Leach, Pollard Set to Take on Former Team

When the Houston Texans come to town next Sunday, they will see two familiar faces suited up in the purple and black. Ravens All-Pro fullback Vonta Leach and starting strong safety Bernard Pollard are both former Texans who were not re-signed after the 2010 season.

Leach spent five seasons in Houston from 2006-2010 and developed into arguably the best pure fullback in the league while there. Pollard spent the last two seasons in the Texans secondary accounting for an eye-popping 213 tackles, including a team-leading 111 in 2010, while also forcing five fumbles and intercepting four passes. But Houston decided to move on without the two impact players.

When it comes to Leach, there's no denying his talent as a fullback. However, the Texans did not want to spend the kind of money that Leach commanded, especially at a position such as fullback, where very few players get big-money deals. Enter the Ravens, who desperately wanted to pair a hard-nosed, true blocking fullback with Ray Rice after previously having Le'Ron McClain, who was more of a hybrid fullback/tailback. The Ravens signed Leach to a three-year, $11 million deal in July. The Texans offer was said to be significantly lower than that, and seemed to be borderline insulting to Leach. The All-Pro FB took to twitter on Friday to shed some light on the situation. "Bottom line #texans did not offer me a fair deal or my worth and I found a home in bmore an I'm happy," Leach wrote. The Ravens are surely happy as well.

Pollard, on the other hand was reportedly not offered any contract by the Texans after the season. With new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips placing a premium on coverage skills by safeties, and Pollard's alleged lack of prowess in that area, he was deemed not a fit in Phillip's defense. After the departure of starter Dawan Landry from the Ravens prior to the season, Baltimore signed Pollard to a two-year deal and he was expected to compete with Tom Zbikowski for playing time.

The situation has really turned into a win-win for both franchises. With Leach, the Ravens got everything they expected and more in the powerful lead blocker. He made his second consecutive All-Pro team, and received his second consecutive Pro-Bowl nod, while leading Ray Rice to a Pro-Bowl season and career highs in yards rushing and rushing touchdowns. The Texans were still able to thrive without him, averaging 153 rushing yards per game, good for 2nd in the NFL.

After coming off the bench for the first three games of the season, Pollard entrenched himself as the starter at strong safety with his impressive play and brutal hits. He has given the Ravens an imposing big hitter at the strong safety position, and has even displayed skills in coverage that were questioned before the season. He turned in a career high 13 defended passes for the Ravens and has not only filled the shoes of the departed Landry, but in my opinion gives the team a clear upgrade. The Texans are surely content with their decision to let him walk as well, as their Wade Phillips led defense has been spectacular and finished ranked 2nd in the league.

In the end, both franchises, and both players can be happy with how things turned out, and although of course the ultimate goal for Leach and Pollard is the Super Bowl, what better way to stick it to their former team than to defeat them in the upcoming divisional round and end their season.