Cowboys RB Tony Pollard to Pro Bowl - Over Ezekiel Elliott?!
FRISCO - Want to see the concept of "the contrarian gone mad''? Here you go ...
NFL.com is pondering the possibility of Dallas Cowboys backup running back Tony Pollard going to the Pro Bowl.
Oh, boy.
Their thinking? "Pollard brings three-down ability to the field, and I'm very bullish on his potential in 2022,'' writes somebody named "Nick Shook.'' "He posted career numbers in 2021, and I don't see his role decreasing.''
Listen, we mean no disrespect to "somebody named Nick Shook.''And we are well aware, having reported it often from here inside The Star, that the Cowboys have accelerated plans for Pollard. And one more thing: We know the numbers. It's true that Pollard out-gained Pro Bowl perennial teammate Ezekiel Elliott (yes, "perennial'' - he's a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro) "by more than a full yard on a per-carry basis.''
But those numbers don't mean that Pollard is better than Elliott.
Nor do those numbers mean that the Cowboys are about to shuffle Pollard to the top of the depth chart, with Zeke suddenly demoted to being Pollard's caddie.
That might be the impression some national Cowboys watchers are creating in their own minds, based, frankly, on the boots-on-the-ground reporting here in Frisco. But like the idea of benching Zeke, as proposed here by ESPN, it is not reflective of the Cowboys' plan here.
There is even an unfair portrayal of Zeke as a 2021 Pro Bowl candidate. He didn't get voted in ... even though at the time of the balloting he was second in the NFC in rushing yards and touchdowns on a 10-5 team.
But here's where the boosterism of Pollard becomes silly: To make the Pro Bowl this year, he'd not only have to "beat out'' Elliott. He'd also have to move into a class with/above the caliber of guys who made it last year. That would include Dalvin Cook of Minnesota, James Conner of Arizona, Alvin Kamara of New Orleans, Jonathan Taylor of Indy, Nick Chubb of Cleveland, Joe Mixon of Cincinnati and Najee Harris of Pittsburgh.
- So ... NFL.com is not only predicting Pollard will be better than Zeke; the outlet is also predicting Pollard will move to the level of a Cook, a Chubb, a Kamara. And that is the result of contrarian thinking gone mad.
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