When a great player retires, there’s a reflexive instinct among fans and the media to declare him a “future Hall of Famer,” or even a “first-ballot lock.”
But the numerical realities of the Pro Football Hall of Fame voting process, the traditional struggle for recognition for safeties and a crowded field might make it harder than most realize for Steelers great Troy Polamalu, who announced his retirement last night and started the five-year clock for his eligibility.
Polamalu’s first hurdle to clear might be that he’s not even a lock as the greatest safety in his own franchise’s history.
Sure, he won a pair of Super Bowls, was named All-Pro five times, and finished his career with 32 interceptions. But 1970s Steelers legend Donnie Shell finished his career with four rings, four All-Pro mentions and 51 interceptions, and he’s struggled to get past the semifinalist cut to 25 for the Hall. Shell was overshadowed by a star-studded Steel Curtain defense, but was a tremendous player in his own right.
But Polamalu is also going to run into contemporary traffic, namely Ed Reed.
Reed left the game with just one ring, but eight All-Pro selections and 64 interceptions. He and Polamalu were opposites in many respects, but will fight a similar battle for a spot in the Hall.
Those two are a cut above a group of excellent safeties of the last two decades which include and will include Brian Dawkins, John Lynch, Steve Atwater, Darren Woodson and LeRoy Butler.
But perhaps the biggest struggle will be against players at all the other positions, at a time when the Hall’s bylaws allow a maximum of five modern-era candidates per year to be inducted (i.e. not as many as there are positions on the field).
Safeties are among the most under-represented positions in the Hall of Fame, with any of them struggling to get beyond the finalist vote to 15.
There are currently 24 defensive backs enshrined in Canton, a group dominated by cornerbacks.
Among recent vintage Hall of Famers, Rod Woodson, Mel Renfro, Ronnie Lott and Aeneas Williams played both cornerback and safety during their careers, blurring the distinction.
Otherwise, the list of safeties in the Hall are: Jack Christiansen (1951-1958), Ken Houston (1967-1980), Paul Krause (1964-1979), Yale Lary (1952-1953, 1956-1964), Emlen Tunnell (1948-1961), Larry Wilson (1960-1972) and Willie Wood (1960-1971).
Certainly, Polamalu had the kind of career that deserves recognition and praise. So did Reed. As the game has evolved, having safeties who can make plays on the ball is more important than ever, and both had to be game-planned against, in their own different ways.
And while it’s tempting to refer to one or both as a “lock” or some such, it doesn’t change their legacies of excellence if the numbers conspire against them, or delay their entry into the Hall of Fame beyond the time many consider fair.
