BERNARD POLLARD #49

Position	Safety
Height	6-1
Weight	224
Years Experience	3
Birthdate	12/23/1984
Hometown	Ft. Wayne, IN
College	Purdue
Current status	Active
Games Started	15
Games Played	32

Pro Career

Hard-hitting strong safety enters his third NFL season in 2008 … Should become even more consistent in his second season working in a starting role … Gained valuable experience a year ago, collecting 91 tackles (78 solo) ... Is expected to continue his rapid development under the direction of Chiefs defensive backs coach David Gibbs … Combines with fellow third-year S Jarrad Page to give Kansas City one of the league’s most talented and exciting young safety tandems … Is a solid tackler who also ranks among the NFL’s most gifted special teams performers, owning the ability to change the momentum of a game with three career blocked punts to his credit … Has converted one of those blocks into a touchdown and another into a safety … Those three blocked punts rank second in Kansas City history, trailing only Chiefs Hall of Fame CB Albert Lewis (’83-93) who recorded 10 … Dishes out bone-crushing hits to any offensive player who enters his area … Carries that same full-throttle attitude over to special teams … Registered two blocked punts and partially blocked another as a rookie … Earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors vs. Jacksonville (12/31/06) when he blocked a P Jason Hanson punt and recovered the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown … Became the first Chiefs player to block two punts in a season since Lewis blocked a team-record four punts in ‘90 … Is frequently the first player down the field on punt coverage, downing a number of balls inside the 10-yard line … Has appeared in 32 regular season games (15 starts), recording 91 tackles (78 solo), a sack (-5.0 yards), two interceptions for 25 yards, nine passes defensed and one forced fumble … Also has three blocked punts, one of which he recovered in the end zone for a touchdown and one that bounced out of the end zone for a safety … Has added 16 special teams tackles and a forced fumble on special teams … Has also played in one postseason contest, making one special teams tackle … Joined the Chiefs as a second-round pick (54th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft.

Transactions: Signed a four-year contract with Kansas City (7/21/06) ... Originally entered the league as the Chiefs second-round pick (54th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft.

2007

Saw action in 16 games with 15 starts at strong safety … Led the defensive backs with 91 tackles (78 solo) ... Also registered a sack (-5.0 yards), two INTs (25 yards), seven passes defensed and one forced fumble … Added one special teams tackle and a blocked punt … Compiled four tackles and a pass defensed at Houston (9/9) ... Recorded seven tackles and forced a WR Bernard Berrian fumble at Chicago (9/16) ... Tallied three tackles vs. Minnesota (9/23) and at San Diego (9/30) ... Registered seven tackles and a sack of David Garrard vs. Jacksonville (10/7) ... Produced five tackles and intercepted his first NFL pass off Carson Palmer vs. Cincinnati (10/14) ... Blocked a P Todd Sauerbrun punt out of the end zone for a safety vs. Denver (11/11), marking the third blocked punt of his career … Compiled seven tackles and a pass defensed in a reserve role at Indianapolis (11/18) ... Produced six tackles and one pass defensed vs. Oakland (11/25) and vs. San Diego (12/2) ... Tallied a career-high 10 tackles at Denver (12/9) ... Amassed eight tackles, a pass defensed and an interception off Jon Kitna at Detroit (12/23) ... Registered nine tackles at the N.Y. Jets (12/30).

2006

Played in 16 contests on special teams and 10 games on defense … Had two passes defensed … Totaled 15 special teams stops and two blocked punts … Also had a special teams forced fumble … His two blocked punts tied LB Sherrill Headrick (’63) for the third-highest single-season total in Chiefs history … Blocked a P Scott Player punt at Arizona (10/8) ... Contributed three special teams stops and forced a WR Santonio Holmes fumble on a punt return at Pittsburgh (10/15) ... Worked as a reserve safety in place of an injured S Greg Wesley at St. Louis (11/5), recording a pass defensed and a special teams stop … Returned a kickoff for no gain and recovered a TE Darnell Dinkins fumble on a kickoff return at Cleveland (12/3) ... Compiled one special teams stop and partially blocked a P Mike Scifres punt at San Diego (12/17) ... Made an acrobatic block of a P Chris Hanson punt with his back to the ball vs. Jacksonville (12/31). Recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for his efforts … Had one special teams tackle in an AFC Wild Card Game at Indianapolis (1/6/07).

College Bio

Played in 36 games (35 starts) at Purdue … Recorded 254 tackles (164 solo), 8.0 tackles for loss (-26.0 yards), a sack (-3.0 yards), four INTs for 19 yards, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles … Set a school record with five blocked kicks … Started all 11 games at strong safety as a junior in 2005 … Recorded 92 tackles (64 solo), 1.5 tackles for loss (-7.0 yards), three INTs, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery … Opened all 12 games at strong safety in 2004 as a sophomore … Led the club with a career-high 96 tackles (58 solo) ... Added 3.0 tackles for loss (-11.0 yards), a sack (-3.0 yards), an INT, 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 (12 starts) as a true freshman in 2003 … Ranked fifth on the team with 66 tackles (42 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss (8.0 yards), one pass defensed and one fumble recovery … Named second-team All-Big Ten by The Sporting News … Majored in Sociology at Purdue.

Personal Bio

• Selected first-team All-Indiana as a senior at South Side High School in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

• Had 111 tackles, two INTs and 13 forced fumbles.

• Also caught 14 passes for 173 yards (12.4 avg.) with two touchdowns as a senior.

• Also participated in basketball and track.

• Serves as a spokesperson for the annual “Hooked on Books” campaign, sponsored by the Junior League of Kansas City.

• Full name: Bernard Karmell Pollard.

• Single with a son, Jaylen (1).

• Resides in Overland Park, Kansas.