Out at the One: David Pollack

Marvin Lewis announced several days ago that David Pollack intends to retire after a short three years in the NFL. 

It's unfortunate that his best years came in college. 

It's unfortunate that he played in only 16 games over two years.

It's unfortunate that all he was able to do amounted to 29 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and a pass deflection. 

And it all ended, September 17th, 2006, against the Bengals' in-state rival, the Cleveland Browns. 

But before all this, there was something else. There was the David Pollack who played so amazingly for Georgia. Over three years, he was a three time all-American and winner of the Chuck Bednarik Award, Lott Trophy, Lombardi Award, and Ted Hendricks Trophy (2003 and 2004). 

Let me bring you to a play. In 2002, Georgia played South Carolina. 14:07 left on the clock, 4th quarter. Georgia leads 3-0. In a key defensive series, Georgia has SC backed up on their own 6 yard-line. Wanting a big play to get some offensive momentum going, SC Quarterback Corey Jenkins is running four-receivers out of the shotgun, three stacked on the right. The snap is off, and Jenkins has it. His RB has taken three steps forward, ready to block. Right now the play is fluid, anything can happen. Left side receiver goes deep, on a fly route, but Jenkins is looking to his right. He rolls out of the pocket, looking for the open man. Two of the receivers have gone deep, but one has settled into a hole in the zone. He's facing Jenkins, waiting for the ball. 

Georgia is running a zone-coverage package, and Pollack is playing DE. At the snap, the line smashes hard to the right, and Pollack gets picked up by the SC Right Tackle. He slides off the block, running hard to get at Jenkins. The South Carolina Running Back attempts to block, but just bounces off him. While all that is happening, Jenkins sees his receiver. He stops, sets his feet winds up in his throwing motion.

And right then, Pollack and Jenkins' worlds collide. The pass is off, it's hurried, but for a second the cameras try to follow it. The stadium looks at the receiver, who has nothing in his hands. Suddenly, people notice the ball was knocked straight up. And Pollack came down with it. It was a 0-yard interception for a TD. 

Georgia won the game. But before it all settled into a commonly agreed on series of events, there was David Pollack, Corey Jenkins, and 20 other players, each trying to make a play. 

That play was one of many, but it may have made Pollack's career at Georgia. At the very least, it certainly stood out. It was a sad say in September when a very different play, a tackle of Browns RB Reuben Droughns, ended it. 

In the end, Pollack decided to retire because the risks of continuing to play were too great. He was lucky to stand back up again after that first neck fracture, and even fewer people stand back up after two. It was Pollack's decision to make, and I think he made the right one. He stands, however, like too many other players, as an example of young men whose careers were shortened by the harshness of the game. Good luck David, you will be missed.