Where does Polamalu rank?

I'm comparing Hampton and Wilfork the same way you are. I've watched both quite a bit. I saw all but a handful of games in Hampton's entire career. That Wilfork is better known nationally has no impact on me. He is every bit as hard to move as Hampton was and he makes a few more plays. I wouldn't call it a huge edge, but it is an edge.

I'm not disregarding Hampton's impact. Please note I already said he was a huge part of those defenses, though to be honest, I saw them play some damn good games when he was out of the lineup and Chris Hoke took his place. Hampton was a great player, just not Hall of Fame great.

Also, I did not say Steed was as good as Hampton, but he was very good. Certainly better than what they have now. That was my point. Before him, Gerald Williams was very solid at the nose and before that it was Gary Dunn. The Steelers had a nearly unbroken chain of quality nose tackles that ended in 2013. That was the point I was making. I don't know that they have been this weak at nose tackle since they switched to the 3-4 in the early '80s.

Quite a few folks on this board wouldn't know Hampton well enough to put him in the Hall of Very Good. I certainly do, but Hall of Fame? Sorry, no. I still don't see it.

 

Peter King with a lot of HOF safety talk in this week's MMQB:

Troy Polamalu's retirement spotlights Hall of Fame's lack of safeties | The MMQB with Peter King

The best tidbit, as has been pointed out, is that no true safety who has played a season in the last 35 years has made it to the hall. King points out that at least the voters realize they stink at voting on safeties. And of course, he points out the obvious -- the next four HOF votes have the max of 20 spots and 8 of them are already spoken for (Brett Favre, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, LaDainian Tomlinson, Ray Lewis, Randy Moss, Tony Gonzalez and Brian Urlacher). The number is 9 if you, rightfully, include Ed Reed). So there are only 11 spots up for grabs over that time, and you know who most of them will be -- Pace, Harrison Shields, Greene knock the openings to seven if, again, you see them in the next four years which makes sense. (I believe next year's class will be Favre, Harrison, Shields, Greene and Pace. The voters will make T.O. wait). So you can't make up any safety ground in that time unless you include Dawkins, who would be in the mix the last three of those cycles, before getting to Reed in 2019 and then Polamalu in 2020.

Also features this from voter Rick Gosselin: "Gosselin’s idea about solving the Canton logjam is an interesting one: When the NFL has its 100th season in 2019, Gosselin suggests the Hall should have an amnesty year, in effect. Elect 10 players from the pool of Senior candidates, the old timers whose cases have been drydocked for years. And elect 10 players from the modern pool. The one-time 20-man class would clear up a growing logjam. It certainly would. I’m not sure it’s the best idea, but I am in favor of getting a slew of Mick Tingelhoffs considered rather than have them needlessly wait to hear their names called for years, or decades. Twenty sounds like too many to me, but the concept Gosselin suggests has merit."

I don't know if I'd go with 10 and 10 but if they did five senior inductees and seven modern guys in a one-time deal, I could go for that.

 

And a refresher on the all-decade team safeties
2000s Dawkins and Reed, followed by Polamalu and Sharper
1990s Atwater and Butler, followed by Lott and Lake
1980s Easley and Lott, followed by Cromwell, Browner and Cherry
1970s Harris and Houston, followed by Anderson and Wilson

The only ones in the Hall are Houston, Lott, who has a third of his career at corner, and Wilson, who played until 1972 and was inducted more on the 60s.

 

Three of the last 11 NFL Defensive Players of the Year have been safeties. One was Polamalu. One was Reed. One was not.

The game has changed.