Why is TonyPollard MIA? Is he currently in the coach's doghouse? I thought he would make a huge jump in progress from Year 1 to Year 2. — BRUCE BISHOP / CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
Rob: He has put the ball on the ground a couple times, but the coaches say they're still very confident in him. I think a lot of it has to do with the flow of the game. The offense has gotten behind early and that has affected Zeke's touches. When that happens, there's always going to be a trickle-down effect. I've always said that Pollard's best chance for extensive touches is with a comfortable second-half lead. That has yet to happen.
David: I don't think he's in anyone's doghouse. Mike McCarthy and John Fassel have both gone out of their way to show their support. It is curious that they aren't finding ways to manufacture touches for him, but Rob is right that the last two games have gone a bit sideways. Maybe if they're able to dictate the flow of a game a little bit better, they can find ways to get him involved.
Do you guys think we will start seeing more of an effective pass rush from Tank in the next few weeks? — STEVE CRAIG / HENDERSON, NV
Rob: I do expect that if he can get to a point where he's playing a full snap load. Obviously the sacks haven't been there, but he had some nice rushes on Russell Wilson early in the Seattle game. Clearly he's just not fully healthy right now, or he would have played more than 31 snaps last week. Right now the Cowboys are trying to manage his work to get him to game day.
David: Hopefully this knee injury doesn't linger all season, because it's going to be tough for him to get going on these limited snap counts. There's no way around it: DeMarcus Lawrence is definitely a good player, but he hasn't been getting home nearly often enough. Hopefully we see that start to change as these guys get more reps under their belts.
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