Joe Flacco on Polamalu: 'Troy's an example of the right way to do things'

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu announced his retirement Thursday, which came as a welcome relief for Baltimore Ravens players and fans alike. 

Polamalu's Steelers and the Ravens engaged in arguably the best rivalry of the 2000s throughout his 12-year career. 

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco may stand to benefit the most from Polamalu's retirement. The 33-year-old safety made the defining play of his career against Flacco, returning a 40-yard interception for the game-sealing touchdown in the 2008 AFC Championship Game. 

Flacco spoke to Monday Morning Quarterback's Peter King to reflect upon his adversary's career. 

"Now (that he retired), I've got to take a step back and appreciate the games we played against him and the Steelers," Flacco said. "I am a man of few words, and so is Troy, but I do know I'll tell my children and grandchildren I was lucky enough to play in these games, and lucky enough to play against Troy so many times. Troy's an example of the right way to do things, on the field and off the field. Such a great competitor on every play, and he treats everyone the right way. That's the right way to handle yourself."

Polamalu's 2008 interception of Flacco looms large in Steelers lore, with Pittsburgh going on to defeat the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.

Flacco spoke about the play.

"I kept my eyes up the middle, like I was going to the other guy," Flacco said. "Troy was just hanging out. I think he knew what I was thinking. He knew where we wanted to go with it - we wanted to get the first down to extend the drive. I made a bad assumption, that the window would be a little bigger than it was. It wasn't, because Troy was there."

The Steelers-Ravens rivalry loses some of its allure with Polamalu hanging up his cleats, but it's compelling to see how he was respected by even his biggest rivals throughout his career.