When it was announced on Sunday that Matt Elam may miss the season due to a torn biceps (which was confirmed after practice yesterday), fans looked toward the free agent market to see whether there was anyone there who could add depth to the safety position for the Ravens.
Some (a few) fans looked to Bernard Pollard as a guy who could potentially be a Matt Elam replacement. They remember his hit in the AFC Championship game back in January of 2013 that forced a Stevan Ridley fumble. The following possession, Joe Flacco and Anquan Boldin would turn that turnover into a touchdown, which gave the Ravens a 28-13 lead that they’d never relinquish.
What they don’t remember is that Bernard Pollard was torched two weeks later in New Orleans. He was a big reason why the 49ers came a play away from the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.
In a league that continues to be pass-happy, coverage has become more important for safeties. The player who was once nicknamed “Bonecrusher” by his teammates at Purdue has a playing style that doesn’t fit with the NFL’s current state.
His lacking coverage ability can’t be the only thing keeping him off of NFL rosters. Teams can readily see that he is a liability against the pass. It shows up on tape, yet teams have still taken the chance and signed him. More often than not, however, they end up releasing him before the end of his contract.
Of the four teams whose roster has included him, only the Houston Texans have not released him. They just chose not to tender their leading tackler after the 2010 season, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
Why? My guess is the fact that he hasn’t been the easiest player to manage from a public relations perspective hasn’t helped his cause.
We’re all mostly aware of the “near-mutiny” back in the early-goings of 2012 when Bernard Pollard and Ed Reed, among other veterans, publicly called out Harbaugh after the Ravens coach said that the team would be practicing in full pads that afternoon. It hasn’t been the only problem that Pollard has had with his team that has gone public.
Back in January, the Titans parted ways with vice president of player personnel, Lake Dawson. Bernard Pollard had this to say:
Talk about the wrong guy getting fired. I can name a lot of players/people that SHOULD’VE been in that position today. Bad ball! Smh at yall
— Bernard Pollard Jr (@Crushboy31) January 30, 2015
Pollard had already requested his release at this point – a request that the Titans seemed more than happy to oblige. This is a pattern with Pollard. He seems to have no problem calling out his former teams if the team has decided that they are parting ways, or if Pollard himself decides that he’s finished with the team.
He called out Harbaugh publicly back in 2013 after he was released, saying that he was “offended” when the coach didn’t step up and say something about the rumors that he was cut for the October “mutiny,” despite the fact that Harbaugh had already called the move “a cap move, pure and simple.”
[RELATED: Bernard Pollard is a fool]
Is that really the type of player you’d want to be a Raven? Someone who will call the coach out publicly as soon as he is no longer connected to the team?
I know I don’t.
Add to all this the fact that Pollard is coming off of a torn Achilles and it’s easy to see why no team has signed him yet.
There are plenty of better options already on the Ravens roster. And those players won’t cause half the headache.
