‘Looked Like Tony!' Cowboys' McCarthy Scouts Pollard Performance

Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy comments on running back Tony Pollard's debut as the undisputed starter in Week 1.

Just about everything went right for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. In their Week 1 dismantling of the New York Giants, the special teams and defense produced an avalanche of game-changing plays. Winning 40-0 on the road is a statement game against any team, but doing so against a division rival puts the league on notice.

Offensively, Dallas was not asked to do much. Quarterback Dak Prescott did not take a snap with a win probability below 70%. Still, it was a fairly effortless endeavor. In the pouring rain, they managed 265 yards off offense, 143 of which came via Prescott’s arm.

The run game looked very good as well, to the likings of head coach Mike McCarthy. He spoke on Monday about running back Tony Pollard’s performance.

“I thought he looked like Tony,” McCarthy said. “You could see it coming the last two weeks. He’s been really cranking it in the finishing of his runs.”

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Pollard gashed New York’s defense for 70 yards on 14 attempts, scoring two touchdowns. He was clearly the lead back and looked more than capable of shouldering the load New England Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott had for seven seasons.

There was, in the minds of some, a bit of doubt about Pollard’s return to action after offseason surgery to repair a leg injury. McCarthy was pleased with Pollard’s recovery process all offseason, and had his confidence - and ours, as in watching him in practice through OTA’s and training camp wenever saw a problem - justified in week 1.

“I thought he picked up kind of where he left off,” McCarthy said.

Pollard will be tasked with taking pressure off of his quarterback on Sunday, when the New York Jets come to town. The Jets’ elite defense should make life more difficult than the Giants had in Week 1, but by all accounts, Pollard has the confidence of his coaching staff.