In the 2003 NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers took safety Troy Polamalu in the first round. Three rounds later, they took a lesser-known, lanky, fast cornerback out of Louisiana-Lafayette, Ike Taylor.
Teams who bring their cards to the podium at this year's draft hope to be as lucky as the Steelers were that year. Polamalu and Taylor became mainstays in the Steelers' secondary, coached from 2004 on by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, for the next 12 years. They won a lot of games and two Super Bowls together. And, within a week of each other, they both retired with the only team they ever played for in the NFL.
Taylor followed Polamalu's retirement by stepping away himself. Taylor was a free agent, but decided instead to walk away. It was announced via a statement on the Steelers' website.
“Other than having my son, playing for the Steelers has been the best experience in my entire lifetime,” Taylor said. “It is rare, in this day of free agency that is super rare to play for one team. For me to have this opportunity says a lot about how they felt about me, what I gave back to the organization.
“I wasn’t cut, I wasn’t released. It was just my contract was up and it was time to retire. If you want to have pride, well that is the kind of pride I have, being able to play my contract out."
Taylor won't be remembered as fondly as Polamalu, who will go to the Pro Football Hall of Fame some day. But he was a good starter at a tough position, and was a key member of a defense that ranked at or near the top of the league just about every season he and Polamalu played together.
It's a time of change in Pittsburgh. Polamalu and Taylor are gone, and so is LeBeau, who resigned and will be replaced by Keith Butler.
Pittsburgh wasn't totally unprepared for Taylor and Polamalu to leave. Polamalu missed four games last season and Taylor missed 11 due to injuries. Taylor was a free agent, and the Steelers had shown no interest in re-signing him, and Polamalu likely would have become one had he not retired. But it'll be a much different look without those two. It'll be the first time since 2003 the Steelers haven't had either Taylor or Polamalu in the secondary.
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