Emergence of Tony Pollard makes Cowboys even more dangerous
There are plenty of weapons on the Dallas Cowboys offense. Dak Prescott. Ezekiel Elliott. Amari Cooper. CeeDee Lamb. Michael Gallup. You get the point. Dallas has one of the best and most explosive offenses in the sport because of the aforementioned names. That doesn't even include the talent along the offensive line, including Zack Martin […]
There are plenty of weapons on the Dallas Cowboys offense. Dak Prescott. Ezekiel Elliott. Amari Cooper. CeeDee Lamb. Michael Gallup.
You get the point.
Dallas has one of the best and most explosive offenses in the sport because of the aforementioned names. That doesn't even include the talent along the offensive line, including Zack Martin and Tyron Smith.
It might be time to add another name to the list.
TONY POLLARD STARRED FOR COWBOYS
The Cowboys offense largely goes through Dak Prescott and the passing attack. That makes a ton of sense when you have a top-5 quarterback and a plethora of talent at wide receiver.
Ezekiel Elliott is typically where the run game goes through. Elliott may not be as explosive as his younger self, but he is still an effective player that makes an impact as a runner, receiver, and pass blocker. Having a talent such as Zeke in the backfield is not something to gloss over.
That said, it is past time that the Cowboys give more snaps and carries to Tony Pollard. The third-year back has flashed at different times in his career — past performances versus the Lions and Rams come to mind — but, for whatever reason, Dallas decides to go away from him.
Sunday was the latest example of what Tony Pollard adds to the offense. Pollard played 21 snaps and touched the ball 16 times, rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. He averaged 8.4 yards per rush attempt and more than 10 yards per reception.
Pollard displayed impressive vision, burst, and explosiveness nearly every time that the ball touched his hands. The Chargers had no answer for the Cowboys' rushing attack, especially Tony Pollard.
WHY THIS MAKES COWBOYS MORE DANGEROUS
The emergence of Tony Pollard provides the Dallas Cowboys offense with even more ways to attack defenses. We have seen Pollard have a performance like this before — such as his 131-yard, one-touchdown game against the Rams in 2019 — but this one feels different.
Maybe it is just hopeful thinking that the Cowboys will utilize Pollard more this season than in years past. Elliott is the one with the hefty contract, and we have seen the Cowboys be hesitant with giving Pollard more responsibility.
That said, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did speak on the possibility of Dallas going with a 1-2 punch in the running game. Jones sees having both Elliott and Pollard involved in the offense as a "great asset".
"I see it as a great asset to this team," Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning. "You don’t have an issue. Both of the players are outstanding out of the backfield. We really have an outstanding situation here.”
Jones also explained what each of the two running backs bring to the Cowboys:
"Pollard gets up on them so fast and can really surprise the defense. He’s stronger than he looks, so sudden and has got such a burst. Zeke is as powerful in terms of his burst. He punishes the hell out of these defenders."
That is certainly a good problem to have. The two have the ability to hurt defenses in both the running game and in the passing game. Pollard and Elliott have proven to be effective in a variety of ways, which only makes the Cowboys offense even more dangerous.
Pollard adds another dangerous weapon to the already explosive Dallas Cowboys offense. The more involved Tony Pollard is in the offense, the better for the Cowboys.
Featured image via Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
