MIAMI — He grew his hair so long that it flowed out of his helmet and obscured the name on his jersey.
Yet everyone knew where to find Troy Polamalu on Sundays.
The Steelers great earned a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday along with another hard-hitting safety, the longtime Broncos defensive back Steve Atwater. Wide receiver Isaac Bruce, running back Edgerrin James and guard Steve Hutchinson also were selected.
Polamalu said he did not cut his hair for at least six years during the prime of his career, which lasted from 2003-14. But as much as for the hair, he earned the nickname Tasmanian Devil for how he changed the way people thought about the safety position — bolting around the field, making plays from practically anywhere. No quarterback, runner or receiver was safe.
Chosen for induction in his first year of eligibility, Polamalu was a four-time All-Pro, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time Super Bowl champion in three trips. His pick-6 against Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco in the A.F.C. championship game after the 2008 season was part of a dominating performance in what might have been his best campaign. He had seven interceptions and the Steelers won the Super Bowl.
Though game-changing safeties were nothing new to the league, Polamalu could line up near the linebackers, or the defensive linemen, or deep in the defensive backfield, and wreck a game plan from any of those spots.
“He’s waking people up to the impact a safety can have in today’s game,” the former safety John Lynch said in an interview while Polamalu was in his prime.
Lynch, the 49ers general manager, was also among the 15 modern-era finalists whose résumés were debated by the panel of four dozen voters. But he did not make the cut. Neither did Tony Boselli, the dominant Jaguars offensive lineman whose career lasted only 91 games because of shoulder injuries. The Jaguars, who played their first season in 1995, are still without a player in the hall.
Another offensive lineman, however, did make it. Hutchinson, who played for the Seahawks, Vikings and Titans over a 12-year career, had been a finalist in all three years since becoming eligible. This time, he broke through in a class that didn’t include a single quarterback on the list of finalists.
Atwater made it in his 16th year of eligibility. He became the first homegrown Broncos defender to join the Hall.
A two-time All-Pro who won two Super Bowls, Atwater prowled the backfield and delivered vicious hits to anyone coming across. One irony of Atwater’s late-recognized greatness is that many of his whiplash-inducing hits would be illegal in today’s N.F.L.
Though receivers were mostly at risk, it was his shoulder-to-shoulder disintegration of the 250-pound Chiefs running back Christian Okoye, nicknamed The Nigerian Nightmare, while mic’d up on Monday Night Football in 1990 that truly put Atwater on the map.
James may not have had a singular moment like that, but he was a bastion of versatility and durability. He made a name for himself with his ability to carve out room on the ground while playing in Peyton Manning’s offense with the Colts from 1999-2005. James also played three seasons with the Cardinals and seven games with the Seahawks in 2009.
James finished with more than 3,300 yards receiving and more than 12,000 yards rushing. He won the N.F.L. rushing title in as a rookie in 1999 and did it again in 2000, no small feat given Manning was revving up his career at the time. James joins Colts wideout Marvin Harrison in the Hall, giving Manning more company next year when he’ll be a shoo-in to join them in his first year of eligibility.
Bruce was a headliner in “The Greatest Show on Turf,” the St. Louis Rams’ pass-happy attack run by the Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner. This was Bruce’s sixth season of eligibility and his fourth time as a finalist.
His 15,208 yards receiving over 16 seasons ranked second in the N.F.L. record book when he retired after the 2009 season. But he was never selected as an Associated Press All-Pro, and some critics dismissed his stats as being more a sign of his longevity and the passing era in which he played rather than any mark of true greatness.
There were no seniors announced Saturday, as they were folded into the Hall’s special centennial class of inductees being honored as part of the N.F.L.’s 100th anniversary. Among those who were announced last month were the longtime Eagles receiver Harold Carmichael, Steelers safety Donnie Shell and Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras.
Source: Football - nytimes.com
