First we had Bennett playing a lights out rookie campaign, only to horrifically disappoint his sophomore year. His decline continued until his eventual release
Then we had Will Demps play a half season so well that he was a probowl alternate. He got a nice deal and then fell off the planet.
And finally, we have Bernard Pollard, who almost single handedly came in and saved our defense last year.
This year? I have made numerous excuses for him. Mostly because of his good tackling ability and high intensity. But tonight I saw him play poorly in every single aspect of the game.
-Pollard overran multiple plays
At least three times I saw Pollard take horrible angles or completely over pursue his man. This led to guys having easy cutbacks and picking up huge chunks of yardage
-Pollard does not communicate well with LBs or other DBs
At least twice I saw Pollard and a defensive back and/or LB both out of position at the same time. He is supposed to be the safety, play complementary to the other players. Instead he seems to be almost useless in double coverage situations
-He seems unaware on defense in many passing situations
He's always a step out of place. He had two key passing situations that he totally blew. The first was the Tamme touchdown. The guy hasn't played for the Colts all year. And he comes in and completely tricks Pollard. Then on a crucial 3rd down, Pollard plays so far off Tamme that he allows not only an easy catch, but an easy first. That TE into the flats route was obvious.
His tackling seems to have gotten worse.
He is taking bad angles and overpursuing.
And his coverage is suspect.
At least Wilson showed up tonight
Then we had Will Demps play a half season so well that he was a probowl alternate. He got a nice deal and then fell off the planet.
And finally, we have Bernard Pollard, who almost single handedly came in and saved our defense last year.
This year? I have made numerous excuses for him. Mostly because of his good tackling ability and high intensity. But tonight I saw him play poorly in every single aspect of the game.
-Pollard overran multiple plays
At least three times I saw Pollard take horrible angles or completely over pursue his man. This led to guys having easy cutbacks and picking up huge chunks of yardage
-Pollard does not communicate well with LBs or other DBs
At least twice I saw Pollard and a defensive back and/or LB both out of position at the same time. He is supposed to be the safety, play complementary to the other players. Instead he seems to be almost useless in double coverage situations
-He seems unaware on defense in many passing situations
He's always a step out of place. He had two key passing situations that he totally blew. The first was the Tamme touchdown. The guy hasn't played for the Colts all year. And he comes in and completely tricks Pollard. Then on a crucial 3rd down, Pollard plays so far off Tamme that he allows not only an easy catch, but an easy first. That TE into the flats route was obvious.
His tackling seems to have gotten worse.
He is taking bad angles and overpursuing.
And his coverage is suspect.
At least Wilson showed up tonight