PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Shamarko Thomas wasn't necessarily looking for a role model when he arrived from Syracuse to the Pittsburgh Steelers as a fourth-round draft pick in 2013.
After muddling through an uneven rookie year, the safety quickly identified one last spring and was thrilled that veteran Troy Polamalu was glad to help.
''I definitely am closer to him than I am to anybody,'' Thomas said. ''My second year, I went to him in the offseason and said that I want to be great, and he just told me that being great isn't just about being a great football player.