Fred Bennett was another example. Maybe they just coach these guys down, and Quin is the lucky exception.
What about Antonio Cromarte? I realize he's probably going to go back to the Jets, but he is an average-above average CB who could greatly help our defense.
Pollard doesn't expect to be back with Texans in 2011 Continue reading on Examiner.com: Pollard doesn't expect to be back with Texans in 2011 Texans starting strong safety Bernard Pollard will be a free agent in a few weeks and based on his comments in a recent radio interview, he doesn't expect to be back with the team in 2011. Pollard said "I don't know what's going to happen" when asked by Rich Lord and Josh Innes of SportsRadio610 about the possibility of a new deal with the Texans. Listen to the entire radio interview here. When asked about his 'gut feel' if a new deal would get done with the Texans, Pollard said "you don't want to know that." Pollard was a free agent acquisition of the Texans in 2009 and his hard nosed play and attitude were a welcome addition to a team that, well, lacked hard nosed play and attitude. But for all his bone crushing hits and his ability to come up and provide run support, Pollard is a liability in pass coverage. Combine that with the Texans' move to a 3-4 defense under Wade Phillips and that adds up to a lot of uncertainty for the five year veteran. Pollard said that he spoke with Texans GM Rick Smith and indicated that he wants to be back in Houston next season. "My heart is here, I love this city," said Pollard. Reading between the lines, the Texans are either sending signals to Pollard that he's not a fit in the new defensive scheme, or Pollard is looking for a contract that the Texans are unwilling to pay. Pollard played last year under a one-year, $2.521 million restricted free agent contract. During the interview, Pollard also offered up thoughts on what it's like to be watching the playoffs instead of playing in them and the possibility of a lockout in 2011.
As meaningless as that Jacksonville game was, it's hard to side with a guy who allegedly refused a (harmless?) painkilling injection on his shoulder and instead chose to sit out.
I side with him. He knew the D coach was toast and his contract was up. The likelihood of him being back was/is slim. So why go out there and risk making a bad situation worse for a coach that is basically holding a pink slip?
Eh, we'll miss his attitude but attitude can only get you so far if you can't cover anybody. Hard to be upset about losing ANYONE who is part of a historically bad defensive backfield. I'd rather have someone who can occasionally cover a TE over someone who is known mostly for saying "**** you, mother-****er!!!" in Week 1.
If he truly expected to be re-signed after pulling something like that, he is delusional. I just found it kind of odd that he approached Rick Smith expressing his desire to return after that. Even though Frank Bush was out and Pollard had every reason not to play, it just leaves a bad impression and screams insubordination with HC/management. You only get 16 games a year to play with your team and showcase yourself, and he gave up one of those out of selfishness. Besides that, he wasn't that good to begin with this year. We have been deprived of good safety play for so long that we thought he was a God, but in reality he is replaceable if management had a lick of ability to identify and develop talent.
they would have to be moronic to let Pollard go, he isnt great but he can start, letting him go would create yet another HUGE hole on the defense
Pollard is the poster child for the league's worst pass defense. If Pollard can not cover by now, I do not see that ever changing.
You don't have to use him in pass coverage. For the first time like *ever* we had a safety. Just because the DC was too stupid to use him where his strengths are doesn't mean we should drop him like PayMe.
uh, no. corners were the OVERWHELMING problem on this team. not trying to be a horse's ass...but there's no way you were watching these games if you missed that.
I am not saying the corners were not bad as well. I do vividly remember that multiple times Jackson released his receiver to the safety Pollard who was no where to be found. Most fans blamed Jackson for his coverage on these plays, when he did his job. When a safety blows a coverage, it usually is a very big play. With a corner it is not necessarily so. It will be interesting to see if Wade keeps Pollard and thinks that he can coach him up. My guess is that Pollard's problem is mental and can not be coached up. We will see. It will be interesting to see who Wade runs out on defense at the start of next season. For all I know the entire defensive backfield could get replaced.
Exactly. So I'm having a hard time figuring out why some of you and some of the draft gurus having us take another OLB in Von Miller. I know we are switching into a 3-4 defense and it requires a olb to rush the qb on what I read, but CB is where we need to fix things first am I right?
They are better off getting someone to play corner via free agency. There is too much of a learning curve unless a special talent like Prince Amukamara drops. Even the top corner last year, Joe Haden, was supposedly having problems early on. McCourty turned out to be better than even the Pats thought, but betting the farm on catching lightning in a bottle doesn't seem like a rational plan. Pretty much every other top corner had issues all year. NFL receivers have a bag of tricks and skills that college guys never see. Most college receivers don't even have a good double move. Corners are pretty much out on an island out there. It is really hard to cover for them. You can roll a safety over if the rest of your defensive backs are reliable, but that isn't the case here. So if you draft a guy, you will probably have to wait until the year after next at the earliest to get returns. BTW, my understanding is that Von Miller is pretty much a top five lock at this point. He will be long gone when the Texans pick.
