How We Know New Cowboys Coach McCarthy Will 'Feed Zeke'

Cowboys Critics Are Painting a Picture That Causes Concern About How We New Coach McCarthy Will 'Feed Zeke.' History Eases Those Concerns

FRISCO - It's a great example of what I call "Making Numbers Dance The Way You Want 'Em To Go'': Dallas Cowboys critics are sifting through the Green Bay history of new Dallas coach Mike McCarthy and suggesting that maybe there is evidence in there that he'll under-utilize Cowboys All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott.

My polite advance: Quit dancing. Sift deeper.

My friend Ed Werder reflects on the hiring of McCarthy (with a presser scheduled today at 3 p.m. here at The Star) by writing, "I'm curious to know what Mike McCarthy told Jerry Jones about his willingness to run the football. McCarthy’s Packers' last 1,000-yard rusher was Eddie Lacy in 2014.''

This is a true fact, and when Ed goes on to note (with another true fact) that "the Cowboys made Ezekiel Elliott the highest-paid running back in the NFL, it hints that he knows the answer to the question of what McCarthy told Jerry he'd do with Elliott.

"Feed Zeke,'' I'm pretty sure.

Beyond the logic of this statement, there is actual evidence - but this is where the sifting comes in. Maybe it's enough to simply look at the numbers and wonder if McCarthy's Packers should've run more ... or maybe the fact that McCarthy's Packers employed an all-time great in Aaron Rodgers (who probably checked out of a few runs over the years) influenced an alleged imbalance.

Your new #Cowboys head coach. pic.twitter.com/sbaoAElIEE

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 6, 2020

Or maybe we have to a) wonder if a year of away-from-football study and analytics learning ("The McCarthy Project'' having earned universal praise) will make the 56-year-old coach with 13 years of experience in charge more versatile and creative in his thinking and b) judge a coach's entire body of work (McCarthy has been in coaching for 32 years and in the NFL for 27) before shoving him into a box.

The Top 4 Reasons the Jones Family Chose McCarthy to Coach the #Cowboys https://t.co/dHmXOi0Hvy via @SInow pic.twitter.com/5YDkomRVzT

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) January 7, 2020

Our "Best Coast Boys'' podcast man John Owning points out that while some might argue that present-day Packers runner Aaron Jones was under-used by McCarthy, and while "the Packers' last 1,000-yard rusher was Eddie Lacy in 2014,'' If you are worried about how Mike McCarthy will utilize Zeke, go look at how he utilized a young Ricky Williams when McCarthy was the OC for New Orleans.

In 2001, Williams had 313 carries for 1,245 yards and six TDs to go with 60 catches for 511 yards and another TD. That's a workhorse, bell-cow running back with 1,756 yards from scrimmage.

History, logic and finance gives you the answer. He "fed Ricky.'' He'll "Feed Zeke.''