Bernard Pollard life and biography

Bernard Pollard is an American football safety for the Houston Texans of the National Football League.

Selected by Kansas City Chiefs in the second round (54th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft...Signed with Chiefs on July 21, 2006...Released be Chiefs on September 5, 2009...Signed with Houston Texans on September 24, 2009.

HONORS: 2006 AFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 17).

PRO: Hard-hitting veteran safety who joined the Texans shortly after the start of the 2009 season...started 44 games over the previous two plus seasons and has played in 61 games in three plus NFL seasons...has recorded 289 career tackles, including 234 solos, with threesacks, seven interceptions, 16 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries...was Kansas City’s leading tackler with a career-high 98 stops in 2008...started 31 games over the past two seasons...has also been a valuable contributor on special teams, owning three career blocked punts...converted one of those blocks into a touchdown and another into a safety...has added 16 special teams tackles and a forced fumble on special teams...has also played in one postseason game.

2009 (Houston 13/13): Was inactive vs. Jacksonville (9/27) after signing with Texans during the week (9/24)...made his first start and debut for the Texans at strong safety where he made five tackles (four solo) vs. Oakland (10/4)...in his second game as a Texan, led the team in tackels with eight (six solo) at Arizona (10/11)... made six tackles (four solo) and recovered a fumble at Cincinnati (10/18)...made four tackles (three solo) vs. San Francisco (10/25)...made seven tackles (four solo) in Texans win at Buffalo (11/1)...set career-highs with 12 tackles (nine solo) and two interceptions to go along with three passes defensed at Indianapolis (11/8)...made eight tackles (seven solo) including one for a loss vs. Tennessee (11/23), when he also had a pass defensed and recovered a fumble...made ten tackles (eight solo) vs. Indianapolis (11/29)...led the team with a game-high 11 tackles (10 solo) at Jacksonville (12/6)...made six tackles (five solo) including one for a loss as well as intercepting his third pass of the season and returning it 70 yards for his first career touchdown vs. Seattle (12/13)...had a team leading 11 tackles (11 solo) at St. Louis (12/20) while combining with rookie LB Brian Cushing on a sack of Rams QB Keith Null for a loss of five yards...made seven tackles (six solo), sacked QB Chad Henne for a loss of seven yards and had a pass defensed at Miami (12/27)...made six tackles (5 solo), intercepted one pass and recovered a fumble in the endzone for a touchdown vs. New England (1-3-10).

2008 (Kansas City 16/16): Started all 16 games at SS and led the team with a career-high 98 tackles (84 solo) with one for loss, an interception, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries...three defensive fumble recoveries tied for fourth in the NFL...collected seven tackles at New England (9/7)...produced six tackles, forced a fumble and recovered a career-high two fumbles vs. Oakland (9/14)...posted seven tackles and a pass defensed at the New York Jets (10/26)...tied a career high with 10 tackles and intercepted a pass in the end zone at San Diego (11/9)...tied a career high with 10 tackles and forced a fumble vs. Buffalo (11/23)...accumulated seven tackles at Denver (12/7)...compiled five tackles, one pass defensed and recovered a fumble vs. San Diego (12/14)...tied a career high with 10 tackles vs. Miami (12/21).

2007 (Kansas City 16/15): Saw action in 16 games with 15 starts at SS...led the defensive backs with 91 tackles (78 solo)...also registered a sack for minus-five yards, two interceptions, nine passes defensed and one forced fumble...added one special teams tackle and a blocked punt...recorded seven tackles and forced a fumble at Chicago (9/16)...registered seven tackles and a sack vs. Jacksonville (10/7)...produced five tackles and intercepted his first NFL pass vs. Cincinnati (10/14)...blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety vs. Denver (11/11), his third career blocked punt...compiled seven tackles and a pass defensed in a reserve role at Indianapolis (11/18)...tallied a career-high 10 tackles at Denver (12/9)...amassed eight tackles, a pass defensed and an interception at Detroit (12/23)...registered nine tackles at the New York Jets (12/30).

2006 (Kansas City 16/0): Played in 16 contests on special teams and 10 games on defense...had two passes defensed, 15 special teams stops, two blocked punts and a forced fumble on special teams...blocked a punt at Arizona (10/8)...contributed three special teams stops and forced a fumble on a punt return at Pittsburgh (10/15)...returned a kickoff for no gain and recovered a fumble on a kickoff return at Cleveland (12/3)...partially blocked a punt at San Diego (12/17)...made an acrobatic block of a punt with his back to the ball vs. Jacksonville (12/31 and recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown, earning
AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his efforts...had a special teams tackle in an AFC Wild Card Game at Indianapolis (1/6/07).

COLLEGE:
Played in 36 games with 35 starts at Purdue...recorded 254 tackles (164 solo), eight tackles for loss, a sack for minus-three yards, four interceptions for 19 yards, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles...set a school record with five blocked kicks...started all 11 games at SS as a junior in 2005 and recorded 92 tackles (64 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery...opened all 12 games at SS in 2004 as a sophomore...led the club with a career-high 96 tackles (58 solo)...added three tackles for loss, a sack for minus-three yards, an interception, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles...also blocked four kicks, setting a single-season school record...earned second-team All-Big Ten honors ... Saw action in 13 games with 12 starts as a true freshman in 2003 and earned second-team All-Big 10 honors from The Sporting News...majored in Sociology at Purdue.

PERSONAL:
Selected first-team All-Indiana as a senior at South Side High School in Ft. Wayne...had 111 tackles, two interceptions and 13 forced fumbles...also caught 14 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns as a senior...also participated in basketball and track...established the “Pollard’s Helping Hands Foundation,” focusing on feeding the hungry of the urban core...served as a spokesperson for the annual “Hooked on Books” campaign, sponsored by the Junior League of Kansas City...born Bernard Karmell Pollard...he and his wife, Meghan, have a son, Jaylen.

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