He’ll do whirlybirds and turn completely in a circle and take off somewhere. It’s really unique to watch."
—Broadcaster Phil Simms

"He is a monster out there."
—Seattle linebacker Lofa Tatupu

"He’s great every game."
—Pro Bowl QB Matt Hasselbeck

"Once he’s on the football field and somebody is trying to take something away from him, his heart takes over. He’s not going to let you complete a pass. He’s going to smack you around, he’s going to knock you out."
—Pro Bowl QB Carson Palmer

"His heart off the field is just to be the greatest guy that ever was. Nice to everybody—great guy, great human being, respectful, humble, everything you could ask."
—Palmer

"In my eyes, he’s the best defensive player in the league. He’s a phenomenal player."
—Palmer

"He’s a special player."
—Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau

"He makes me look really good."
—LeBeau

"He has an intellectual bent to him. He likes to know the why and wherefore."
—LeBeau

"He’s the best I’ve ever seen."
—NFL veteran Trevor Pryce

"The guy is committed to the game of football and, obviously, is a tremendous talent. He makes their defense go."
—Former Pro Bowl safety John Lynch

"If you don’t know where he is, he’ll get you."
—Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

"You make a mistake around him and he’ll intercept it."
—Belichick

"You don’t mess with any of our players—but especially Troy, because he’s one of those people who doesn’t cause trouble to anybody."
—Teammate Ike Taylor

"Troy Polamalu is a frea. They’ll line him up at safety, at linebacker or up on the line. You can’t get a good read on where he’s coming from."
—NFl veteran Charlie Frye

"He combines the athletic ability to cover, the explosion to be a great blitzer, he’s an outstanding tackler and on top of that he’s a very instinctive player."
—Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher

"The stereotype of the pro athlete—the guy who flaunts his money, has lots of cars, jewelry, women—that’s not Troy."
—Teammate Chris Hope

"He’s running around, flying around, just doing some crazy stuff and making plays. You have to see where he is and someone has to account for him because he can cause me trouble."
—Former Pro Bowl QB Jake Plummer

"Troy Polamalu is a very special football player."
—Steelers owner Art Rooney