The man who was dumped by the Ravens in part because of a propensity to stand out vocally has a new mission with his new team -- to unite the team.
As pointed out in the Thursday morning one-liners, Titans safety Bernard Pollard wants to see his team spend time together, on and off the field.
“It is something we did in Baltimore, and it’s something I’d like to see develop here,” Pollard said, via Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “If we’re going to be the team we say we want to be, if we want to be a successful close-knit team, if we want this to be a brotherhood, then we all have to be on one accord.
“Getting together and doing those extra things is going to allow us to know each other better personally, and it’s going to give us that feeling when we’re going out there to fight, we know who we are fighting for, we know who we are fighting with. And that should make us better.”
Cornerback Jason McCourty already has noticed the difference.
“BP has definitely done more of that and he is continuing to bring that tradition here,” McCourty said, via Wyatt. “We have always done it, but sometimes it falls by the wayside. Guys have stuff going on in their personal life, so it’s hard sometimes. But BP has made it a point this offseason to say, ‘Let’s go grab something to eat.’
“Stuff like that is important. In order to be a great team and a great defense in general, it starts with your position group. . . . Guys have to know each other, and for us to get to know each other, guys have to really get to know one another. I think it will help us come together.”
Safety Michael Griffin agrees.
“It’s about building chemistry, being a team,” Griffin said. “We are going to be around each other for the next six months. When we are spending time with one another, it is going to build that trust, going to build that camaraderie, and it should help.”
So, to summarize, the defense that eats together, “kills” together.