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Bip Roberts
01-24-2008, 02:01 PM
Pollack: Will decide after Feb. 8

Bengals linebacker David Pollack is working out in an attempt to return to the NFL. He suffered a fractured neck in the second game of the 2006 season.

Pollack has an appointment with his doctor Feb. 8 and said he will fast and pray about his future before making an announcement on a possible return to the field.

SunDeck
01-24-2008, 02:23 PM
I'm not sure fasting will help put on the bulk he needs, but I'll say a prayer that if he comes back he doesn't end up paralyzed.

Highlifeman21
01-24-2008, 04:02 PM
Do the smart thing for your life and your family David Pollack, stay retired.

Bip Roberts
01-24-2008, 04:05 PM
Do the smart thing for your life and your family David Pollack, stay retired.

If the doctor clears him why not come back?

Screwball
01-24-2008, 04:08 PM
If the doctor clears him why not come back?

Yeah, Pollack's always stated that if his doctors say he has no greater chance for a paralyzing injury than any other football player, then he'll try to make a comeback.

Personally, I'm not so sure I'd be able to stomach watching him smash against other physical specimens week in and week out while knowing how close he was to never being able to walk again. I wouldn't blame him one bit for choosing to never play again.

Bip Roberts
01-24-2008, 04:11 PM
Yeah, Pollack's always stated that if his doctors say he has no greater chance for a paralyzing injury than any other football player, then he'll try to make a comeback.

Personally, I'm not so sure I'd be able to stomach watching him smash against other physical specimens week in and week out while knowing how close he was to never being able to walk again. I wouldn't blame him one bit for choosing to never play again.

Yep, I trust hes smart enough to understand whats going on. I dont think hes going to get good enough news to make the come back honestly.

Highlifeman21
01-24-2008, 05:35 PM
If the doctor clears him why not come back?

I can't imagine there's a legitimate, reputable Dr out there that will ever clear him to play professional football.

RedsManRick
01-24-2008, 05:38 PM
Don't fractures actually strengthen the bone once they're fully healed? Assuming it's fully healed, his muscles are fully rehabilitated, and he doesn't have any unusual defects (for lack of a better word) that leave him more susceptible, why shouldn't he come back?

WMR
01-24-2008, 05:41 PM
Don't fractures actually strengthen the bone once they're fully healed? Assuming it's fully healed, his muscles are fully rehabilitated, and he doesn't have any unusual defects (for lack of a better word) that leave him more susceptible, why shouldn't he come back?

If--and that's a HUGE *IF*--what you are positing is true, it would be wonderful to have Pollack return. The Bengals could sure use him.

Bip Roberts
01-24-2008, 06:42 PM
I can't imagine there's a legitimate, reputable Dr out there that will ever clear him to play professional football.

I'm not a doctor so I have no idea.

WMR
01-24-2008, 06:50 PM
I'm not a doctor so I have no idea.

HighlifeMan's not one either, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Joseph
01-24-2008, 06:58 PM
I think he has stated in the past that if the chance was raised for him even .01% he would not risk it.

GAC
01-24-2008, 08:09 PM
I can't imagine there's a legitimate, reputable Dr out there that will ever clear him to play professional football.


I wish the guy the best; but you're right. Once you suffer that type of injury your risk factor/percentages, sadly enough, are not in your favor.

cincrazy
01-24-2008, 08:40 PM
Yeah, Pollack's always stated that if his doctors say he has no greater chance for a paralyzing injury than any other football player, then he'll try to make a comeback.

Personally, I'm not so sure I'd be able to stomach watching him smash against other physical specimens week in and week out while knowing how close he was to never being able to walk again. I wouldn't blame him one bit for choosing to never play again.

