NFL 30 to Watch: Anthony Smith, Safety, Pittsburgh Steelers

Published: July 31, 2007, 9:16 pm

Filed under: Steelers, AFC North, PittsburghA regular look at 30 people who will affect the 2007 NFL season.Troy Polamalu is the first name that comes to most people's minds when talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary. The former first-round pick is arguably the best in the league at his position -- and has redefined what it means to be a strong safety. That the Steelers just made Polamalu one of the NFL's highest-paid safeties is more proof of his importance to his team. But while Polamalu is doing his pre-snap thing -- dancing between the linebackers, faking the blitz, pretending to drop in coverage ... it can all be very dizzying -- someone has to have his back. For 2004 and 2005, that somebody was free safety Chris Hope. Hope left for Tennessee last off-season and there was some concern that the defense -- and Polamalu in particular -- would suffer. Yeah, that didn't happen. The team signed Ryan Clark, maybe one of the most underrated defenders in the league, and used a

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