BlitzburghRockCity
11-10-2005, 01:01 AM
Good deed could help Polamalu avert SI cover jinx
By Joe Bendel
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu graces the cover of Sports Illustrated this week with the headline, "Crunch Time ... NFL Midseason Report." He is also the focus of an article entitled "Mane Man."
This could be dangerous territory for Polamalu. The dreaded SI cover jinx looms over those who make their way onto the magazine's cover.
But Polamalu might have good karma surrounding him for two reasons: He performed a kind deed yesterday; and he's never heard of the SI cover jinx.
"Thanks for telling me about it, though," he said.
As for the good deed, Polamalu surprised cornerback Bryant McFadden by giving the rookie cornerback the ball Polamalu had originally kept for himself after returning a touchdown 77 yards for a touchdown Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
McFadden set up Polamalu's touchdown by hitting Packers quarterback Brett Favre on a blitz and forcing a fumble, then laying the key block downfield that sprung Polamalu for the score.
McFadden, typically a big talker, was speechless when Polamalu greeted him with the gift yesterday morning.
"That was a shocker," McFadden said. "I didn't expect him to do that, and I'm going to get it painted and put the date of the game and what happened. I'll try to set up some memorabilia for the future. I appreciate what he did."
In 2002, Alexander Wolff researched the "jinx" and found that a player's or team's performance dipped 37.2 percent of the time after gracing the SI cover.
Polamalu, though, did not seem daunted.
"I don't think it matters to anybody who reads those things," he said.
By Joe Bendel
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu graces the cover of Sports Illustrated this week with the headline, "Crunch Time ... NFL Midseason Report." He is also the focus of an article entitled "Mane Man."
This could be dangerous territory for Polamalu. The dreaded SI cover jinx looms over those who make their way onto the magazine's cover.
But Polamalu might have good karma surrounding him for two reasons: He performed a kind deed yesterday; and he's never heard of the SI cover jinx.
"Thanks for telling me about it, though," he said.
As for the good deed, Polamalu surprised cornerback Bryant McFadden by giving the rookie cornerback the ball Polamalu had originally kept for himself after returning a touchdown 77 yards for a touchdown Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
McFadden set up Polamalu's touchdown by hitting Packers quarterback Brett Favre on a blitz and forcing a fumble, then laying the key block downfield that sprung Polamalu for the score.
McFadden, typically a big talker, was speechless when Polamalu greeted him with the gift yesterday morning.
"That was a shocker," McFadden said. "I didn't expect him to do that, and I'm going to get it painted and put the date of the game and what happened. I'll try to set up some memorabilia for the future. I appreciate what he did."
In 2002, Alexander Wolff researched the "jinx" and found that a player's or team's performance dipped 37.2 percent of the time after gracing the SI cover.
Polamalu, though, did not seem daunted.
"I don't think it matters to anybody who reads those things," he said.