Our favorite Non-Patriot, Safety Bernard Pollard fined for hit on Andre Johnson

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

I don't know who the bigger thug is so far this year...Ndamukong Suh or Bernard Pollard?
....Both of whom you would absolutely love to have on your team because of their fierceness and toughness,but dread watching your offensive players having to play in their neighborhood when you play their teams.


Bernard Pollard of Tennessee Titans tweets he was fined $42K for hit - ESPN

 

[Kontradiction]

I saw the play. I think the fine is ridiculous. He's made dirty hits before, but this play was one where you could tell that he consciously moved his head so as to avoid helmet to helmet contact. Safeties are there, in part, to separate ball from receiver. Sometimes they have to do that with a hard hit. Johnson caught the pass and got a shoulder pad to the helmet, similar to the hit that knocked Ridley out of the AFCCG. But there was no helmet to helmet contact and I'm not altogether sure Johnson was defenseless either. But, then again, I'm generally not a fan of the direction Goodell is taking the NFL. I'm sure I'll get piled on about this because I'm *GASP* defending Pollard, but it is what it is.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

I saw the play. I think the fine is ridiculous. He's made dirty hits before, but this play was one where you could tell that he consciously moved his head so as to avoid helmet to helmet contact. Safeties are there, in part, to separate ball from receiver. Sometimes they have to do that with a hard hit. Johnson caught the pass and got a shoulder pad to the helmet, similar to the hit that knocked Ridley out of the AFCCG. But there was no helmet to helmet contact and I'm not altogether sure Johnson was defenseless either. But, then again, I'm generally not a fan of the direction Goodell is taking the NFL. I'm sure I'll get piled on about this because I'm *GASP* defending Pollard, but it is what it is.

In a just world he would already be halfway to Pluto by now, so I don't really hold any sympathy for him.

 

[RobAllan]

I saw the play. I think the fine is ridiculous. He's made dirty hits before, but this play was one where you could tell that he consciously moved his head so as to avoid helmet to helmet contact. Safeties are there, in part, to separate ball from receiver. Sometimes they have to do that with a hard hit. Johnson caught the pass and got a shoulder pad to the helmet, similar to the hit that knocked Ridley out of the AFCCG. But there was no helmet to helmet contact and I'm not altogether sure Johnson was defenseless either. But, then again, I'm generally not a fan of the direction Goodell is taking the NFL. I'm sure I'll get piled on about this because I'm *GASP* defending Pollard, but it is what it is.

You're probably right, but seeing as to how I don't think him or Suh should be in the NFL, I'm not going to complain when either of them gets penalized/fined/suspended for anything. There's a guy over on TB that might be on that list for me too, but I haven't decided for sure on that one yet.

 

[Kontradiction]

You're probably right, but seeing as to how I don't think him or Suh should be in the NFL, I'm not going to complain when either of them gets penalized/fined/suspended for anything. There's a guy over on TB that might be on that list for me too, but I haven't decided for sure on that one yet.

I just think Pollard has the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with Pats fans. Out of all of them, I can only think of one hit on a Patriot that was even dirty, and that's Brady. He didn't touch Welker, slid down Gronk's body after getting dragged for five yards (succumbing to the force known as gravity), and the hit on Ridley was a clean one in which he led with the shoulder pad.

This hit wasn't dirty, either. But he hit him hard, so it has to be a fine. Goodell logic.

 

[Sciz]

Helmet to helmet hits are the ones that have gained the most attention, but shoulder to neck area is still illegal as well. They're very liberal about what counts as "neck area," as Mayo found out last season.

 

[RobAllan]

I just think Pollard has the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with Pats fans. Out of all of them, I can only think of one hit on a Patriot that was even dirty, and that's Brady. He didn't touch Welker, slid down Gronk's body after getting dragged for five yards (succumbing to the force known as gravity), and the hit on Ridley was a clean one in which he led with the shoulder pad.

This hit wasn't dirty, either. But he hit him hard, so it has to be a fine. Goodell logic.

I suppose I agree with this, in part. But since my opinion won't ultimately lead to results, I think I'm going to continue hating the guy and hoping he gets thrown out of the league. Probably wouldn't be fair (you're right- he's no Suh,) but it also won't happen. So I feel like a good fan hoping for it.

 

[Kontradiction]

I suppose I agree with this, in part. But since my opinion won't ultimately lead to results, I think I'm going to continue hating the guy and hoping he gets thrown out of the league. Probably wouldn't be fair (you're right- he's no Suh,) but it also won't happen. So I feel like a good fan hoping for it.

Do you.

 

[PatsFan2]

BP is my second favorite Safety in the game after DG!

 

[sb1]

Suh is the dirtier player without a question.

