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Tony Pollard made his first start as a Dallas Cowboys running back on Saturday when the team played their first preseason game of the year on the road in San Francisco against the 49ers. Obviously, his position has been one of much interest over the last few weeks.
Why are people so interested with the Cowboys running backs? Ezekiel Elliott is in the middle of a holdout with the Cowboys as he seeks a contract extension worthy of the two rushing titles he’s produced over the last three years, but Dallas has been vocal about their desire to keep things as friendly as they can from a fiscal perspective.
Of course, a way to be financially responsible at running back (a position many feel is devalued in today’s NFL) is to not pay significant money for one and to instead utilize rookies on inexpensive contracts. Players like Tony Pollard.
It was very interesting that Dallas chose to name Pollard as the starter in San Francisco instead of Darius Jackson who took the first team reps when training camp began. Pollard led the group in yards per carry (he only had four carries), and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was quick to give him some serious praise after the game.
Usually, it’s fans and media that drive hype trains during this time of year.
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) August 11, 2019
In the case of Tony Pollard, the Cowboys are doing it themselves. I wonder why that might be pic.twitter.com/a109S9zHMs
“We’ve seen him do it, we know he’s capable of, if he really needs to, carrying the whole load.” Those are some very interesting words.
Why would Pollard need to carry the whole load, Jerry? What situation could possibly befall the Cowboys that require him to be the primary running back for the team? Oh, the one that has to do with Ezekiel Elliott? That one?
The situation with Zeke is obviously a difficult one to qualify from either side. There are arguments to be made for both parties, Zeke wants to get paid and the Cowboys want to be responsible. Both things make sense; however, the dance of it all, especially the one that takes place in front of the public eye, is all part of the deal.
Jerry Jones is hardly unaware of the situation that he’s currently in, and he’s certainly not unaware that every word he says with regards to running backs is going to be thoroughly dissected. That he chose to insinuate Pollard could carry the load for the Cowboys is very interesting, and perhaps a message of sorts that he’s trying to send.
What do you think?