The doctor's cleared Trent Green though... and that didn't do him too well. If I were David I'd retire, it's just so risky when your talking about head and neck injuries

Bip Roberts
01-24-2008, 09:01 PM
The doctor's cleared Trent Green though... and that didn't do him too well. If I were David I'd retire, it's just so risky when your talking about head and neck injuries

Umm Trent Green is still playing football so I'm not sure what you really mean by this

cincrazy
01-24-2008, 10:19 PM
Umm Trent Green is still playing football so I'm not sure what you really mean by this

Trent Green is pretty much finished as a professional athlete. Priest Holmes technically played football too this year.

Bip Roberts
01-24-2008, 10:23 PM
Trent Green is pretty much finished as a professional athlete. Priest Holmes technically played football too this year.

Yea and they are 50 years old. I still dont get what the point is..

Screwball
01-24-2008, 11:03 PM
The doctor's cleared Trent Green though... and that didn't do him too well. If I were David I'd retire, it's just so risky when your talking about head and neck injuries

You're right. What's happened to Trent has been painful to watch as a football fan. I remember hearing that after Carson's injury, Trent was the first to call him and offer encouragement during a tough time. He's a class act and was one hell of a Quarterback.

Having said that though, that's the inherent risk all players face in playing such a violent sport. Trent went down a second time due to a freak knee to the head when he tried to block low. There's plenty of guys that go low to block - coulda happened to anybody. Heck, even Carson threw one this season. Now granted, most have better technique than TG, but it was determined there was just as much risk for them too. And as far as I know, Trent still leads a healthy life outside of football.

IIRC, Pollack has stated that IF he does come back, he'll move to DE where the impact isn't as devastating as it is for a linebacker. And if his doctors say he is at no more risk than the DT next to him, then I could see him attempting a comeback. I may not agree with it wholeheartedly, but I can understand why he'd think it's a sound decision.

WMR
01-24-2008, 11:07 PM
Have you seen the movie "Any Given Sunday?" The way Dennis Quaid's character dealt with being an aging quarterback and the difficulty he had in just living a normal life after the years of abuse seemed spot-on to me.

Screwball
01-24-2008, 11:15 PM
Have you seen the movie "Any Given Sunday?" The way Dennis Quaid's character dealt with being an aging quarterback and the difficulty he had in just living a normal life after the years of abuse seemed spot-on to me.

Sure have. Great movie too.

I never did make that connection, but now that you mention it, it really is kinda eerie how similar they are. So now I guess the real question is, does that make Cleo Lemon Willie Beamen?? :dunno:

Bip Roberts
01-24-2008, 11:15 PM
Can he turn a movie roll into a little singing career?

chicoruiz
01-25-2008, 07:45 AM
David has said that he wouldn't be able to play linebacker or special teams due to the full-speed collisions inherent in those positions. He's adding weight in order to play DE. He might just get away with it if the Bengals stay 4-3, but if they go 3-4 he's screwed; he'll never be big enough to be a 3-4 end.

Yachtzee
01-25-2008, 08:42 AM
David has said that he wouldn't be able to play linebacker or special teams due to the full-speed collisions inherent in those positions. He's adding weight in order to play DE. He might just get away with it if the Bengals stay 4-3, but if they go 3-4 he's screwed; he'll never be big enough to be a 3-4 end.

I don't think they are going 3-4. People have speculated on that ever since Marvin joined the Bengals, but it hasn't happened and I don't think it will.

WMR
01-25-2008, 08:49 AM
I don't think they are going 3-4. People have speculated on that ever since Marvin joined the Bengals, but it hasn't happened and I don't think it will.

Why mess with success? :lol:

WebScorpion
01-25-2008, 11:20 AM
I'm so slow to pick up on things...I didn't even realize Jungle Talk was here and I posted something about this on the Non-Baseball forum. I'll just say whether Pollock ever plays again or not, he is an inspiration. He just goes out every day and does the most with what he is given. Amazing. If he DID ever play again, that would be an inspiration as well...something this uber-talented, but undriven team could probably use. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/basic/super.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org)

Bip Roberts
01-26-2008, 02:47 PM
From Bengals.com
http://www.bengals.com/news/news.asp?story_id=6609

Combine-ing a comeback?
By GEOFF HOBSON
January 25, 2008

Updated: 1-26-08, 8:30 a.m.

