The Associated Press

PITTSBURGH - The Pittsburgh Steelers downplayed first-round draft pick Troy Polamalu's history of concussions, then gave the hard-hitting safety a special helmet.

Polamalu, 22, considered Southern California's best safety since Ronnie Lott, said he has likely been reckless with his body - he suffered three concussions in college - but he doesn't plan to change his game.

"I go out there and sacrifice every piece of my body and my head has come out on the bad end a few times," Polamalu said. "But it's never changed my style of play and never will because I love the sport."

The Steelers said they have no fears about Polamalu's durability, especially after a neurosurgeon determined he had no lasting damage.

"Players are going to get nicked, especially players who play as hard as he does. I think he'll probably deliver a few more blows than he'll take," said Kevin Colbert, director of football operations for the Steelers.

Just in case, the Steelers have taken steps to protect the 5-foot-10, 206-pound All-American, the only safety drafted in the first round since Bill Cowher became coach in 1992.

Along with his jersey number - 42, the same he wore in college and that Lott wore in the NFL - the Steelers outfitted Polamalu with a helmet designed to deflect hits and reduce the jarring effects of side-impacts collisions, especially on the jaw.

"I don't think a lot of players will sit there and sacrifice as much as a head," Polamalu said. "I mean you can play without an arm, without a leg, but you can't play without your head."

Although he's more of a hitter than a coverage specialist, the Steelers hope Polamalu's 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash will help patch up their secondary.

Pittsburgh fell from fifth to 20th in pass coverage last season, allowing 30 or more points eight times, including both playoff games.

The Steelers also declined to re-sign longtime starting safety Lee Flowers, who is adept at stopping the run, but struggles in man-to-man coverage against fast receivers.

Polamalu, who had 278 tackles and 29 stops behind the line for the Trojans, admits he'll have to work on his coverage.

"I'll be the first to admit I need a great deal of improvement in pass defense, but I need great improvement in my whole game," he said. "Like I said, that's the great asset that I have. Although I've had some success in college, I've got that much more room to improve."

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