Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will not participate in practice for a second straight day as he continues to rehab a knee injury sustained in last Sunday’s win over Detroit.
Head coach Mike McCarthy isn’t ready to make any sort of pronouncement on Elliott’s status for this coming weekend’s showdown with Chicago, but he did confirm that the offensive game plan will not change should Tony Pollard be tasked with RB1 duties.
“We’re going to run the ball,” McCarthy stated during his Thursday press conference.
That’s just fine with Pollard, who, despite never having topped 14 carries in his 53-game pro career (and logged a college-best 17 rushing attempts just once, back in 2018), says he’s fully ready to be fed Zeke-style if need be.
“Whatever they ask for me to carry, I got it,” he said this week at The Star in Frisco. “They call it, I’m going to haul it.”
Now that’s a tagline.
As CEO of the Tony Pollard Rushing Co., the former fourth-round draft pick says he’s spent considerable time in the weight room since his days at Memphis. Now playing about seven to 10 pounds heavier than in college, he’s not worried about taking extra carries or subjecting himself to more of a pounding by being asked to do additional between-the-tackles work.
Although many are acting like this is uncharted territory for Pollard, it wouldn’t be the first time he’s stepped in for a banged-up Elliott.
Just the first time he’s had advance notice.
It was during pregame warmups, just before a late December 2020 meeting with a stingy 49ers run defense, that the fourth-year back was told he’d be making his first NFL start. Elliott, dealing with a nagging calf injury, cheered from the sideline that day as Pollard racked up 69 yards and two touchdowns on just 12 rushes as the lead back. (He added another 63 yards on six receptions.)
Nothing at all wrong with those numbers. But with a visiting Bears unit allowing an average of 149.7 ground yards per contest, it’s tempting to wonder if Pollard could do significantly better… especially if he’s given something more akin to 19 carries (Elliott, Week 4 vs. Washington) or even 22 attempts (Elliott, Week 5 vs. Los Angeles) instead of his current average of nine.
But let’s not stop there. No defense has been run on more in 2022 than Chicago (about 31 rushes per game), and they’ve responded by giving up 4.7 yards per carry. Pollard is averaging 5.6 yards per tote so far this season.
Calculate those numbers out to just their averages, and the math of what Pollard might be able to do Sunday is mouth-watering.
What Pollard knows for sure, though, is that, despite Elliott having been exceptionally durable for his entire career, it was just a matter of time before he’d need to be more than merely the second part of a one-two punch.
“It’s just ‘next guy up.’ In this league, the only thing that’s guaranteed is injuries,” the 25-year-old told reporters this week. “It’s expected, and the next guy’s got to be ready to step in.”
And even though he could be staring down the biggest sheer workload of his football life, Pollard won’t be the least bit fazed by the moment.
“I’m always trying to go out there and show what I can do. Prove myself right, prove others wrong, and just play team ball.”
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