Gil Brandt, czar of the NFL scouting combine, listened to David Pollack's time in the three-cone drill and crunched the number before spitting out the verdict.

"You have a time like 6.69 seconds for a defensive lineman and there is a high percentage that guy will make the Pro Bowl," Brandt says from Dallas.

That's not Pollack's time from 2005, when he authored one of the greatest combine workouts in history. It's lower. And it's from Friday's session of his daily regimen that now includes helping college prospects prepare for the combine as well as taking another step forward to his return to the NFL.

"He's probably in better shape from a cardiovascular standpoint than at any point in his life," says Clif Marshall, who oversees the workouts as director of the Ignition Athletics Performance Group. "And obviously he still has the agility that makes him a special player."

Pollack, shelved for the past two seasons with two broken vertebrae in his neck, plans to tell the Bengals his career path long before the April 26-27 NFL Draft that marks the third anniversary of his selection as the club's No. 1 pick and the decision to move him from All-American defensive end to rookie strong-side linebacker.


Pollack
The decision whether to play or retire, he says, is going to come shortly after his Feb. 8 appointment with a neck expert in Los Angeles.

"Then I'll pray about it," he says. "I'll seek God, make sure I'm not relying on me just to make the decision, and then see what He's got for me.

"The toughest thing is that no doctor we've met with has been able to give us a percentage. Trust me. I'm not going to do anything stupid. If someone said there was a 50 percent chance I'd break my neck again, I promise I wouldn't go anywhere near a field again. We'll see."

He says he's feeling no pressure. He talks to head coach Marvin Lewis via text message or phone virtually every day and Lewis simply asks how he's doing.

"I've got a lot of respect for Coach Lewis. He's a man with phenomenal character. He runs this team as best as anyone could," Pollack says. "I wouldn't want to play for anyone else other than Tony Dungy. He's not trying to pressure me one way or the other. He's not telling me I need to come back and play."

Pollack is still sleek, fit, and in perpetual motion at 255 pounds, and working out four to seven hours a day after serving that 14-month sentence in his home right after the injury.

But there are some changes.

His once close-cropped black hair now flows bushier, hiding the scars from the halo that was screwed into his head hours after that Sept. 17, 2006 collision with Browns running back Reuben Droughns. It can't hide the two on his forehead, but then Pollack admits he has changed inside, too, as he and his wife await their first child on Aug. 18.

"I'm a better person. I'm a better husband," Pollack says. "I used to think this was a hard job. We worked so much. When I came home I was always tired and I never did anything around the house. Now I do the laundry, I do the dishes."

There is a buzz of anticipation at Pollack's possible return. One coach calls him "our Bruschi," a reference to Tedy Bruschi, the Patriots' smart, versatile, veteran leader linebacker who came back from a stroke.

"No way. I haven't done anything in this league and Bruschi's done it all," Pollack says.

Indeed, Pollack has played in just 16 games and will be 26 when he takes his next snap. But those who look at the last month of his rookie season, which included a sack in each of the two games against Pittsburgh and a team-high 10 tackles in the Wild Card game, get the what-ifs rolling.


FitzGerald
Jeff FitzGerald, the new Bengals linebackers coach, knows all about him. FitzGerald, who has been helping run the linebacker drills at the combine for the past decade, is like a librarian who can sift the masterpieces from the rest of the volumes.

Pollack's 3.90-second, 20-yard shuttle is still the fastest for a defensive lineman that Brandt can remember of a drill in which a player must shuffle laterally for five yards, touch a line, shuffle the other way for 10 yards, touch a line, and finish five yards the other way standing up.

"I remember his workout. I wanted him and I loved him at the school visit," says FitzGerald, who unsuccessfully lobbied the Ravens to draft Pollack after that combine workout. "From what he showed at the combine, he had the movement that convinced myself and other guys that he could stand up (and play linebacker). Plus, you knew that David was such a dedicated guy that he was going to work at it."

