Bernard Pollard is available; released by Ravens

[Deus Irae]

Re: Bernard Pollard is available(Released by Ravens per tweet)

Guess I misunderstood your point. Seems like too many people want a safety who can hit hard and cover and want him cheap. I just want to win I'm okay with having some douchebags. Would be a nightmare to have Pollard join the division.

Unless he goes to Buffalo, why would it be an issue? He can't cover worth a damn, and neither the Jets nor the Dolphins have a cover safety good enough to make up for how bad Pollard is.

 

[Sciz]

Can you name a strong safety who's available that can fully cover elite tight ends? (Ed Reed withstanding). Pollard didn't do too bad covering our TE's in the AFC game. Besides with the D we play more often than not were asking the SAM LB to cover the TE

Tavon Wilson has shown more in coverage against TEs in his first season than Pollard ever has. There's probably not a single safety in the NFL that can blanket an elite TE for a full game, but you want someone better than a 230 pound SS who ran a 4.57 seven years ago and is much better moving forward than backward.

Pollard didn't do poorly against the Pats' TEs in the AFCCG because the one TE that's any trouble to cover (Hernandez) had a CB on him for most of the game.

And while the Pats do put linebackers on their safeties a lot of the time, the safety still has to do something. You don't want Pollard playing a deep half of the field any more than you want him in man coverage against a tight end. And with McCourty hopefully getting a full offseason at FS, I think we're going to see a lot more of the SS (hopefully Tavon Wilson) manned up on the TEs, letting the LBs have more opportunities to blitz.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

I'm torn on this one. Crucial injuries by Pollard to us whether intentional or not there is so much bad blood here BUT, HOWEVER, Pollard signing With Pats would be exactly what we've lacked and it looks like he could be added without BB breakin'da bank. Pats would be better off than facing this guy in AFC and worse in AFCE twice a year. Moment he's signed and he says he's True Blue ready to go to war with Pats and goes out and gives it 100%, It'll probably heal slowly how much I despised Him.

 

[Schmo]

Yes. Yes. Yes. We need at least one d!ckhead on defense, and he's the biggest one in the league.

 

[Sciz]

Yes. Yes. Yes. We need at least one d!ckhead on defense, and he's the biggest one in the league.

Doesn't Spikes qualify?

 

[RobertWeathers]

Tavon Wilson has shown more in coverage against TEs in his first season than Pollard ever has. There's probably not a single safety in the NFL that can blanket an elite TE for a full game, but you want someone better than a 230 pound SS who ran a 4.57 seven years ago and is much better moving forward than backward.

Pollard didn't do poorly against the Pats' TEs in the AFCCG because the one TE that's any trouble to cover (Hernandez) had a CB on him for most of the game.

And while the Pats do put linebackers on their safeties a lot of the time, the safety still has to do something. You don't want Pollard playing a deep half of the field any more than you want him in man coverage against a tight end. And with McCourty hopefully getting a full offseason at FS, I think we're going to see a lot more of the SS (hopefully Tavon Wilson) manned up on the TEs, letting the LBs have more opportunities to blitz.

Tavon Wilson is not a strong safety.

 

[Sciz]

Tavon Wilson is not a strong safety.

Why not? I hope it's not because he's not 220 pounds.

 

[Deus Irae]

Tavon Wilson is not a strong safety.

Who cares about the label? With this front 7, it's not a SS that's needed. What's needed is a safety who covers well and can hit a little, not a safety who can hit well and can't cover a corpse. A guy like Landry (great hitter, very poor cover) is one thing. A guy like Pollard (inconsistent hitter, horrible cover) is another.

 

[tonyto3690]

Yes. Yes. Yes. We need at least one d!ckhead on defense, and he's the biggest one in the league.

You're right, but why stop with Pollard. Lets sign Dennis Rodman.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Why not? I hope it's not because he's not 220 pounds.

Hes not because you need a player in the secondary who has the strength and speed to deal with TEs and larger WRs in both the passing and running game. In addition, cover short parts of the field/play zone.

I'm very optomistic of Wilson but he, to me is not your prototypical SS.

Now as a FS, thats a different story.

 

[BradyManny]

Y! SPORTS

Changes my feelings on both safeties.

