Pollard released by Ravens

BaltimoreTerp · Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:25 pm Post subject:

I think connecting this to the so-called 'mutiny' is just tabloid fodder. Florio has nothing to connect it to this release except an article that has already been out there for several months, not an actual source saying that it played a part. It's just baseless speculation until proven otherwise.
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diamondbull424 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 10016 Location: Baltimore, MD

wackywabbit · Joined: 20 Dec 2009 Posts: 3838

^^Agreed. And how is Reed not a good off the field leader? No one takes preparation for the game more seriously.
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diamondbull424 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 10016 Location: Baltimore, MD

drd23 · Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 5:05 pm Post subject:

I do not understand this move.

Pollard wasn't old, so it can't be about "getting younger". It can't be about letting the youth get playing time considering that the only young safeties on the roster were either injured or started the year on the PS so they can't have shown all that much to justify releasing one of the better performing players on the D last year.

He must either have been incredibly destructive in the lockerroom (but they why haven't we heard anything sooner?) or the coaching staff need to take a spoonful of concrete and harden the **** up if they've seriously released him because of his personality.

Also, PFT (or whoever else for that matter) can blame the "mutiny' all they want, but the fact is that whatever happened happened for the good of the team. The team played a hell of a lot better after that from what I recall.
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wwhickok · Joined: 27 Nov 2012 Posts: 2235 Location: Williamsport, PA

Ed Reed is headed to Houston tomorrow to meet with them. Early speculation is that there is a very good chance that he signs with them.

diamondbull424 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 10016 Location: Baltimore, MD

RavensTillIDie · Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 6:31 pm Post subject:

Well, on the bright side we're one step closer to Clowney in 2014.

#InOzzieWeTrust!!

Laughing

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sp6488 · Joined: 14 Mar 2005 Posts: 6230 Location: MD

RavensTillIDie · Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2013 9:25 pm Post subject:

nevermore · Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 5610 Location: Austria

This one I genuinely don't get.
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Sassan11 · Joined: 05 Aug 2010 Posts: 1131 Location: DMV

In the past we had Ray Lewis who Harbaugh probably felt could keep these "mutiny" players in check. Now that we have lost our leader you can't be having the players run the show.

Its also a lot easier to keep troubled/headcase players when you have a chance at a superbowl. Maybe we know we won't be contenders this year and are rebuilding and don't want our young guys to have bad vets to learn from.

diamondbull424 · Joined: 02 Dec 2007 Posts: 10016 Location: Baltimore, MD

I forget who made the comment, but I think the most logical explanation for these moves that I've seen was the idea that we needed to clear immediate cap room.

Now you may say two things:
1. Well, it's only $1m why create a need for just $1m...
I think the most logical assertion here is that we're trying to address a need with the money we've freed up. The only need to player fit that I think makes sense is Ed Reed. He's visiting teams and he's shopping himself. Most likely, he'll eventually return to Ozzie with the highest price he was offered and we'll have a chance to match- similar to Welker with the Patriots. Because Boldin is away on a trip to Africa, as c0 mentioned in the FA thread, we haven't ACTUALLY been able to take his $6m off the books to give us room to work. So instead, we needed to clear some room to bring back Reed.

2. Well, why didn't we just trade Pollard then...
Well first off, we have no idea if they tried to trade him or not, perhaps he just didn't fetch back much if any value... or perhaps teams we were willing to deal with were willing to take him on. But even if we didn't try and trade him, it's likely because we needed the money cleared for Reed now. We couldn't afford to have Reed come back with an offer for us to match and be unable to match because we don't have enough cap or because Pollard trade talks haven't heated up. Cutting Pollard should put us at around the $4m mark that we would need to be at to resign Reed. And if its a choice between the two, we can more easily find players to fulfill Pollard's heavy hitting- lack of coverage skillset, than Reed's ability as a no tackling nuclear deterrent. Reed is also a lifetime Raven type player and the lieutenant leader along the defense.
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I think the fact that Pollard was involved in the mutiny and his comments to the media throughout the season might have helped move him along, but I think bigger than that reason is the fact that when Pollard went down for three games we got a good look at what Jame Ihedigbo could do for our defense in his stead... and while he wasn't as good, we didn't miss much of a beat... was also a little better in covarage than Pollard... just not as hard a hitter (though he could still lay the wood).

Ihedigbo made Pollard expendable to a point. That and the upcoming crop of loaded safeties in this draft class with significantly better coverage range, skills, and speed to upgrade our safety play opposite Reed.

Also, the question might be asked:

3. Why not Vonta Leach?
Well Leach is the best player at his position in the league, so it'd be difficult to let him go from that vantage point. And we might be trying a more long term method with him such as an extension of some sort.
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