Pollack doesn't think he could match that 3.9 now. But Friday's 6.69 is faster than his combine's 6.86 in the three-cone drill (a 30-yard route timing change of direction), and he is smashing his 1.67-second 10-yard dash the past few days.

He's never had great speed (a 4.75 40 at the combine), but he ran a 4.8-second, 40-yard dash on Thursday in sneakers without warming up.

Pollack repped 225 pounds at the combine 25 times and Marshall believes he could have done 26 earlier this week during a session he did 22. Pollack doubts he can jump vertically the 37 inches he hit at the combine, or broad jump the 10 feet.

But ...

"You want explosion, I can show you explosion," he says. "I've played since I was six, except for the last two years. I don't think I'm going to forget."

But the locker room intangibles that have been lost are incalculable. Look at what he brings to the group of about 10 players getting ready for next month's combine at the Ignition facility adjacent to Wall-2-Wall in Mason, Ohio.

"The champ waits. You have to earn your spot on the card," jaws Pollack to Louisville linebacker Lamar Myles. "So you go first." Or, Pollack might bet Purdue backer Stanford Keglar a lunch if he can break 6.8 in the three-cone.

Myles, who walked in here with a bunch of U of L weight room records, shakes his head.

"I got him in the weight room yesterday," he says. "But he got me out here."

But Pollack coaches as well as competes. He's always reminding the prospects to keep their eyes on the person conducting the drill, don't use the off-hand on the ground, and always cut the angle.

"He's so competitive. Everything he does here, no matter the drill, he's always challenging these guys," Marshall says. "For something like this, where he was so good at this, it's like bringing Peyton Manning in to your passing camp."

Pollack is frustrated that his lower body and legs haven't kept up with his upper body in the strength department. He remembers his legs were "trunks," but he believes he'll get them back.

He is encouraged by the possibility the Bengals could go to a 3-4. He says he won't play linebacker again, only end, because the doctors fear those collisions that get started 10 yards away.

But, at 6-2, 255, he admits, "I had the perfect body for a 3-4. When I came out (of Georgia), that's all I heard. I was going to be a 4-3 end or a 3-4 (outside) linebacker. I've been trying to convince (the Bengals) forever to go to a 3-4."

Pollack says he'd have to sit down and discuss it with people if the Bengals do indeed switch to a three-man front and make him that outside backer. But he doesn't think it would be much of a problem even if his hand isn't on the ground because, "You would still line up on the line and your target would only be about six inches in front of you."

And a sack is better than a collision?

"Absolutely," he says with a laugh. "You're the one doing the engaging."

Pollack is engaging the group in more than football. He holds a weekly Bible study and every day text messages a Biblical trivia question to each. The one on Thursday was "Name the 13th disciple." Friday's was, "Who walked on water?"

"I didn't get the first one, but I got both on the last one," says Keglar of Jesus and Peter. "We pray after every meeting and it makes you try to make yourself a better person. He's a guy that walks the walk off the field."

Pollack's spirituality is what fuels him, but he says he'll always be around football as either an announcer or a college coach. He spent this past season as a pregame analyst for the SEC on CSTV as part of CBS' national programming.

Which figures.

"I don't want to do what you guys do. I don't want to interview anybody," Pollack says. "I like to study film and look at the matchups. I beat all the anchors with my pregame predictions.

"I know people won't like this, but I don't think Ohio State should be allowed to play any more in the BCS championship game the way their team has played. It's a travesty ... they do a lot of zone blitzes that kill Big Ten people. But when you have speed and athleticism, it's a little bit different. If you don't make the tackle in the zone blitz, they take it to the house."

Pollack doesn't exactly dance around the issue of the Bengals' change of defensive coaches, either.

"Whether you like it or not," he says, "we consistently haven't been very good on defense. If you're not in the top 25, something probably needs to change."

As Friday's workout draws to a close, Pollack is still running through cones and advice.

"Movement needs to be the first step," he says. "The clock is starting. You're wasting time."

When this latest test is over, he's making sure they won't be able to say that to him.