That's Just Troy Being Troy...

As I'm sure you all well know by now, Troy Polamalu is not at Steelers OTAs this year. Rather, he's out in California training with Marv Marinovich - famed father of two troubled sons (Todd and Mikhail), and purveyor of this crazy holisticness.

Needless to say, there are some who question the effectiveness of letting a player train on his own, in an unorthodox fashion, with Marv Marinovich. Count Trib writer John Harris in that camp.

On Saturday, Harris wrote an interesting article asking the question...

"If the Steelers are so comfortable with Polamalu missing OTAs to train on his own because they are only voluntary workouts, why bother having OTAs at all? Why not permit players to train on their own?"

The same day, Fanhouse's Michael David Smith then posted a reply that can be summed up in one line (taken directly from the post)...

"The Steelers are not comfortable with all their players working out on their own because not every player is Troy Polamalu.

I pretty much fall into the Michael David Smith camp, with one important caveat - not every player has Troy Polamalu's motivation.

Yes, a large part of the Steelers accepting Polamalu's unorthodox methods is his superior ability. Just as a large part of the Steelers treatment of James Harrison was his superior ability (kidding...sort of). But even more importantly to me is that he is clearly powered by a notably stronger internal drive than most. He and the Energizer Bunny have that in common. Hence, he'll get the same or better out of whatever workout regimen he feels is best for him.

So to answer the question Harris poses - it certainly would NOT be beneficial in my mind for all of the Steelers to do their own thing. Some players, rookies in particular, need a structured workout. Or at least I would think (though I'm obviously not drawing from any personal experience on this one). They either haven't been at the pro level long enough, or haven't been strict enough with themselves to establish a routine that will prepare them for the grueling five to six months between late July and late December to late January (in our case, hopefully the latter). Not to mention the fact that working out on one's own can never help establish chemistry with one's team.

Nevertheless, for Polamalu, his independent training should afford him the same benefits as OTAs might for others. He certainly needs no work at his position. And no matter what workout he's maintained he's always been a beast. So I wonder, why would anyone rather he do something he has decided doesn't feel right?

Of course, OTAs are, as Harris says, "voluntary." So really, why all this discussion?

You guys have any thoughts on this? Anyone know anything further about this Marv Marinovich what-have-you? Where do you align - with Harris or Smith (and me)?

REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Steelers OTAs Being Questioned [Trib]
If Polamalu Jumped Off A Bridge, Would The Other Steelers Do It Too? [Fanhouse]