Steelers: Secondary shines without Troy Polamalu

By Dale Grdnic

Sep 17, 2012 at 5:52 pm ET • 3 min read

Despite playing without Troy Polamalu, the 2010 NFL defensive player of the year, the Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary more than held its own against the New York Jets during a 27-10 victory Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field.

Safeties Ryan Clark, who missed the club's opener at Denver due to a medical condition, and Ryan Mundy were active and aggressive with eight and five total tackles, respectively. And despite questionable penalties against cornerback Ike Taylor, Clark and Mundy did not alter their defensive approach.

"When penalties are called, it doesn't change how we play,'' Mundy said Monday afternoon. "Our job isn't to make the calls. Our job is to play each and every play, so we just trust in our technique and fight for the next play. That's what Coach Tomlin, Coach LeBeau and Coach Lake really stress.

"You have to have a short memory and forget about the previous play, whether it was good or bad or you got a bad call or a bad break. You need to refocus and move on to the next play, because that's the most important play in the game at that moment.''

One call on Taylor was particularly poor, as he trailed Jets wideout Santonio Holmes by several steps, but was still flagged.

"Yeah, it's tough to play defensive back in the NFL nowadays,'' Mundy said. "It is very tough, especially with the skill level of the wide receivers. And now, you've got these big tight ends, these guys who are 6-7, and they run like wide receivers. So, it's particularly tough to play defensive back in the NFL.

"But we do our best, to continue to do what we're coached to do and believe in our technique and our abilities and just let the chips fall where they may. And if we get a bad call, we get a bad call. We just have to line up for the next play and keep competing. That's the way it is in this league.''

Mundy, who replaced Clark in the opener and Polamalu (right calf strain) against the Jets, was solid in both games. And if the Steelers err on the side of caution with Polamalu, Mundy will need to maintain that level of play.

"I got a pretty decent workload,'' Mundy said. "I still have my special teams responsibilities, and I also played every snap on defense. So, I just have to make sure that I'm ready, take care of my body and get good rest, because I have a full plate right now. (But) it's an unfortunate situation with Troy.

"We all know that he's an amazing player and everything, but I have to make sure that I'm ready in case he is not ready. So, I just have to continue to stay in shape, keep my cardio going each and every day and make sure that I'm fresh by getting good rest. And when my number is called, I have to perform.''

When Mundy is paired with Polamalu, he has to be the Steelers' last line of defense. Polamalu generally plays more toward the line of scrimmage where he can wreak havoc on opposing offenses. Clark and Mundy tend to alternate positions, strong or free safety, like they did against the Jets.

"Sometimes, we'll switch it up to give the quarterback a different look, but Troy's mostly in there,'' Mundy said. "When I play with Ryan, I could be playing in the box for one play, and he could be playing there on another play.

"So, I just like to be flexible, and whatever those guys feel comfortable doing and whatever position they want to play during a particular play, then I just play off of them. And it really doesn't matter to me.''

While Clark was an opening-game scratch early in the week, Polamalu left the door open for him to play until the end of the week. Still, Mundy maintained his week-long regimen.

"I've really learned to work through it, but with the way those guys play -- they play so hard all the time -- they could go down at any moment, like any player, so I have to be ready to go mentally and physically when my number is called,'' Mundy said. "My preparation can't change every week, my film study and weight training and conditioning, none of that changes from week to week.''