Stampede Blue: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:



Sports blogs for fans, by fans.
Around SBN: Steve McNair Found Shot to Death


2008 NFL Draft: Who is Mike Pollack?

So, there is out team's first round pick. OC Mike Pollack, Arizona State, is yet another of those Bill Polian picks no one saw coming. No one saw the Bob Sanders pick in 2004, and no one saw the Reggie Wayne pick in 2001. So, before we start bashing Bill Polian for passing on Earl Bennett and Cliff Avril, let's settle down and take a look at Mike Pollack.

Here's what NFL.com's Combine page said about him:

Perhaps the strongest and toughest blocker in the Pac-10 Conference, the Sun Devils relied on the leader of their line to stabilize the offense up front...

Plays on his feet and uses his hands effectively to redirect the defender with authority...

All-out battler in one-on-one situations and has a good grasp of the playbook, making all of the blocking calls up front...Good team leader whose work ethic is emulated by the squad's younger players...

Pollack is considered by many to be the best OC in this draft, and at 6'4, 299 is fits the mold of o-linemen the Colts like. Jeff Saturday is 33, and at the end of 2008 his contract is up. Yes, the Colts could re-sign him, or they could go with youth. Pollack is that youth. They essentially did the same thing with Tarik Glenn, and it worked out just fine.

So no, none of us saw this coming, but with Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, Dustin Keller, and John Carlson off the board at #59, the Colts opted for o-line.

The Colts have also shouted from the mountain tops that Pollack will play OG, not OC. I don't buy that because of Saturday's age and contract, but here's what they had to say:

The Colts, with the 28th selection of the second round and the 59th selection overall, chose Pollak, who was generally considered one of the top centers available in the draft.

Pollak will play guard for the Colts, club President Bill Polian said.

"I’m so excited right now," Pollak said in a conference call with Indianapolis media a few minutes after his selection. "I’m so pumped to be coming to be a Colt.

"This is something that sort of really shocked me. It was a big surprise."

Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy told him shortly after his selection he will get a chance to compete for a starting position at guard, Pollak said.

"Mike played center at Arizona State, but really the type of offense they ran you saw him do a lot of the things we ask our guards to do," Dungy said.

Day two of the draft begins at 10am Eastern.

Photo: Getty Images, Otto Greule, Jr.

0 recs | Comment 2 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

you say

no one saw this coming. ask nicjohns about that lol

by skywalker on Apr 27, 2008 10:32 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

I missed the 2nd round yesterday

So I was shocked to here we took Pollack. I didn’t know of course that Forte and Carlson were gone, so now it’s a great pick. I’m a little nervous about the position change from center to guard, but if he can pick up the system quickly like Ugoh, he will be the starter and a solid lineman. He’s definitely good enough to start.

coltshomer.blogspot.com

by Colts Homer on Apr 27, 2008 11:47 AM EDT reply reply actions actions   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Welcome to the SB Nation blog about the Indianapolis Colts, 2006 NFL Champions!
Start posting about the Colts »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

Cassieper_small
Stampede Blue is the #8 NFL Blog on Internet, #1 SB Nation Blog
Gocoltsskel3_small
"Why Pats fans, why?"
Img_0229_small
Marv to Big D?
Stampedeblue_small
There is no blog war with 18to88
Img_0229_small
Good little story on Wheeler
Asobi2_small
Colts Games on iTunes
Cassieper_small
Multiple Sources: Favre is Already Inked
2073684986_s_small
smash and dash done?
Small
Without Vinatieri, Brady would have just 1 ring.
Nflj_10_small
Colts' Most Durable Players

Post_icon New FanPost All FanPosts Carrot-mini


Head Writer, Editor-In-Chief

Stampedeblue_small BigBlueShoe

Site Editor

Bob-sanders-081107_small shake n bake

Shatner_small MasterRWayne

Contributing Writers

Mgrex03_avatar_small mgrex03

Masonair_small JakeTheSnake

Change_small Colts Homer

Official Partner of Yahoo! Sports