CFZ Why Shouldn't Tony Pollard Leave Dallas?

[VaqueroTD]

Ironic if Zeke’s overpay is what influences Jerry not to re-sign Pollard.

With Sequon doing well again, a first rounder is back in the mix, but if you look at all of the last two year’s high performing backs - Taylor, Henry, Cook, Chubb, Gibson, etc…

All could be had after the first round. Time to see if our scouts and draft experts are as good with RBs as they are picking Offensive Linemen.

 

[OmerV]

LOL you are crazy if you think Zeke and his insane contract have any actual value. He has negative value. You would have to give someone draft picks to take him off your hands.

At that point the guaranteed money will have been paid, and a team could walk away at any point with minimal cap implications. Additionally, since being cut and having the revenue stream cut off is a threat, Zeke may be willing to renegotiate on more reasonable terms.

 

[Retro88]

I'd rather have Pollard going forward then Zeke so I obviously would cut Zeke and pay Pollard decently. However, it doesn't bother me much. Considering we draft well and how many good RBs get drafted each year....I'm not really worried.

 

[lukin2006]

Zeke should be cut after this season, resign Pollard. Draft a bigger back that can get those tough grind it out yards...and one that block as well. Pollard will never be a 20 plus carry guy in the nfl. His blocking is horrendous at times. He almost got Rush sent the hospital earlier in the year.

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

I'd rather have Pollard going forward then Zeke so I obviously would cut Zeke and pay Pollard decently. However, it doesn't bother me much. Considering we draft well and how many good RBs get drafted each year....I'm not really worried.

It's simple.

Just give Pollard the 15 carries a game you give Zeke and give Zeke the 10 carries a game you give Pollard.

That alone I believe will make a huge difference.

 

[Retro88]

It's simple.

Just give Pollard the 15 carries a game you give Zeke and give Zeke the 10 carries a game you give Pollard.

That alone I believe will make a huge difference.

I agree with this. Doesn't matter which "starts" but this should be the split. I was mainly speaking on next year. I like Zeke but he shouldn't realistically be on the team next year. That being said he probably will be.

My main concern is I don't want to see 25+ million next year going to the RB position next season.

 

[conner01]

I would like him to be the featured back.

I believe he will leave if this doesn't happen.

He’s gonna go where he gets paid even if that’s where he’s not the feature back

 

[RonnieT24]

Players leaving to get their money is part of the business of NFL football. I love Pollard and would love to keep him but if he can go get somebody to pay him 10-12 million a year to be their lead back then he should do it in a heartbeat. Even if the Cowboys cut Zeke next spring they're not giving Pollard the kind of money he can get from some idiot owner on the open market. Love what he is doing for the team.. but I understand the business. Best case scenario for the Cowboys really would be for Zeke to take a pay cut and reduced role next season and Pollard to get a hefty raise and stick around as well. This is a great tandem we have .. reminds me of the Thurman Thomas/ Kenneth Davis duo in Buffalo. That was maybe the best 1-2 punch tandem of running backs of all time. Yes there were some that were better for a minute but that pair was amazing together for 5-6 years..

All that said, even though keeping them both would be the best thing for the Cowboys, it might not be the best thing for either player. I think both of them might be better off elsewhere. I know Zeke would be better off in a different offense and Pollard, while he fits the offense better than Zeke, will almost certainly command more money on the open market than what the Cowboys will offer.

 

[DCowboyz]

Yeah he’ll probably go to Miami. Imagine they add Pollard to that offense.

 

[RonnieT24]

If they pay him market value just to have him get 10 carries a game then the Cowboys will be the losers there.

They paid Zeke market value just to give him 12-15 carries a game.. so it would not be without precedent.

 

[xwalker]

This season....

Zeke: 443 yards
Pollard: 506 yards

Zeke: 0 100-yard rushing games
Pollard: 2 100-yard rushing games.

Zeke:4 TDs
Pollard: 5 TDs

Zeke: 6 catches
Pollard: 12 catches

Zeke: 32 receiving yards
Pollard: 121 receiving yards

Zeke: 15 carries a game
Pollard: 10 carries a game

Zeke: 63 YPG
Pollard: 63 YPG

Zeke: 4.1 YPA (32nd in the NFL)
Pollard: 6.2 YPA (1st in the NFL)

Then, after he rushes for 140 yards and 3 TDs Sunday you have Jerry coming out to let everyone know that Zeke is the man, we will go as he goes, and everything runs through Zeke blah blah blah.

Let's be real here for a second, Pollard has been better than Zeke for 2 years now.

Why shouldn't Pollard ditch this disrespect and go somewhere that will feature him? Surely, he wants an opportunity to be the real starter somewhere instead of living in a lesser players shadow because he doesn't make as much money. Everyone can see who makes the offense more explosive and who we seem to be able to speed things up with.

It's fine to let Zeke and Pollard split the carries to change up the pace, but I don't see how anyone can justify Zeke getting the majority of the carries at this point. The better player is Pollard at this point and he needs to be getting more of the playing time.

They can franchise tag Pollard.

Draft a RB
Tag Pollard
Cut Zeke

 

[cnuball21]

Players leaving to get their money is part of the business of NFL football. I love Pollard and would love to keep him but if he can go get somebody to pay him 10-12 million a year to be their lead back then he should do it in a heartbeat. Even if the Cowboys cut Zeke next spring they're not giving Pollard the kind of money he can get from some idiot owner on the open market. Love what he is doing for the team.. but I understand the business. Best case scenario for the Cowboys really would be for Zeke to take a pay cut and reduced role next season and Pollard to get a hefty raise and stick around as well. This is a great tandem we have .. reminds me of the Thurman Thomas/ Kenneth Davis duo in Buffalo. That was maybe the best 1-2 punch tandem of running backs of all time. Yes there were some that were better for a minute but that pair was amazing together for 5-6 years..

