Comments on: Chiefs Cut Bernard Pollard, I Cut My Wrists

By: stjoemo

stjoemo — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:07:43 +0000

Funny how you all forget who lead the team in tackles, along with 3 forced fumbles and an interception. Maybe if we had even a half way decent front seven he wouldnt of had to make 20 tackles a game.

By: ikeadced

ikeadced — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:05:58 +0000

OK Merl, I’ll amend my definition a bit. I’ll go with, “A great player is someone who makes the solid play each and every time, AND/OR doesn’t hurt you significantly while also consistently making game-changing plays.”

But seriously, do you want to bring DT into a comparison where you argue for keeping Pollard? Seriously?

As an organization, I think you build your teams around players from the Zach Thomas (1998 version)/Brian Waters/Dino Hackett mold–people who do their jobs consistently at a very high level. Maybe nothing fancy, just consistently good and dependable. Then, once a decade you hope to hit that special DT/Tony G kind of player, where you are willing to put up with a shortcoming here or there in return for their game-changingness (I just made up a word I think).

Pollard is most assuradely not in the second category of a HOF-type player. And I think the new regime has decided he won’t ever be in the first category either. He is a high-risk player without consistently being a game-changer. That gets you beat.

By: hmills110

hmills110 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:18:54 +0000

It was prob’ly a combination of factors with Pollard including coverage skills and football IQ. Numerous last-minute trades took place before roster cuts, for players that other teams wanted badly enough to surrender a pick or a player, rather than expose somebody they wanted to the waiver wire (like the Chiefs did for Alleman and Ndukwe). Pollard was shopped in that environment, in case there was anybody wanting him enough to give something up. There were no takers. Not sayin’ he’s bad, although I have my issues with him, but perhaps Pollard was overvalued in the eyes of some Chiefs fans, who put more faith in tackle stats than in my opinion of what’s happening on the field.

I think moving towards more of a coverage guy at SS is in keeping with 3-4, and if I’d known more about the 3-4 before this season, maybe I’d've noticed that aspect, sooner. I wanted more coverage skills and better understanding of his assignment.

It prob’ly isn’t all his fault, after years of playing behind a d-line who might let somebody thru them like a hot knife thru butter. In that situation, the main chance is to just join the melee and flow with the defense, since the ballcarrier is PROBably where you’re running to, and the 7 guys in front of you are gonna miss the tackle, wherEVER the ballcarrier chooses to go.

In this D, it looks more like the big men are controlling the middle, and the SS needs to think like a safety and maybe just trail a few of those strong-side runs to snuff the cutback, and rely on your teammates to handle the main chance.

By: Merlin

Merlin — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:06:00 +0000

ikeadcd:

By that defition, Derrick Thomas was not a great player. Are you sure you want to roll with that definition? Pollard wasn’t great, nor have I seen anyone claim that. So, what point are you trying to make? We get rid of every player that is not great?

By: ikeadced

ikeadced — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 01:02:41 +0000

Larry Bird defined a great player as someone who makes the solid play each and every time. Does anyone think this describes Pollard (or ever could)?

I don’t. I just don’t think this will be a step down to D. Morgan.

By: kuhawk23

kuhawk23 — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:04:07 +0000

I’m sorry… it’s really not going to matter when we have no offensive line to depend on…. I believed Pollard was good for our secondary, but he’s also not an offensive lineman… expendable.

By: Double D

Double D — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:33:21 +0000

You know, another thought just crossed my mind about the Pollard cut. Perhaps this is Pioli’s way of getting payback for taking out his star QB last season? Sometimes feelings of resentment and revenge can have a way of festering in unexpected ways. Maybe getting back at Pollard was the whole reason Pioli took the job in the first place? Coincidence? Perhaps not!

Also I am curious to hear some reaction to the Lelie cut. I liked the dimension that he brought to our offense (aka a speedy WR) and figured if anybody could get him straightened around it would be Haley. Surely he offered us more than guys like Terrence Copper and Quentin Lawrence, didn’t he? Should we be keeping 3 tight ends instead of Lelie? I thought TE was a position that did not figure very prominently in Todd Haley’s style of offense? Do we need LB Pierre Walters more than we need Ashley Lelie.

Anyone else puzzled by this move? Agree with it?

By: SDChief

SDChief — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:59:33 +0000

and this wasnt just the one morgan game guys…this was in the works since pollard didnt make the trip and he wasnt injured.

By: SDChief

SDChief — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 19:58:29 +0000

the lions got a pick for oconnell after getting him on waivers, and we cant get a pick for a guy who is 24, blocks punts and has 2-3 years of solid starting experience…also contributing to 6 of the turnovers last year…

yikes.I understand mcgraw and morgan, and hope morgan becomes a big time player, but how can we not get anything?

how can we expose him to the wire where oaktown or denver picks him up, or worst of all, SAN DIEGO

By: TJ Gerrity

TJ Gerrity — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 18:47:02 +0000

Did Pollard deserve to start? Heck, maybe not, he couldn’t cover an eight-year-old out there, but he’s a damn good special teamer and definitely deserved to make the team based off of that.

He may have missed too many tackles going for big hits, sure, but he was a vocal leader out there on the field and doesn’t deserve to be cut. At the very least we should have kept him and traded him. Or started shopping him two weeks ago.

This was a mistake.

P.S. We need to bring in a RT like Tony Pashos until Barry “walk right by me” Richardson can develop more.

Oh, and Yamon Figurs for punt return duties.