The Polamalu Problem

[Lady Steel]

This is for all of you, in the wake of Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu retiring the other day after 12 seasons, wondering if he’ll be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, or whether it’ll be he or Ed Reed who gets into Canton first, or whether they might go in together:

Over the past 26 years, covering 147 enshrinees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one of the 147 has been a safety. I’m talking a player who played safety his entire career, not one (such as Ronnie Lott or Rod Woodson, both of whom played significant portions of their careers at cornerback) who split time between corner and safety. The one: Minnesota’s Paul Krause, the league’s all-time interceptions leader. There are 295 Hall of Famers, so think of it: 147 is almost exactly half of that, and 26 years is almost half of the time the Hall’s been alive. One safety has been bronzed in that time.

Put another damning way: No safety who has played in an NFL game in the past 35 seasons is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.




http://mmqb.si.com/2015/04/13/troy-polamalu-retires-hall-of-fame-nfl/

[tube517]

Peter King. Didn't Read.

[steelreserve]

Anyone who doesn't think the guy is a lock for the HOF is an idiot. It's that easy.

Also, not counting Ronnie Lott as a safety is dumb as hell. He played safety for 10 or 11 seasons and corner for a handful of seasons at the start of his career. That's a miscategorization on the level of saying Devin Hester was primarily a wide receiver, or Steve Young was primarily a running back. I don't know why anyone would even consider Woodson being a safety in the first place; he switched there at the very end of his career when he played for a different team.

[fansince'76]

Anyone who doesn't think the guy is a lock for the HOF is an idiot. It's that easy.

Problem is, Peter King is an idiot and a HoF voter. And he's not the only voter who is an idiot...

[st33lersguy]

Most of the safeties who played in the last 35 years were not as electric or impactful as Polamalu, or for that matter Ed Reed. You really can't equate those two with the ones that have been passed over for the Hall

[polamalubeast]

Very few safety has had a big impact as Polamalu and Ed Reed.....Ed Reed is going to be a first ballot HOF in 2019 and it will also be the case for Polamalu in 2020

[steelreserve]

Polamalu and Reed both deserve to make it. Comparing the two is apples and oranges. Reed was one of the best at playing a conventional safety role; just a great all-around player. Polamalu was practically playing a different sport. There's really no good way to compare what Troy brought to the table with almost any other player in the history of the game.

[tube517]

Problem is, Peter King is an idiot and a HoF voter. And he's not the only voter who is an idiot...

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--AaHgseFr--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/188nq72o17qfljpg.jpg

[katmandu]

Over the past 26 years, covering 147 enshrinees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one of the 147 has been a safety. I’m talking a player who played safety his entire career, not one (such as Ronnie Lott or Rod Woodson, both of whom played significant portions of their careers at cornerback) who split time between corner and safety. The one: Minnesota’s Paul Krause, the league’s all-time interceptions leader. There are 295 Hall of Famers, so think of it: 147 is almost exactly half of that, and 26 years is almost half of the time the Hall’s been alive. One safety has been bronzed in that time.

Put another damning way: No safety who has played in an NFL game in the past 35 seasons is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.




http://mmqb.si.com/2015/04/13/troy-polamalu-retires-hall-of-fame-nfl/
Here's what King said right before the comment above.




Peter King of Sports Illustrated says, (http://mmqb.si.com/2015/04/13/troy-polamalu-retires-hall-of-fame-nfl/) "The voters for the Hall of Fame—I am one of 46—stink at electing safeties. We do."

Well, if the HOF Voters STINK at electing Safeties, they have (4) YEARS to get their feces consolidated BEFORE Electing Troy in !!

[Bert Gordon]

If Troy isn't a first ballot Hall of Famer then they might as well shut the place down.