Feb 1, 2020 4 min read

MIAMI – Troy Polamalu is making his plans to go to Canton. Alan Faneca will have to wait another year.

I was part of the election process this year and can say that Faneca was part of a logjam among potential Hall of Fame players at the offensive line position.

Steve Hutchinson made it. Faneca and Tony Boselli did not.

It’s a shame. But there can be only five players picked each year. And it was tough to not vote for all of them after listening to the other electors in that room.

But Polamalu was a no-brainer.

He transcended the game.

“The thing about Troy is that he did things based on his preparation, based on his instincts, his anticipation,” former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, another member of this year’s Hall of Fame Class said. “He had an understanding conceptually of what you were doing. He could describe everything you were trying to do. There would be times where I’d be like, ‘Man, you’re waiting awfully late to get to where you need to.’ But he got there.

“It was just fun to have him on your side. On game day, you watched him play and you knew it was going to be the result of a week of preparation because he was the first one in and the last one to leave. That was special. You take a guy who approaches things that way with his skillset, you get a special player. He was like Rod Woodson in that way.”

Polamalu said that was born out of his teammates’ trust.

He struggled as a rookie because he had a lot thrown at him. But as he settled into the Steelers defense, good things started to happen.

“What I realized my rookie year is that I’m a very instinctual player,” Polamalu told me Saturday night. “I had to be put in positions where curl to flat is not playing this formation, curl to flat is playing different route combinations. It became more natural for me and I didn’t have to cognitively think of things. As I was going through all these different positions … there was only one strong safety and one free safety and that was it. They weren’t interchangeable.

“I remember during my second year, I started sprinting around, doing some things to disguise. James Farrior and Joey (Porter) were like, ‘Wow, I like that.’ Then, Hines (Ward) was like, ‘Do that, but do it like this.’ We had Jerome (Bettis) and he said, ‘That was really tough, but it would be tougher if you did it in this gap. They just kind of shaped that whole disguise thing.”

A star was born.

And that star shone brightly over the next decade-plus of Steelers football. The Steelers would go on to win two Super Bowls and appear in another with Polamalu leading the way.

He was the perfect fit for Pittsburgh and the Steelers.

He also became the first player who was drafted by Cowher to be headed to the Hall of Fame. Dermontti Dawson, Jerome Bettis, Rod Woodson and Kevin Greene all were coached by Cowher. But Polamalu was a Cowher draft pick.

“This is special with Troy because of all the things we went through, watching his career,” Cowher said. “He’s a special young man with (wife) Theodora and the kids. Seeing the kind of father he is and husband he is, he’s such a good guy. Having him as a player was just a real joy.”

Super Bowl pick

49ers (plus 2) over Chiefs: This is a classic matchup of great offense against great defense. Typically, when that has happened in the Super Bowl, the defense has won. The 49ers should be able to put pressure on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes with their defensive line, which includes five former first-round draft picks. And that could be the difference. In the past two seasons, Mahomes has thrown 17 total interceptions. But 16 of those have come when a team rushes just four players and drops seven into coverage. The 49ers also should be able to run the ball effectively. Take the 49ers, 30-27.

Last Week: 2-0, Overall: 48-41-1