Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu thinks that the big hits that have drawn so much scrutiny are partly due to the evolution of offenses, John Harris of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

"When you start spreading teams out and you start getting space and distance--and you've got to get that burst to make that hit--that's why you're seeing a lot more hits than normal," said Polamalu. "It's because of the way offenses are playing."

An eight-year veteran, Polamalu has been flagged twice for unnecessary roughness over the last 4+ seasons.

"Back in the day, it was easier to make open-field tackles in the box," said Polamalu. "You could see what was coming, for the most part. But when you're running all these fast crossing routes and you're spreading people out, those hits you're seeing are pretty much from spread offenses: big shots down the field, crossing routes.

"It's never a safety coming downhill (and) hitting a running back in the mouth."

For more from Polamalu, and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau's thoughts on the subject, click here.