 

[Schmo]

Doesn't Spikes qualify?

Actually I thought of him right after I posted.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Who cares about the label? With this front 7, it's not a SS that's needed. What's needed is a safety who covers well and can hit a little, not a safety who can hit well and can't cover a corpse. A guy like Landry (great hitter, very poor cover) is one thing. A guy like Pollard (inconsistent hitter, horrible cover) is another.

You bring up a good point. However in my opinion it goes hand and hand and is also dependent not only on the quality of a front 7 (or a front 6 or 5 for that matter) but also on the quality and quantity of cover guys in the secondary. Clearly with the passing rules these days having a Steve Atwater back there playing 60+ snaps a game is not realisitc but I do think there is an element of this pass defense (or lack thereof) that is soft on route-runners and is in need of a intimidating presence in the secondary- especially with a mediocre pass rush.

More importantly than just having a hammer in the secondary than can lay people out, I believe that a big reason that TEs kill this defense is the lack of a 225-230lb SS-type than can for a period of time handle the TE in short coverage. A guy like Wilson is too small and as we have seen, the LBs like Mayo, Spikes and Hightower are sub-standard in coverage because they can't stay with the quicker TE.

 

[Deus Irae]

You bring up a good point. However in my opinion it goes hand and hand and is also dependent not only on the quality of a front 7 (or a front 6 or 5 for that matter) but also on the quality and quantity of cover guys in the secondary. Clearly with the passing rules these days having a Steve Atwater back there playing 60+ snaps a game is not realisitc but I do think there is an element of this pass defense (or lack thereof) that is soft on route-runners and is in need of a intimidating presence in the secondary- especially with a mediocre pass rush.

More importantly than just having a hammer in the secondary than can lay people out, I believe that a big reason that TEs kill this defense is the lack of a 225-230lb SS-type than can for a period of time handle the TE in short coverage. A guy like Wilson is too small and as we have seen, the LBs like Mayo, Spikes and Hightower are sub-standard in coverage because they can't stay with the quicker TE.

I hear what you're saying, and I was fine with the idea of Landry last year. But Pollard is a different animal. He's a locker room problem, he's not as big a hitter as Landry, and he's really, really bad in coverage.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I hear what you're saying, and I was fine with the idea of Landry last year. But Pollard is a different animal. He's a locker room problem, he's not as big a hitter as Landry, and he's really, really bad in coverage.

Yep. If the Pats had a crazy pass rush and Law, Poole, Geno Wilson, Asante and another decent cover guy in the secondary, Pollard may make some sense.

What the defense needs is Ronnie Lott. A hammer who can cover. But so does everyone

 

[Sciz]

More importantly than just having a hammer in the secondary than can lay people out, I believe that a big reason that TEs kill this defense is the lack of a 225-230lb SS-type than can for a period of time handle the TE in short coverage. A guy like Wilson is too small and as we have seen, the LBs like Mayo, Spikes and Hightower are sub-standard in coverage because they can't stay with the quicker TE.

Where do you expect to find this guy? In today's NFL, I don't think there's a single 225 pound safety who is any good in coverage, even the 230 pound guys that run a 4.3 (LaRon Landry, Taylor Mays, etc). Pollard, in a straight line, is slower than Mayo, and I don't think I'd consider him much better in coverage. I'd rather have a guy that's smaller but athletic enough to cover these guys (like Tavon Wilson) than a guy who is athletically inferior but bigger.

 

[nabwong]

Who cares if Pollard is a bad hitter, all he does is injure the other side.

Gronk - twist ankle
Brady - knee
welker - Just staring at him and his knee buckled

lol.

 

[Brady6]

I think that's what I had said.
But now here is a link.
Ravens release Bernard Pollard - CBSSports.com

I wasn't sure what you meant.. Thanks for the link buddy!

 

[lurker1965]

Is he a FA? I have not seen him on any FA list. Please provide a link that shows him as a 2013 FA.

Otherwise a trip to the PS is in the future for this thread.

Y! SPORTS

 

[lurker1965]

He already completed his sweep of the Pats offensive skill positions

QB-WR-TE-RB, so I think we are safe

LT or something. He has 11-5, 6 to go.