Rowdy
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- Mar 18, 2019
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The word from the Cowboys last week was that running back Ezekiel Elliott would be in the lineup despite a calf injury, but he wound up on the inactive list for their game against the 49ers.
Dallas turned to Tony Pollard and he produced 132 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the 41-33 victory. It was more total yards than Elliott has produced in a single game this season.
Pollard has always been seen as a complementary back, but Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones was asked on 105.3 The Fan if the 49ers game showed that Pollard is capable of being a lead back.
“In this day and time, there’s not many that do that,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. “I certainly wouldn’t bet against him. I think when we first drafted him, it was more of a change of pace, complementary guy that was going to be great in the return game and spell Zeke. Certainly surprised every step of the way in terms of the number of times he can touch the ball. As I said, I think they’re a great complement to one another. I wouldn’t bet against Tony if he had to touch the ball. I think he ended up touching it 20 times — I think it was 12 rushing, and I forget the exact number, eight to 10 passes he caught. So, whether he can run the ball 21, 22, 25 times a game, I don’t know that, but as I said, I wouldn’t bet against him.”
Elliott’s contract makes it difficult to imagine the team doing anything other than giving him every chance to bounce back from a disappointing season, but Pollard’s play the last two years should provide some confidence about turning his way if Elliott continues to struggle.