When new strength and conditioning coach Ben Pollard arrived on campus, he saw need for change in the Bulldogs approach to offseason workouts.Pollard replaces Jim Nowell, who was released by Mississippi State head football coach Sylvester Croom days after the Bulldogs lost the Egg Bowl.
“Any time you come into a program, and the season wasn’t as successful as everyone hoped, you know it’s time for a change,” Pollard said. “Not saying that what was done before was wrong, but simply making it different that what it was.”
Making it different is exactly what he did.
Pollard’s first change was to the players’ assignment sheets. In past years, there was little variety to the Bulldogs schedule; that’s no longer the case.
“I wanted the players to not get used to doing the same thing every day. That becomes boring,” Pollard said. “Now, one day we might lift and then do pyrometrics, or we might switch that around. To get better physically, you have to engage your brain, and repeating the same steps doesn’t help.”
Since he hired Pollard from Texas A&M in January, the Bulldog head man says he can see a major difference in his team’s attitude.
“Coach Pollard has motivated them in a different manner. They have totally bought into his program,” Croom said earlier this month during an on-campus press conference. “We had some guys who were just going through the motions, and now they are sold on the program as well.”
One player specifically caught the eye of Croom, that being wide receiver Tony Burks.
“Tony’s problem [last season] was a combination of poor conditioning and lack of mental toughness,” Croom said. “But since he’s been with Ben, it’s unbelievable how much better condition he’s in right now.”
Croom says that Burks, who came to MSU last season from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, would often have to come out of games after two or three plays from fatigue. Burks says that should no longer be a problem.
“Last season I was just making the transition from junior college to SEC play, and as the season went on, it began to take a toll on my body,” Burks said. “Coach Pollard and I have been working on my long-term conditioning and everyday I’m getting better.”
Pollard says it’s not he who helped Burks, but Burks himself.
“During the course of a game, Tony lost a lot of water,” Pollard said. “But I don’t know if I helped him so much. He’s a hard worker, and he’s working on becoming more efficient, and hopefully it’ll show on the field.”
Pollard who coached former TCU and NFL star LaDainian Tomlinson, says there is a big misconception in what a strength coach’s duties are.
“I’m here to help these guys perform better. I’m not making them great players; they’re already great players,” Pollard said.
How much Pollard’s methods have influenced this group of Bulldogs will start to be determined Thursday night, when they face No. 2 LSU.