I don't have as much of a problem with Pollard but it's funny that a guy could go from being really apologetic about what he did to Brady (not a dirty hit, IMO) to turning all James (HG)Harrison pounding his chest about knocking players out and telling people where to go if they don't like the way he plays.

 

[lurker1965]

So you are saying that maybe a Texan fan will have the balls to use a sniper rifle on Pollard.

 

[Gumby]

I just think Pollard has the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time with Pats fans. Out of all of them, I can only think of one hit on a Patriot that was even dirty, and that's Brady. He didn't touch Welker, slid down Gronk's body after getting dragged for five yards (succumbing to the force known as gravity), and the hit on Ridley was a clean one in which he led with the shoulder pad.

This hit wasn't dirty, either. But he hit him hard, so it has to be a fine. Goodell logic.

For the record: He didnt "SLIDE down"; he picked up both legs off the turf and dropped his full body weight on an ankle while the foot was planted.

NOT DIRTY - My AZZ

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Does anyone ever notice that when Pollard gets fined for an illegal hit its always on a star player such as Andre Johnson in this case and of course Brady,Welker and Gronkowski among a few others in the past?....it's never against a mediocre player that I can recall.

However I still like the tenacity he has each and every game,almost as if he were a rookie trying to make a team.

 

[Gumby]

For the record: He didnt "SLIDE down"; he picked up both legs off the turf and dropped his full body weight on an ankle while the foot was planted.

NOT DIRTY - My AZZ

oh, and did I forget to mention he was also pulling on the shoulder pads in a horsecollar-type tackle effort simultaneous with that.

 

[pencilneckgeek]

I saw the play. I think the fine is ridiculous. He's made dirty hits before, but this play was one where you could tell that he consciously moved his head so as to avoid helmet to helmet contact. Safeties are there, in part, to separate ball from receiver. Sometimes they have to do that with a hard hit. Johnson caught the pass and got a shoulder pad to the helmet, similar to the hit that knocked Ridley out of the AFCCG. But there was no helmet to helmet contact and I'm not altogether sure Johnson was defenseless either. But, then again, I'm generally not a fan of the direction Goodell is taking the NFL. I'm sure I'll get piled on about this because I'm *GASP* defending Pollard, but it is what it is.

Helmet to helmet hits are the ones that have gained the most attention, but shoulder to neck area is still illegal as well. They're very liberal about what counts as "neck area," as Mayo found out last season.

In the case of this hit, I agree with Kontra. They need to clearly define beteen the neck area, as being above the chest protector and shoulder pads. That hit was shoulder to chest protector and only looks like it slid up in that still. The video shows a clean hit, where as Kontra says, Pollard did everything he is supposed to do. It's the same stupidity as the Mayo hit.

Goodell has the right idea protecting people, but he should be a little more judicious in handing-out fines. It's not like an official who only has a moment to decide whether to flag a player for a hit. He gets to see the whole thing in slow motion over and over again with more time to make an intelligent decision than a ref in a replay booth. I hope Pollard appeals this one. Goodell is starting to remind me of David Stern in the way he let officiating become a popularity contest in NBA.

 

[Kontradiction]

For the record: He didnt "SLIDE down"; he picked up both legs off the turf and dropped his full body weight on an ankle while the foot was planted.

NOT DIRTY - My AZZ

So you're blind then? I've had this discussion hundreds of times before and the replay shows it pretty clearly. I'll address it again: Pollard made the initial hit, wrapped around the waist, Gronk kept going for another four yards, gravity did it's work and took Pollard to the ground on top of Gronk's feet which originally twisted his ankle. Watch the video. You'll see that it's actually his ass that twists Gronk's ankle. There was no "picking up both legs off the turf" until he released him (around the shin area) after the tackle. Gravity is a force and to say what you're trying to say is denying physics. But here, I guess I'll do this (again). Watch the video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yumR6US2m58

...skip to 1:40 and then watch the shot of them coming upfield. The video shows it pretty clearly. How some people watch things like this and still make a blatently wrong judgment is beyond me. Must be a bias.

 

[Joker]

THE ANTI PATRIOT: Bernard Pollard - YouTube

seems some people forget what a scumbag this clown really is...

 

[pazrul72]

Pollard is one of the very few players I loath with a fiery passion as in up out of my chair screaming like a lunatic when he took out Ridley. People around me could not believe how crazy I was acting. All that said I have watched the video a couple times and I see nothing dirty in that hit he lead with his shoulder pad and was just doing his job....ending the play. I even agree with his comments today. While I agree with the overall point of emphasis in players safety it is football you are going to get hurt and penalizing for results instead of breaking rules is wrong. Pollard broke no rules and just because it was vicious and resulted in an injury doesn't mean he deserves to be fined.....(this time)