FRISCO, Texas – It was a welcome sight to see Tony Pollard return to the field Sunday night, just eight months after a nasty leg injury that took him out of Dallas’ playoff loss against San Francisco.
Looking as agile as ever and carrying his new load as the starting running back out of the backfield, Pollard turned in a productive performance with 70 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to help fuel the offense with two-thirds of its touchdowns Sunday night.
“I feel like it was a pretty decent performance in my first game,” Pollard said. “I’m just getting my feet wet.”
The highlight of his performance came on a third-and-goal opportunity in the second quarter, when he took a pass to the right and followed his blockers before cutting and finding space for his first score of the season.
“It was really a matter of instinct,” he said. “The play was designed to come out and get an advantage. Just feel the flow of the defense and feel the defenders flow to the ball and react.”
Despite battling the rain and gaining a big lead largely thanks to defense and special teams, Pollard feels the offense found a rhythm even if the stat sheet doesn’t shine.
“I feel like we did a good job,” Pollard said. “We didn’t play our best game on offense, but we did a good job of playing complementary football. The defense, when it clicks like that, doesn’t require much from the offense. I feel like we did a good job of keeping the momentum going and getting plays when we could.”
Pollard said he feels the offense needs to execute better Sunday against the Jets, especially with communication, as he sees a challenge ahead that will be one of the toughest battles they will see in 2023.
“They have a great defense, especially on the defensive line,” he said of the Jets. “A guy like Quinnen Williams up front, they’ve got a great linebacker corps, CJ Mosley. They’ve got some good cornerbacks out there.”
“You have to look forward to those tough challenges in this game that we play. You’re going to face tough opponents. You’re going to play against impact players, guys on the team that can make big plays. We have guys on our team that make those same plays. You just have to looking forward to it.”
All the talk between the lines aside, the growing excitement of being inside AT&T Stadium for the first time this season has Pollard and the rest of the team excited for what’s to come.
While each game has a certain level of importance, the first few home games always feel a little more special to him.
“It’s hard to describe,” he said. “Especially being a Cowboy, it’s different. Every game will be pretty much sold out. The tailgates are going to be crazy. It’s a great feeling. You have to be there to feel it/witness it.”
“I’m looking forward to winning.”
2023-09-14 00:48:15
#Ready #challenge #Jets
