What Tony Pollard’s Numbers Make Clear

RonnieT24

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Our OC likes the big play but there are times to see an offense just chip away 4 or 5 yards at a time all the way down the field and wear down opposing D while keeping our D off the field. I also believe that’s why we have have red zone issues is because our OC likes the big play. I don’t care who the RB as long as they are utilized for their strengths and we score.

Not only do I like to see this.. Until our defense gets a LOT better it's something we absolutely NEED. We cannot be a feast or famine offense because people think this is fantasy football. Yeah it's fun to watch 3 play 75 yard drives that use 1:30 off the clock .. but the flip side is that turns the ball back over to the other team and we get to watch them go 75 yards in 10 plays pounding OUR defense. Even if we trade scores early on the other team is doing more damage to our defense than we are theirs and eventually we end up on the losing end.
 

DandyDon52

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I doubt they will keep giving pollard more carries than elliot. It is possible but I doubt it .
I was surprised pollard got that many carries.
I was shocked they ran so much and passed so little, it was a balanced attack, but again I dont see them continuing that.
But maybe they surprise me.
 

G2

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It's week to week, case by case. Moore is utilizing the variety of skilled players on offense according to the what the defense presents. No two games will be alike.
The reality is Pollard isn't going to match up and produce every week like he did vs LA.
 

DandyDon52

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Pollard also had 3 KO returns for 71 yds.
The chargers rb's only got 13 carries lol, but were avg 5 and 6 yds per carry !
Pollard had 8.3 avg
 

quickccc

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Maybe so but Zeke averaged 4.7 ypc in 2018.. Most backs would kill for that kind of season yet we call it a "decline year?" Long runs tend to diminish as backs mature in the league. Partly because they slow down and partly because each year they play adds chapters to the book on how to defend them. That's why backs who don't depend on one single dominant "gift" are better over the long hall.

A speed back is all but worthless once he loses a step or defenses realize that he just wants to bounce everything and play to cut that off. A big back who is exclusively a power guy can be neutralized by stacking the line or getting penetration to get on him before he builds up a head of steam.

Zeke brings a little of all of that to the table.. He's big but not so big as to be stiff. He's fast but just taking away the outside won't completely shut him down. He's powerful enough and clever enough in small spaces to make yards even when the blocking aint the greatest. The 40 yard run thing is just an arbitrary measure..

As long as he consistently moves the chains and does the dirty work we need him do we don't need him to break a bunch of long ones. Most of those came late in games when he had been able to wear defenses down.. those carries are going to Pollard now.. It is what it is..

And while you talk of his 4.7 avg. .. how many 20, 30 or 40 yard runs did he have that 2018 year ?

Think it should not matter ? DeMarco Murray still holds the Cowboys single season rushing record with 1845+ yards rushing,.. even more than any season zeke has had as NFL rush champ - and even our 2 Hall of Famers Emmitt and Dorsett. and ironically he had the same avg. as Zeke in 2018 .. 4.7 avg.

- Just as you say many backs would kill for a 4.7 avg, ..how many RBs would’ve killed for an 1800+ rushing season ?
But yet Cowboys allowed Murray to walk outta door and never thought to re-sign and invest long term wise in him.

- Why ?... because they clearly thought he was just a serviceable workhorse. They obviously wanted much more at the RB role as a franchise back.
 

quickccc

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Maybe so but Zeke averaged 4.7 ypc in 2018.. Most backs would kill for that kind of season yet we call it a "decline year?" Long runs tend to diminish as backs mature in the league. Partly because they slow down and partly because each year they play adds chapters to the book on how to defend them. That's why backs who don't depend on one single dominant "gift" are better over the long hall.

A speed back is all but worthless once he loses a step or defenses realize that he just wants to bounce everything and play to cut that off. A big back who is exclusively a power guy can be neutralized by stacking the line or getting penetration to get on him before he builds up a head of steam. Zeke brings a little of all of that to the table..

He's big but not so big as to be stiff.

He's fast but just taking away the outside won't completely shut him down. He's powerful enough and clever enough in small spaces to make yards even when the blocking aint the greatest. The 40 yard run thing is just an arbitrary measure.. As long as he consistently moves the chains and does the dirty work we need him do we don't need him to break a bunch of long ones. Most of those came late in games when he had been able to wear defenses down.. those carries are going to Pollard now.. It is what it is..

