SANTA CLARA, CA (105.3 THE FAN) - The truth is, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry "Poppins'' Jones isn't driving the Tony Pollard HypeMobile.
The guy at the wheel is actually Tony Pollard himself.
Yes, "Jerry Poppins'' -- my nickname for the always-optimistic Cowboys boss due to his spoonful-of-sugar approach to football and life -- issued the headline-garnering remarks following Dallas' 17-9 preseason-opening loss at the Niners in which the fourth-round rookie Pollard started, rushing four times for 16 yards.
What Jerry said to us in the Levi Stadium postgam locker room: "I certainly thought he had a good account of himself. He looks confident out there, we know he's inordinately understanding of what he does and can do. We've seen him do it, we know he's capable of, if he really needs to, carrying the whole load."
Undoubtedly, Jerry's remarks are in part tied to the Ezekiel Elliott holdout. Jones would like to find a way not only to seal a deal with the NFL rushing champ, but would also like Zeke out of Cabo and in camp in order to help fuel negotiations that according to the Cowboys presently feature an n-the-table offer that would make Elliott a "top-five-paid-running back'' (and maybe even a top-two-paid).
But let's break down the four elements of what Jerry said in his statement to us:
1) "He had a good account of himself.'' Fair enough. Given more opportunities, watch and see -- Pollard will eventually put on film some splash plays, at which time Jerry will look even more correct.
2) "He looks confident out there.'' Pollard has from the start handled himself professionally here, and he's been treated professionally in kind. Some people in the building, on Draft Day, wondered if he was too small and just a "gimmick'' back. But the people who matter told him otherwise.
He believes them. Thus, in part, his confidence.
3) "We know he's inordinately understanding of what he does and can do.'' This is monumentally true. And you can't know it from the headlines. Really, you can't know this even from watching the game.
I know where Jerry got this take -- because he got it from the same place I did.
"Pollard in the classroom'' is a thing. He's been dazzling there. The coaches have from the start fed him, pushed him, quizzed him. And Tony Pollard has passed every test.
"We've asked him to grasp a lot,'' one staffer tells me. "And Tony gobbles all up.''
Lest you think this is just sunshine-pumping, I will tell you that the same staffer was just as frank with me about another rookie runner, Mike Weber, who totaled six carries and 18 yards and did you see that spin move!
No, the staffer tells me, Weber was disappointing. Missed assignments. Needs to catch on better, quicker.
Jerry’s assessment of what Pollard has done so far isn't all ownership hope and leverage-gaining; it's also a reflection of what the coaching staff tells its boss. It’s real.
4) "We've seen him do it, we know he's capable of, if he really needs to, carrying the whole load." No, Jerry. No. This is where Jerry Poppins went floating along under his flying umbrella. We haven't "seen it.'' "Full-load'' is Zeke Talk. We can't have Zeke Talk yet about Pollard. (We should also hold off on Kamara Talk, Reggie Bush Talk and Lenny Moore Talk.) Dallas drafted Tony Pollard for a lot of right reasons. One of those was to be a backup and a change-of-pace weapon behind Elliott. Another was to be a Swss-Army Knife likely while playing alongside of him. Another was as a someday-replacement. And as insurance against any Zeke "stuff''?
Yeah, that, too.
As I’ve suggested on-air on 105.3 The Fan, the Joneses and Elliott are engaging in a Tug-of-War and Tony Pollard is the rope. But that doesn’t mean he’s not the real deal.
It’s just that he’s not as real a deal as Ezekiel Elliott.