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n f l b o i le r s big year for boilers Pollard, Brees, Grigson highlight 2012 NFL season BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com F ew doubt Bernard Pollard���s toughness, although some might question his sanity. After the Baltimore safety helped lead the Ravens to a win over San Francisco in Super Bowl XLVIII in early February, the former Boilermaker revealed that he had played most of the season with six broken ribs. Pollard, one of the league���s fiercest hitters, might have had his best NFL season, compiling a team-high 98 tackles with two sacks. But he did so despite suffering the injury in the second week of the season vs. Philadelphia, then aggravating it against Washington late in the year, causing him to miss the final three games before the playoffs. ���It���s tough dealing with PLAYING ON pain,��� Pollard SUNDAYS told the BaltiThe following is a look at more Sun. ���For former Boilermakers in the NFL. us as football New England Patriots players, we know #90 LB Niko Koutouvides: we���re going to 10th-year veteran (free agent) go through it. At #50 DE Rob Ninkovich: Eighththe same time, year veteran San Diego Chargers that���s the name #61 C Nick Hardwick: 10th-year of the game. Six veteran of them, yep. Hey, #95 LB Shaun Phillips: 10thit���s up to us to go year veteran (free agent) Baltimore Ravens out there and play #31 SS Bernard Pollard: and we did.��� Eighth-year veteran Pollard���s apDallas Cowboys pearance marked #93 LB Anthony Spencer: the 14th consecuSeventh-year veteran (free agent) tive season a Boil#18 QB Kyle Orton: Ninth-year ermaker has played veteran in the Super Bowl, Detroit Lions the second-longest #92 DE Cliff Avril: Sixth-year veteran (free agent) current streak. Green Bay Packers Only Nebraska, #96 DE Mike Neal: Fourth-year which has had 20 veteran straight seasons Jacksonville Jaguars with a representa#77 RG Uche Nwaneri: Seventh-year veteran New Orleans Saints #9 QB Drew Brees: 13th-year veteran New York Jets #81 TE Dustin Keller: Sixthyear veteran (free agent) Philadelphia Eagles #67 Dennis Kelly: Second-year veteran Tennessee Titans #66 OT Mike Otto: Sixth-year veteran Washington Redskins #91 LB Ryan Kerrigan: Thirdyear veteran in only eight games, but tive, has a longer string. he���s shown his value R Colts general managover the course of his er Ryan Grigson was named five-year NFL career. NFL Executive-of-the-Year He has 241 receptions after helping to turn the in his career, with 17 Colts into a playoff team a touchdowns. season after they finished The Cowboys are eaonly 2-14. ger to re-sign Spencer. Five rookies, including ���Anthony Spencer quarterback Andrew Luck, represents everything we were major contributors to want to be about��� Dallas the Colts��� offense as Indiexecutive vice president anapolis rebuilt quickly Stephen Jones told the through the draft and free Dallas Morning News. agency under Grigson, ���He plays hard. His leadwho had been hired the ership is tremendous. And previous offseason to reIndianapolis Colts then on top of that, he���s a place Bill Polian. great football player.��� Grigson, a Boilermaker Former Boilermaker Ryan Grigson was named NFL Executive-of-the-Year after turning around the Colts. R New Orleans offensive lineman and tight quarterback Drew Brees end from 1991-94, won the Sporting News award, edging out Denver general manager was selected to his fourth Pro Bowl following the seaJohn Elway by a 9-8 vote of league executives and coaches. son. He was joined there by two other Boilermakers, ���It���s a collective effort,��� Grigson told the Indianap- as Spencer and Washington linebacker Ryan Kerrigan olis Star. ���I can���t say enough about my staff and those made their first appearances. Brees, who set the NFL single-season passing around me, especially the coaches. ���My staff put together a list of names. We looked un- yardage record a year ago, rewrote other league marks der every rock known to man, but if we didn���t have coach- in 2012. He set a new record for consecutive games es who believed in us and believed in what we were doing with at least one touchdown, throwing in 54 straight and in developing young talent, then we would have nev- before failing to toss a TD at Atlanta on Nov. 29. He also became the first player in NFL history to record er realized our ceiling on the field this year.��� R It could be a big offseason for several former three straight seasons of 5,000 or more passing yards. But the Saints, with Coach Sean Payton missing Boilermakers, with Anthony Spencer, Cliff Avril, Shaun the season due to his involvement in a bounty proPhillips and Dustin Keller all becoming free agents. The biggest winner might be Spencer. He could gram, finished only 7-9, missing the playoffs. ���We make zero excuses,��� Brees told the Fort Worth turn his big season ��� the Dallas linebacker had career highs of 95 tackles and 11 sacks, despite missing Star-Telegram. ���We were a much better football team than our record, but unfortunately you are what your two games ��� into a long-term contract. Avril, a Detroit defensive end, had an up-and-down record says you are. We don���t make any excuses for season but finished 35 tackles, including 9.5 sacks. that. We should have played better. The reason we were Phillips, a San Diego linebacker, matched Avril���s 9.5 7-9 was because we didn���t make the plays we needed to make. It could have been just one or two plays in three sacks, with 50 tackles. Keller, the Jets��� tight end, suffered a hamstring or four games that completely change the complexion injury that cost him much of the year, as he played of our season.��� j TWIN CITY DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP RAM 42 ��� Gold & Black IllustrateD ��� volume 23, issue 4 650 Sagamore Parkway South Lafayette, IN 47905 See the 2011 Jeep Wrangler! 800-562-4581 twincitysuperstore.com GBIprint.com GoldandBlack.com