Bernard Pollard and the Titans aren't separating on the best of terms.
The veteran safety understandably wants to "go out with a bang," as he said in an interview with the Tennessean on Monday following the news of his release.
But he also thinks there's a systemic problem with the way the Titans are building their roster, and that the team will be hard pressed to find success if they cannot fix it.
"I'm not going to say they can't win here," Pollard said. "I believe they can win. But they need more pieces. And they need more guys from winning organizations to help turn things around. When you bring in free agents from losing teams, they go from one losing team to another. So you are not changing things, because his culture is, 'OK I have been losing every year anyway, so I am doing the same thing here.'"
Although we're not exactly sure what Pollard means -- the Titans' 2014 free agency class included Dexter McCluster (Kansas City, 11-5), Wesley Woodyard (Broncos, 13-3, lost Super Bowl) and Shaun Phillips (Broncos) as well as players from the Ravens and Steelers, both organizations accustomed to winning -- we think he might just be softening the blow.
What Pollard likely means is that the Titans need better players.
Coaches and general managers on losing teams often make the mistake of plucking some low-hanging fruit from playoff clubs the year before. This is almost never the solution.
In order to build a roster Pollard would enjoy playing for, the Titans need to look at their acquisition strategy and the way they deploy certain personnel.
Then again, Pollard probably knows this already. That's why he asked to get cut in the first place.
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