"He's Fast " ?
its’ a reason why Zeke took to the offseason with shedding weight and bulk, in an effort to recapture- rejuvenate that 2016 speed. That doesn’t sound like Zeke was focused on a 4.7 avg.
He had to be more focused and driven to gaining more splash plays .. more 20 and 40 yard plays.
If a lack of speed and splash big runs wasn't a concern, i highly doubt that would not have been a priority drive
for him this offseason.

- Long runs tend to diminish as they “mature “ in the league ? … I would think with certain backs tend the long runs diminish as they begin to show wear and tear.
Ala Chris Johnson, Leshaun Shady McCoy, ..Levion Bell, Marshawn Lynch, and even the
aforementioned Adrian Peterson.

I would've thought as much as Titans ride Derrick Henry’s back, it’d be soon before we saw wear-tear toll upon him as well. But seeing him Still rolling off 60 yard TD runs this past Sunday, , he still proving a long homerun, splash play back.
So what about Zeke ?

Once the speed is gone, then its’ just resorting to power, which means since there’s no speed to run away
from more excessive pounding, so he really has no choice but to absorb pounding, how long do you think it'd be
before the wear adds to the decline ?

- When you’re that much slower into-out of the hole, ..when linemen have to hold their blocks that much longer, ...
when your movement and lack of burst s making the offense that more slower in the backfield..? .
 

ondaedg

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It kinda angers me that we may well have wasted yet another massively talented player here. Zeke should still be a dominant back and we should still be riding him to wins.. but when Moore became the OC we canceled that plan. At the end of the day as long as we win I don't care.. The problem is that since this shift in philosophy we have won a lot less.. which is why I don't like it.

Power running games are hard to keep going unless your Oline is dominating. Not taking anything away from Henry but Zeke would have success on that team because the RBs aren’t even getting touched until they’re 3yds past the LOS. No team is even close to that kind of blocking performance. The more weapons Moore utilizes the tougher it is for a DC to scheme us.

And no way we can primarily be a power running team when your D is giving up 430yds/g.
 

RonnieT24

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Power running games are hard to keep going unless your Oline is dominating. Not taking anything away from Henry but Zeke would have success on that team because the RBs aren’t even getting touched until they’re 3yds past the LOS. No team is even close to that kind of blocking performance. The more weapons Moore utilizes the tougher it is for a DC to scheme us.

And no way we can primarily be a power running team when your D is giving up 430yds/g.

No we can't.. but I submit that the power running helped dominate the time of possession which in turn helped the defense not get exposed as often.. The Titans offensive line IS killing fools.. but even they were only getting like 3 ypc against Seattle until late in the game. The difference is that the Titans didn't care.. they kept giving Henry the ball.. he had 24 carries for 72 yards entering the 4th quarter.. He went for 60 on his 25th carry. Who here thinks we'd ever see the Cowboys keep feeding Zeke the ball 25 carries while he's getting 3 yards a tote? ESPECIALLY when they were 14 points down?
 

LovinItAll

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FIRST OF ALL, LET ME SAY THIS OVER THE LOUD SPEAKER: ATTENTION ALL ZEKE SUPER FANS- THIS IS NOT AN ANTI-ZEKE THREAD. THANK YOU.

One of the bright spots that has clearly emerged this season is the development of Tony Pollard into a bonafide offensive weapon. So much so he can no longer just be a “rest opportunity” for Zeke. Pollard has shown that he can be a real asset in multiple situations.

I will go a step further: Tony Pollard is now a weapon that must be a part of every game plan.

Am I saying Zeke is not necessary? Absolutely NOT. Zeke is still a valuable offensive weapon too. Two things have changed. 1. Pollard has developed into a potential big play back. 2. Zeke is not what he was in 2016-18. He still has value. But he is no longer the “bell cow” 25 carries per game back, and he does not seem to have the burst to a big play he once did. Zeke still has value though in several areas including power runs, blocking and some passing routes.

It’s also clear Kellen Moore is recognizing Pollard’s increased value. Compare game one to game to game two regarding Pollard’s work load:
  • Game 1 vs TB- 7 touches. 3 rushes for 14 yards, 4 catches for 29 yards. 43 total yds
  • Game 2 vs LAC- 16 touches- 13 carries for 109 yds, 3 catches for 31 yds. 140 total yds.
Some of the numbers will vary depending on who we play. TB was certainly better than LAC against the run.

