Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy dismisses idea that Tony Pollard was underused

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy spoke to the press this week in Indianapolis ahead of the NFL Combine. The coach talked about a “clean-up” surgery that Dak Prescott underwent, the desire to clean up penalties, and the Sean Payton narrative. McCarthy was also asked about the under usage of running back Tony Pollard in relation to Ezekiel Elliott.

Before we tell you what his answer was, let’s lay out some facts. Despite the reality that Elliott was injured, Pollard outperformed him in many scenarios. In fact, Pollard was graded as the No. 5 running back in the NFL by PFF. Pollard had his best year in the NFL with 719 yards on 130 carries. You may be thinking that’s not a lot, but keep in mind that he did that while ranking 41st in rushing attempts and 41st in offensive snaps. Imagine what he could have done if he was given the ball more often.

Despite showing potential, the Cowboys refused to include Pollard more. And it didn’t help them. According to Bobby Belt of 105.3 The Fan, the Cowboys were 9-1 when Pollard received 10 or more carries and targets. When he had less than 10, the team went 1-5.

Knowing all of this makes McCarthy’s answer a bit frustrating. McCarthy stood by his usage of Pollard and said that people saying that the team didn’t use the RB enough is “convenient criticism.” Okay, Mike. Keep in mind this is also the head coach who also wholeheartedly stuck by his play calling in the final 14 seconds of the Wild Card Game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy says people who question his usage of Tony Pollard are using “convenient criticism”

I understand that every coach has to back up what he chooses to do. McCarthy isn’t going to come to the podium and say, “Yup! I screwed it all up.” But he could’ve at least pointed out that Pollard showed promise and that they intend to use him more in the future.

Here’s the exact quote from the Cowboys head coach:

"“My one or two focuses for this team moving forward are obviously penalties and adversity football. Those are the two areas that are a primary focus for us. As far as, ‘did we use this guy enough or that guy enough?’ I think it’s convenient criticism, frankly. If you look at our numbers of productivity, we are top of the league in a lot of categories. I’m not as interested in being the No. 1 ranked offense in the league. We need to be the No. 1 complementary offense. And I think we’ve accomplished that.”"

Didn’t he just negate his argument? If it’s not about being the No. 1 ranked offense and it’s about being complementary and playing as a group, shouldn’t he be using the whole group? Elliott was signed to a huge contract because he was a great running back. But if he isn’t playing at that level and he is hurt, why force his usage instead of giving the next man up a chance? If Pollard wasn’t performing, then this obviously wouldn’t even be a question. But, he was.