Troy Polamalu was a very unique player in the history of the NFL. He was best known for his improvisation and instincts that might get most players or defenses into trouble, but which he turned into a major positive by being right more often than not. Several of his coaches have spoken in the past about the frustration when he would go off script, but the frustration was often short-lived as he would go on to make a game-altering play.
Cameron Heyward asked Polamalu about this on the latest episode of Not Just Football.