Bernard Pollard chimes in on Bounty Gate

KontradictioN said:

The Brady hit was questionable but I'm still not completely sold on it being dirty. He was sent on a safety blitz up the B-Gap and had to get to the quarterback before the bomb. He was on the ground and did what he had to do. Maybe he had dirty intentions but there's no way it's clear. It's not like what Wilfork did to Losman where it was clear that he intentionally stretched out and aimed for the knee. The Welker and Gronk situations were clearly not his fault.

EDIT: Just to make it clear that I'm not picking on Wilfork, it's also not like the Suggs attempt in 2009.

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With the way this guy yaps, are we going to be naive enough to think that important Patriots' players just get hurt around him, no fault of his own, and that is pure coincidence...Come on, now.

Bernard Pollard and major injuries occurring on his tackles are purely coincidental, then?
We're all just piling on poor Bernard; he is actually, as Curly Howard used to say, a victim of circumstances.

I almost never wish for a player to get injured, but I would love to see Pollard carted off the field some day, have the cart make a too quick turn, and watch him fall off the cart as well. Slapstick at it's finest.....

KontradictioN said:

There was nothing dirty about his tackle on Gronk.

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Really? I beg to differ, take a good look at it, you will see Pollard twist and turn on Gronks ankle after Gronk was on the ground.
Having said that, I don't have an issue with what he said about Goodell

ProudestRyno said:

With the way this guy yaps, are we going to be naive enough to think that important Patriots' players just get hurt around him, no fault of his own, and that is pure coincidence...Come on, now.

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The Brady injury was the only one that you could even call dirty. He didn't touch Welker and happened to come down awkwardly on Gronk's ankle after having to hold on for dear life. Just because the injury really, really upset you doesn't mean it was dirty.

Razor's Edge said:

Really? I beg to differ, take a good look at it, you will see Pollard twist and turn on Gronks ankle after Gronk was on the ground.
Having said that, I don't have an issue with what he said about Goodell

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You should re-watch that injury with a pair of bifocals, my friend.

letekro said:

Brady was winding up for a bomb to Moss, and Pollard tried to make a play.

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Call me crazy...but if Kevin Faulk doesn't get suspended for weed, he's in the backfield on this play making one of his many dependable blocks to protect TB12

KontradictioN said:

You should re-watch that injury with a pair of bifocals, my friend.

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I never did say the injury was because of the extra little twist, I just said that if you look at it, you'll see him give it a good twist before he lets go. That is intent to injure , I'm sure Pollard put another notch in his jock strap for that tackle.

I am going on record now. Anyone ending his career get 5 cents. Anyone killing him gets 10 cents.

(Hey, overly legalistic jerks, I'm obviously joking to make a point - do not waste time prosecuting me.)

KontradictioN said:

There was nothing dirty about his tackle on Gronk.

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letekro said:

Pollard didn't touch Wes. He was giving up 40 pounds to Gronkowski and did what he had to do to bring him down 1 on 1. Brady was winding up for a bomb to Moss, and Pollard tried to make a play. I don't see how any of these are objectionable.

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Big-T said:

One of the replays shows him rolling Gronk's ankle after he brings him down, that made it look like he meant to do it.

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dizi24 said:

Pollard ass landed on Gronk's ankle as he was bringing him to the ground. There was nothing intentional about it. Gronk's one of the hardest players in the NFL to tackle and has made defenders look horrible all year and Pollard ended up in an awkward position trying to bring him down.

I hate the guy for so many reasons. But only the hit on Brady was even questionable, and I'm not sure I really have a problem with it as far as being "dirty."

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I agree. Those were all legal, clean hits. (Except Welker who was not even hit.)
If a guy gets bit by a rattle snake once, it is bad luck. Three times it is bad luck times 3 and maybe there is something else going on. I'm not saying he is dirty.
Those were all legal, clean hits. (Except Welker who was not even hit.)
I will cry at Pollard's funeral as I pay out the ten cents.

KontradictioN said:

The Brady injury was the only one that you could even call dirty. He didn't touch Welker and happened to come down awkwardly on Gronk's ankle after having to hold on for dear life. Just because the injury really, really upset you doesn't mean it was dirty.

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Disagree - the hit on Gronk was dirty. He couldn't tackle him with his arms so he swung his body around to land on Gronk's achilles area. And the hit on Brady was definitely dirty.

Razor's Edge said:

I never did say the injury was because of the extra little twist, I just said that if you look at it, you'll see him give it a good twist before he lets go. That is intent to injure , I'm sure Pollard put another notch in his jock strap for that tackle.

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He twisted his body to get up and the injury occurred when his lower body landed on Gronk's ankle in the process to tackle. Again, you should re-watch the play.

