Bernard Pollard: The Rule Changes Are Going To Get Someone Hurt

Jan 12, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard (31) celebrates a play against the Denver Broncos during the AFC divisional round playoff game at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Bernard Pollard left the Baltimore Ravens and went to the Tennessee Titans. Rumors have it that his departure from the team might have stemmed from Pollard attempting to stage a mid season mutiny. Nevertheless he has moved on, and Pollard has earned a reputation as one of the hardest hitting safeties, and players, in the NFL.

So while the rule change affects offensive players for once, and not defenders, Pollard is still speaking out against it. He went on KILT in Houston and talked about the new rule, via Sports Radio Interviews:

"“It’s another rule that has a lot of gray area. That’s what this game is about. You look at the rules that they’ve passed. You’re putting these refs in positions to where they don’t know when to make the call and when not to make the call, so they’re just making a call every single time whether they’re right, wrong or indifferent. They’re just making a call because that’s what they were told to do. This is a rule where you don’t understand. … How’s a running back gonna fight for extra yardage? You expect him to just run straight up? You can’t do that. I’m gonna ask Roger Goodell: ‘Hey, go play Limbo, but you can’t bend your body.’ You can’t do that. You just cannot do that at all. So I think for all of us as football players, this is annoying because we play the game. I don’t understand why we don’t have players on the board that help out with the rule changes and everything else. I don’t know if we do or we don’t. But I think our NFLPA, I don’t understand what’s going on, but at the same time we’re dealing with something where the rules are going to cause a lot of problems with player safety instead of the players. Football is what it is. Players are gonna get bigger, stronger, faster year in and year out. The rules are gonna really get somebody hurt. And like I said before, I stand by what I said, and I will not back off my statement, my comments. I won’t do it, because as we continue to see, they’re trying to do everything else to keep this game going in the right direction and it’s going to backfire on them.”"