Looking at comparisons between Zeke and Pollard and explosive plays of 20 yds plus the last two years, the numbers speak for themselves.
  • Ezekiel Elliott - Number of plays of 20 yds+
    • 2016-2018- 30 plays of 20+ yds
    • 2019-20- 3 plays of 20+ yds
    • Notice the drop off after 2018.
  • Tony Pollard - Number of plays of 20 yds+
    • 2019-20- 8 plays of 20+ yds
    • 2021- already has 2 plays of 20+ yds
    • Last two years, Pollard has 10 plays of 20+ compared to 3 for Zeke.
Once again, not saying Zeke is no good or shouldn’t play. Just saying Pollard is more of a big play threat and needs to get more touches per game. The numbers are clear.

It's like spitting into the wind with the guys that try to compare Tony and Zeke's numbers in a vacuum. Go back and watch every running play against the Chargers. I've done it twice. Had Zeke rushed the ball 25-27 times with the same play calls against the same personnel, he'd have rushed for 130+, and I really think he'd have had over a buck and a half.

Pollard isn't better than Zeke. Pollard isn't faster than Zeke at Zeke's current weight. He's not 'quicker' and doesn't have more 'burst'. They both went to the combine and ran timed 40s and splits. It's in black and white. It's not like Zeke is a decade older than Tony. They're two years apart.

You think Zeke's contract is bad? Okay, I can respect that opinion whether I agree with it or not.

But calling Pollard a better running back because you looked at a stat sheet? Please.......
 

75boyz

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Whatever the case, put me in the "Do NOT pay any RB's big money" Fan Club. Keep drafting stud OLinemen and let fresh RB's come in around the 4th/5th round. Let them get that big $ contract somewhere else. Just my opinion. No more Zeke's. I'd be against paying Pollard too...

Nice post. I've learned my lesson there as well. I agree.
 

OldJarhead

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Zeke is only getting the bulk of the playing time for 2 reasons, imo.

1. His blocking.
2. His contract.

Pollard is the better runner of the football right now. He's more explosive and shifty. He makes the bigger runs. He makes more defenders miss and breaks more tackles.

Let's be real too, Pollard looked better last year when given the opportunity. We'll never see 2016-2018 Zeke again. That's over and we need to accept that reality.

When RBs know they've lost a little bit of what made them great they always do 1 of 2 things. They gain weight and try to become more of a power runner because they know the speed and explosiveness is gone, or they lose weight to try to try and get some of that explosiveness and quickness back because they know at their current weight they can't move like they used too. Zeke has tried both of these routes.

Your opinion is wrong. Period, end of sentence.
 

Bobhaze

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It's like spitting into the wind with the guys that try to compare Tony and Zeke's numbers in a vacuum. Go back and watch every running play against the Chargers. I've done it twice. Had Zeke rushed the ball 25-27 times with the same play calls against the same personnel, he'd have rushed for 130+, and I really think he'd have had over a buck and a half.

Pollard isn't better than Zeke. Pollard isn't faster than Zeke at Zeke's current weight. He's not 'quicker' and doesn't have more 'burst'. They both went to the combine and ran timed 40s and splits. It's in black and white. It's not like Zeke is a decade older than Tony. They're two years apart.

You think Zeke's contract is bad? Okay, I can respect that opinion whether I agree with it or not.

But calling Pollard a better running back because you looked at a stat sheet? Please.......
Did you read the OP?
Quotes from that:
“Am I saying Zeke is not necessary? Absolutely NOT. Zeke is still a valuable offensive weapon too.”
“Once again, not saying Zeke is no good or shouldn’t play. Just saying that Pollard is more of a big play threat and needs to get more touches per game. The numbers are clear”.
 

Xeven

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Zeke just does not seem to plan beyond initial yardage. He gets that first burst and done. Pollard literally looks like he is trying to find that spot for second burst.
 

LovinItAll

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Did you read the OP?
Quotes from that:
“Am I saying Zeke is not necessary? Absolutely NOT. Zeke is still a valuable offensive weapon too.”
“Once again, not saying Zeke is no good or shouldn’t play. Just saying that Pollard is more of a big play threat and needs to get more touches per game. The numbers are clear”.

Yes, I read it. Did you read my post? I'm saying Pollard most definitely is NOT more of a big play threat when comparing apples to apples.

I'm a fan of both Zeke and Pollard. I support them as a two back threat. I'm also saying Zeke would've gotten every yard Tony got on Sunday running through those massive lanes opened up on the right side, which is where Tony ran on Sunday. Zeke had 3 runs right of center, including his TD. Tony had 9, and that's where 90% of his yards were gained.
 
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