Titans safety Bernard Pollard likes to talk. But he won’t be doing any more talking about his most recent team and/or the reasons he no longer plays in Baltimore.
“As far as talking about any disappointments, I’m a Tennessee Titan now and I could really care less about that,” Pollard said, via John Glennon of the Tennessean. “I’ve talked about it too much and I’ve answered that question so many times, talking about mutiny and this and that and the Baltimore Ravens.
“Well you know what? I’m no longer in Baltimore and I’m a Titan now. [Titans] fans have embraced me. They’ve been great. For me, I’m ready to move on. This is another chapter for me, and it’s going to be fun.”
Pollard previously complained about the perception that he was cut for voicing concerns in response to an invitation from coach John Harbaugh to do so. As we understand it, however, Pollard’s comments in connection with the incident that a player described to Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports as “practically a mutiny” were just one example of Pollard’s habit of complaining too loudly and/or talking too much.
The situation landed on his new team’s radar screen. “By the time Bernard came in here, that had all been reported and addressed, but we all talked it over,” Titans G.M. Ruston Webster said, via Glennon. “I feel like we’re good there and we’ve covered our bases. His positives for us would definitely outweigh the negatives.”
Pollard clearly has the ability. The problem is that he eventually wears out his welcome -- as he did in Kansas City, Houston, and then Baltimore. With the Titans desperate to win, a one-year gamble on a guy who can perform at a high level justifies the risk. Especially since the controversy surrounding his departure from the Ravens could prompt Pollard to dial it back a bit.
Then again, Pollard already has no misgivings when it comes to addressing the link between new Titans assistant Gregg Williams and last year’s bounty scandal.
“I’m one of those guys that continues to say you don’t have to pay me to go out there and knock the [heck] out of somebody because that’s something I love doing anyway,” Pollard said. “If anything, the club is already paying me to do that. I’m not saying the club is provoking us to go out there and hit anybody, but just to get things done and to make things happen.”
Pollard is definitely going to make things happen in Tennessee. Some good, some maybe not so good. The Titans believe that, for now, the balance will tip toward the things that will help the team win games.