40yrpatsfan said:

Disagree - the hit on Gronk was dirty. He couldn't tackle him with his arms so he swung his body around to land on Gronk's achilles area. And the hit on Brady was definitely dirty.

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Please name all the players in the NFL that can tackle a 6'7" 265 lb man with a full head of steam using only their arms.

EDIT: And there was no swinging around of the body. Pollard was along for the ride and this thing called gravity brought him down to Gronk's ankle area as Gronk was still chugging his legs for extra yardage. Some of you are really letting your hate for this guy cloud your ability to think objectively.

KontradictioN said:

He twisted his body to get up and the injury occurred when his lower body landed on Gronk's ankle in the process to tackle. Again, you should re-watch the play.

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Again, that was no accident that his lower body landed on Gronk's ankle. It was intentional and that move will caused an injury 80% of the time. You make it sound like it was a chance event or unavoidable.

The league will eventually catch up with this and make it a penalty a-la the horsecollar.

Once you accept that Pollard is out to hurt people, it all makes sense. He's a dirtbag.

40yrpatsfan said:

Again, that was no accident that his lower body landed on Gronk's ankle. It was intentional and that move will caused an injury 80% of the time. You make it sound like it was a chance event or unavoidable.

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Sure it was. He was only in the position to make the tackle from behind. It was either latch on and attempt to make the tackle or let Gronk run free. He chose to make the tackle and the momentum from Gronk continuing to chug for extra yardage combined with gravity took him to the ground, where he landed on Gronk's ankles only because the were still moving. If he wanted to be dirty, he could have simply latched on to Gronk's face mask, for example.

The league will eventually catch up with this and make it a penalty a-la the horsecollar.

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Based on this line of thinking, tackling as a whole should be outlawed.

Once you accept that Pollard is out to hurt people, it all makes sense. He's a dirtbag.

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I don't like Pollard as much as the next guy but I'm willing to think objectively. There's no way in hell that tackle was dirty.

zoostation said:

Call me crazy...but if Kevin Faulk doesn't get suspended for weed, he's in the backfield on this play making one of his many dependable blocks to protect TB12

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It was not his weed. He borrowed a jacket and didn't check the pockets.

PittPatriot said:

It was not his weed. He borrowed a jacket and didn't check the pockets.

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Suuuuure he did.

PittPatriot said:

It was not his weed. He borrowed a jacket and didn't check the pockets.

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This happens to me too when I borrow and wear other mens clothing.

We all do that right?

40yrpatsfan said:

Again, that was no accident that his lower body landed on Gronk's ankle. It was intentional and that move will caused an injury 80% of the time. You make it sound like it was a chance event or unavoidable.

The league will eventually catch up with this and make it a penalty a-la the horsecollar.

Once you accept that Pollard is out to hurt people, it all makes sense. He's a dirtbag.

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Sure we agree he's a dirtbag but the tackle on Gronk was no way dirty.

Clouding your judgement, your hatred for him is, young padawan.

KontradictioN said:

Suuuuure he did.

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Raymond said:

This happens to me too when I borrow and wear other mens clothing.

We all do that right?

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I don't disagree with your take…I am just relaying what the man said. He is an elderstatesman in our locker room and gets a break from me.
Plus the last senior 3rd down back we had (Meggett) did much worse.

KontradictioN said:

Sure it was. He was only in the position to make the tackle from behind. It was either latch on and attempt to make the tackle or let Gronk run free. He chose to make the tackle and the momentum from Gronk continuing to chug for extra yardage combined with gravity took him to the ground, where he landed on Gronk's ankles only because the were still moving. If he wanted to be dirty, he could have simply latched on to Gronk's face mask, for example.

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The only difference between the Pollard move and the 'if he want to be dirty .. he coud have grabbed the face mask' is time and refinements of rulings.

20 years ago guys could have grabbed the face mask to tackle when they were otherwise beat by the offensive guys position. horsecollars were outlawed when guys were trying to tackle from behind after being beat too. Maybe this is one that just needs another competiton rule tweaking; but I think it is already quite wrong.

You are saying it is ok for a defender to do something beyond a normal tackle that has an incredibly high likelihood of injuring; just because he was out of position earlier on in the play and he needs to do that to make up for it. ok; and I should be able to crackback on someone who is about to break free and hit my QB too. Or if I am an undersized RB trying to block a 280lb free blitzer; I can just hit him in the larynx; because he has size and position on me. Great argument.

you have intensely defended Pollard on that play and if Gronk was the one and only incident of him landing on players legs like that when he was beat; you could maybe say it was just an accident. But the guy has a pattern on tackling from behind. from my recollection of seeing other teams games; Gronk is not the only guy hurt that exact same way by him.

Bottom Line: You have your opinion; I (and several others ) have mine.