Tony Pollard takes all NFL running backs in yards per carry, and the last thing this guy needs to do is get ahead of Ezekiel Elliott.
Even if former Texas and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Ecko disagrees.
He's wrong.
The Dallas Cowboys returned home Monday night for their first game of the 2021 season at Jerryworld against the Philadelphia Eagles, and I expected Pollard to start the game where he should have started.
I recently toured with Ecko, who has made quite a name for himself in the media world and currently has a decent gig as an analyst on Fox Sports.
He's also currently working with Allstate and its initiative to give $1 million to college football players who can now benefit from the NCAA's new name image similarity (NIL) rules.
Acho has his thoughts on that too, but for this particular discussion we focused on cowboys and their running status.
Acho believes that Pollard should start before Zeke.
"Zeke Elliott is a star. A superstar, $90 million. He's not even the best running back on Cowboys," Acho told me. "But because you're paying him, a superstar, $90 million, you have to play him. Will happen.
"Since Tony Pollard came into the league, he's ranked fifth in the NFL in yards per carries. JK is ranked 31st. This season, [entering Week 3] Pollard is first and Zeke is 29th.
"You can look at the running situation and see the issues with the Cowboys. Dollars don't make sense. Deliberate pranks."
From start to finish, Acho makes valid points. Dollars rarely add up to winning with the Cowboys. It's not new.
And, on this point, Ecko is wrong.
Zeke may never live up to that six years, the $90 million contract extension he signed in the fall of 2019. He will not.
It also doesn't mean that Tony Pollard should start.
Going back to the words of former Dallas Cowboys head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Parcells on this issue.
Bill himself said that there are some players who have a limit to their effectiveness. In this case, he was referring to one of his running backs, Julius Jones, in 2006.
The point of the bill applies not only to running backs, but to other positions as well.
Few people are effective, unless asked to do too much. Then they are toast.
This is no different from pitchers who are asked to pitch three innings instead of two. Basketball players who are more effective off the bench in limited minutes rather than starting.
Once you go past a certain spot, that player slips and they are either injured or screwed.
Pollard never started in his career in Memphis. He was the kick returner/receiver/running back.
He is not made to move the ball 25 times in a game the way Zeke can. And Pollard isn't a sixth offensive lineman like Zeke.
Zeke is built like a Marvel character.
Pollard is deadly where he is, in a role made famous by the likes of Darren Sproles. Sproles stood but 5 foot-6, but all his numbers said he should have been the starter.
Sproles played in the NFL from 2005 to 2019, and appeared in 183 games. He started but 31 of them.
Acho is not buying my (correct) argument.
"I agree with that for every racer except maybe Derrick Henry and maybe Nick Chubb," Acho said. "Look at Christian McCaffrey; he went over 300 all-purpose yards in the first two games and you give him too many balls and he gets hurt.
"Ask Tony Pollard to prove you get worse over time. I'm not just going to guess that you get worse over time so I'm not going to run you over it. Prove it to me and then I'll stop."
Emmanuel Ecko is a smart man, but he is wrong on this point.
Toni Pollard is right where he is, behind Zeke Elliot.