Polamalu award a reminder of how vital safeties are

Upon learning that my flight to the frozen tundra of Dallas-Fort Worth was cancelled, I thought if only there were a place where you could be guaranteed of 75 degrees and sunshine. Oh, wait. There is. San Diego. ...

FIRST DOWN:

The Associated Press' NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award began in 1971, the year Vikings Hall of Famer Alan Page won.

In the award's first 33 seasons -- 1971 to 2003 -- only two safeties won the award. Dick Anderson of the Dolphins won in 1973 and Kenny Easley of the Seahawks won in 1984.

In the past seven seasons, however, three safeties have won. Ed Reed of the Ravens won in 2004, Bob Sanders of the Colts won in 2007 and Troy Polamalu of the Steelers won this week.

It's a reminder that in order to have a truly great defense in today's NFL you must have an elite playmaker at safety. Reed is the ultimate ball-hawk with ball skills and unmatched return skills. Sanders, when healthy, is the powerful force against the run. Polamalu is, well, everything. Playmaker, run stopper, master at disguising coverages, fast enough to give a run-support look, drop into coverage and make a pick.

For the Vikings to reach the highest level defensively, they need an elite young playmaker at safety. It would change the entire look on that side of the ball. And they need to get one while they still have an elite pass rusher in Jared Allen.

I'm one of the 50 people who have a vote in the Associated Press awards. I didn't vote for Polamalu, but I still think he's a good choice. Great arguments could be made for the Packers' Clay Matthews or Pittsburgh's James Harrison as well.

Polamalu received 17 votes. Matthews was second with 15, and Harrison was third with eight votes. I voted for Harrison.

Pittsburgh's great defense is built around the strength of its linebackers, particularly those outside linebackers. And to me, Harrison is the most disruptive, most intimidating and most complete defender in the league.

But, having said that, I won't argue against the selection of Polamalu.

THIRD DOWN:

"I think we have some advantages. We are a very stable, low-key organization. Jeff has obviously been a head coach in the NFL for a long time, so we think the environment gives him a pretty good chance to be successful."

Yep, that was Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt after Tennessee claimed Randy Moss off waivers.

In hindsight, ouch. The Titans got less out of Moss than the Vikings did, although it didn't cost them a third-round draft pick, like it did the Vikings. And now Tennessee, in an odd string of events since the season ended, has parted ways with long-time coach Jeff Fisher.

The timing couldn't have been any worse for Fisher. Had he been fired right after the end of the season, he would have been snatched up quickly by another team. I mean, if John Fox can go from Carolina to Denver, there would have been a spot of Fisher somewhere ASAP.

But now that all the head coaching vacancies, except Tennessee's, are filled, Fisher joins the likes of Bill Cowher, John Gruden and Brian Billick as excellent experienced former head coaches who probably will get back into coaching at some point. Unlike Cowher, Gruden and Billick, Fisher came up one yard short of winning his Super Bowl.

You never know what kind of head coaching job a Cowher, Gruden or Billick are looking for or are willing to accept, but it seems to me that teams right now aren't willing to pay the extra millions of dollars that it takes to lure a Super Bowl-winning coach off the TV and back into coaching.

Judging from a conversation I had with Billick a few weeks ago, he tends to agree.

"It's becoming a general manager's league," he said. "They're looking for guys just to coach."

I asked him when he'd be getting back into coaching.