All that said, even though keeping them both would be the best thing for the Cowboys, it might not be the best thing for either player. I think both of them might be better off elsewhere. I know Zeke would be better off in a different offense and Pollard, while he fits the offense better than Zeke, will almost certainly command more money on the open market than what the Cowboys will offer.

As much as I’d love to keep them both around, it’s just going to cost too much even if Zeke takes a payout.

We shouldn’t be paying 2 backs for what Zeke is getting let alone 1.

 

[xwalker]

Zeke won’t be here next year, they’ll pay Pollard; then two years later everyone will crucify Jerry for “paying an RB” when Pollard starts slowing down

Franchise Tag.

The tag is a good option for RBs.

2022 Tag Amounts were:
RB 9.5M
WR 18.4M

Zeke's salary for 2023 is 10.9 million.
- They save that amount but cutting him.

 

[MyFairLady]

At that point the guaranteed money will have been paid, and a team could walk away at any point with minimal cap implications. Additionally, since being cut and having the revenue stream cut off is a threat, Zeke may be willing to renegotiate on more reasonable terms.

His upcoming base salaries are like 11 million, 10 million, 15 million and 16 million. He, and his contract, are less than worthless.

 

[RonnieT24]

As much as I’d love to keep them both around, it’s just going to cost too much even if Zeke takes a payout.

We shouldn’t be paying 2 backs for what Zeke is getting let alone 1.

Check out this post I made about this back in 2018.

===============================================
If you're gonna be a running team....

1. Then get the hell out of that damn spread shotgun look. Line up in the I, put a fullback in front of Zeke and aim the FB at Luke Kuechley or whoever the other team's tackling machine guy is and let Zeke work off of it. Also can we stop immediately shifting into the 5 wide as soon as Zeke has a good run. How many times did Zeke get the ball on back to back plays yesterday? Maybe once? The hallmark of a great running team is a commitment to it. We show through our formations and our playcalling (15 carries for your "work horse back? in what was pretty much a one score game for most of the day.") that we are NOT committed to the run. Which is fine.. if Dak throwing it up 40 times a game is who we want to be then trade Zeke and let's become the Patriots and use like 5 no name guys at RB. Here's the problem, Dak aint Brady.. at least not yet. The Panthers got in his kitchen with their pressure yesterday and made him indecisive. Indecision leads to bad throws and *** are you doing sacks. He's got to do better. But then so does his line and most importantly his coaches.
   
   RonnieT24, Sep 10, 2018Report
   Reply
   

I don't even know how that popped up all these years later but I posted it after the horrible season opener in 2018. I think it was before the site got converted... It made me chuckle because of these idiots who keep claiming I am some blind Zeke homer.. when I said this FOUR YEARS AGO!!! The bottom line is that the Cowboys have wasted the prime of yet another great player in Zeke and that makes me sad.. For him, for them and for us, the fans.. They could have and should have rode that hoss to at least one Super Bowl.. Instead they went "Air Moore" and have been huntin and peckin for a playoff win ever since.

 

[tunahelper]

This season....

Zeke: 443 yards
Pollard: 506 yards

Zeke: 0 100-yard rushing games
Pollard: 2 100-yard rushing games.

Zeke:4 TDs
Pollard: 5 TDs

Zeke: 6 catches
Pollard: 12 catches

Zeke: 32 receiving yards
Pollard: 121 receiving yards

Zeke: 15 carries a game
Pollard: 10 carries a game

Zeke: 63 YPG
Pollard: 63 YPG

Zeke: 4.1 YPA (32nd in the NFL)
Pollard: 6.2 YPA (1st in the NFL)

Then, after he rushes for 140 yards and 3 TDs Sunday you have Jerry coming out to let everyone know that Zeke is the man, we will go as he goes, and everything runs through Zeke blah blah blah.

Let's be real here for a second, Pollard has been better than Zeke for 2 years now.

Why shouldn't Pollard ditch this disrespect and go somewhere that will feature him? Surely, he wants an opportunity to be the real starter somewhere instead of living in a lesser players shadow because he doesn't make as much money. Everyone can see who makes the offense more explosive and who we seem to be able to speed things up with.

It's fine to let Zeke and Pollard split the carries to change up the pace, but I don't see how anyone can justify Zeke getting the majority of the carries at this point. The better player is Pollard at this point and he needs to be getting more of the playing time.

Back hand him with a franchise tag for even thinking about it.

 

[MyFairLady]

I could live with Pollard on the franchise tag for a year.

 

[MyFairLady]

Fat Zeke doesn't get 20 carries per game anymore cause he stinks. Not the other way around.

 

[RonnieT24]

I could live with Pollard on the franchise tag for a year.

It would be interesting to see what impact being the lead dog would have on him over the course of an entire season. There is no way to know until it happens but I suspect he would wear down some over time. It's the nature of the position.. the more snaps you play the more hits you take the more it slows you down. If the Cowboys make the move to cut Zeke and install Pollard as the lead dog they will need to be mindful of his workload. He aint built for all that tough running that they have been asking Zeke to do.. And there will be better defensive fronts on the schedule than what the Bears rolled out there.. Give me 9 ypc against Washington, Eagles or the 49ers or the Bucs when they're healthy.. then let's talk..

 

[OmerV]

His upcoming base salaries are like 11 million, 10 million, 15 million and 16 million. He, and his contract, are less than worthless.

But that's not guaranteed money. If a team decides in a year or two it's not worth it they can walk away with minimal cap implications.

And the reality is he will never collect that $15 & 16 salary in 2025 & 2026.

And, again, if faced with renegotiating or being cut he may well renegotiate.