INDIANAPOLIS - Houston Texans safety Bernard Pollard arranged for two dozen tickets for Fort Wayne family and friends to see him play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Then he gave them a great show.
Pollard picked off two passes for the first time in his four-year NFL career - one from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and one from wide receiver Reggie Wayne - and delivered several of his trademark bone-rattling hits in the Texans' 20-17 loss to the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“It's my first two-interception game, and I'll take that all day, but we didn't come out with the win,” Pollard said. “It was good for my family to see me play and play at a high level.”
Pollard, who played his high school ball at South Side, grabbed his first pick off Manning late in the first half and kept the Colts from breaking the game open. Houston moved the ball within field-goal range, and kicker Kris Brown hit a 56-yarder to cut the Colts' lead to 13-3 at halftime.
“You definitely live for that, for turnovers like that,” Pollard said. “We want to keep taking the ball away and be the No.1 defense in everything we do. You're not going to play the perfect game. You're going to give some things up.
“But when you can change momentum of the game against a guy like that, who leads his team very well - it's big.”
Manning completed 26 of 40 passes for 242 yards in the first half, using the Colts' usual no-huddle offense, but with two-minute drill speed.
The Texans were able to slow him down somewhat the second half. Manning finished with 34-of-50 passing for 318 yards and one touchdown on a screen pass to Joseph Addai in the first quarter.
“We knew they would do the no-huddle, but they were high intensity and I'm not going to lie, it kind of caught us off guard,” Pollard said. “But we recouped and did everything we could to get off the field. … (We're) fighters, we scrap to the end.”
His second pick came early in the fourth quarter when the Colts, trailing 17-13, tried a reverse pass from Wayne to Pierre Garcon.
“I was just reading my keys,” Pollard said. “He threw the ball up and it was up for grabs.”
Pollard, 24, played his first three seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs, but was unceremoniously dumped by the team this fall for reasons unexplained.
He has embraced his chance with the Texans and has become a starter and crucial player in their defense.
“Coach (Gary Kubiak) has been great to me, giving me an opportunity to do some things,” Pollard said. “We want to keep playing at a high level because playing at a high level gets you wins. Anytime you play a team like this and take it down to the wire, you hope it goes your way. It didn't go our way today, but they're in our division and we'll get a chance to play them again.”
Pollard served notice of what's in store for the Colts when they meet Nov. 29 in Houston: He delivered some of his trademark devastating hits on Addai, Dallas Clark and Manning. He said he refrained from hitting Manning too hard when the quarterback was sliding after a run because he didn't want another fine by the NFL.
“It was fun getting a chance to be able to hit people,” Pollard said. “That motivates people.”
Pollard's play against the Colts showed he's as motivated to make a difference as he's ever been.
