Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard appeared on the Red Zone podcast with Soren Petro yesterday afternoon. Petro did something I never thought any host would be able to do ever again - conducted an interview with Bernard Pollard without bringing up the Tom Brady injury.
Pollard talks about the new defense versus the old defense, new defensive coordinator versus the old defensive coordinator and offers up some predictions on the number of sacks this season.
Click below to listen or head over to the Red Zone podcast website. Or if you're like me and can't listen to this at work (hey, some of us play by the rules), then click over and I've made some notes on what he said.
How are the OTAs going?
"Everything is good. It's been a whole new playbook."
"Second defense of my career. it's going to be good for us and its going to be a good change."
On the coaching changes this offseason:
"Just kinda what DC was coming and what defense we would play."
"Once Haley came in we had an idea he was going to bring in Clancy."
"I'm going to be an in the box safety."
"I'm going to be able to make plays on the ball at the line of scrimmage."
On the new defense:
"I'm excited about it. The thing with Herm wanting to be a cover two coach, and Gunther being a blitz til you die and a cover four coach, with Clancy you understand and know what kinda guys you have. Obviously he had Adrian Wilson last year and he tells me we're similar after watching the film."
"Clancy is bringing out every great part of our skills with every defensive back he has."
Gunther's D vs. Herm's cover two D wasn't the best marriage:
"Well you know they were both great guys. the thing with our defense and what the problem with us was last year, from the beginning of the season to the end of the season it seemed like guys were breaking the line of scrimmage and running for 400 yards on us. When you have that, you don't get good at one thing. We did not get good at one thing because we had to keep switching things around. injuries played a big part but at the end of the day when you line up you have to be good at something."
"Too many switching things around. With Clancy, they live and die by holding people accountable to what they teach you."
"They're making sure everyone's on the same page. It's a different vibe."
"Some guys didn't like it and they let them go."
"They know we are a way better than what we showed"
On being like Troy Polamalu:
"Troy and I are two different safeties."
"I'm almost the same type of guy."
"I have a linebacker mentality but I'm able to run and make plays too. I wanna be myself."
"Don't compare me to Adrian Wilson. At the end of the day my birth certificate says Bernard Pollard."
"I'm going to play til I die. I really will."
"I wanna be better than every strong safety that plays the game."
How different will the front seven look?
"Very different because you gotta pick who you're gonna block."
"We don't know whose gonna be healthy and whose not but our defensive line runs their butt off."
"I think we're gonna have more sacks than we did last year. I think the front seven will be key in a lot of our wins."
On Tyson Jackson:
"He hasn't blown any coverage and hasn't blown any assignments.
On going too fast in practice:"
"I get yelled at every practice by Haley" to slow down.
On Clancy Pendergast:
"He's quiet, more subtle. How can I say this? Quite, more subtle guy that understands the game of football."
"Similar to Gunther but he's not the person whose going to come off yelling and cursing all the time."
"After he tells you the call he's not going to spit out 18 cuss words. And we're not dogging Gunther, they're just different."
"He demands your attention."
"This coaching staff demands respect from every player on our roster."
On "breaking out" this year:
"I feel like I've been under the radar and I haven't played the football I know I can play. I had good games last year but at the same time we didn't win."
How many wins for his alma mater Purdue this year: Five
Why jersey #49: He wanted to switch at first because of Tony Richardson but he wants to carve his name into something great with #49 attached to it.
Which member of the Chiefs is best equipped to be on the Dancing with the Stars: ME, "I would put some salsa with the nasty." His nickname is "B Nuts".
How many sacks for the defense this year: 25. Pollard said he had more sacks than Derrick Johnson - they always make side bets. He wants at least 40 turnovers.