I know, I know – Tony Pollard was one of the few pleasant surprises in Week 1, and we don’t want to panic sell or sell too early on since it’s only been one week. But we heard all offseason that this was going to be a 50/50 split from the Titans coaching staff, that they like the talent that both guys bring to the table – but it was the Tony Pollard show in Week 1. Pollard’s 20 opportunities more than doubled Spears’ 8 on the day, and Pollard’s 16 carries quadrupled Tjyae Spears’ 4. That doesn’t sound like a 50/split to me, and you’re probably wondering: Zach, why are you making this excellent case for Pollard? You just said to sell him?
It’s because both of these players are playing the roles we projected for them. Sure, Tony Pollard got the short down and distance snaps and was the primary back on early downs, but this was a game that the Titans were leading in and trying to milk the clock out of. Tyjae Spears played almost all of the long down and distance snaps (obvious passing situations), and also took 100% of the 2-minute snaps. He also ran more routes than Pollard, and at the end of the day, Pollard still only played 62% of snaps – hardly a full time role at all.
Then you look at what Brian Callahan said following the game – he said he wants to get Spears rolling a bit more and make the division of labor closer to equal – and that he regretted not getting him more touches on Sunday. If those carries move any closer to even, suddenly Spears’ usage, considering his ability in the passing game, could be more attractive than what Pollard is getting in an exclusively early down role.
I’ll give it to him – Pollard looks better and healthier than he did last season with the Cowboys. But if I learned anything from Week 1, it looks like the Titans might have more trouble on offense than we would have liked to imagine. How often are they going to be in a positive game script moving forward? Look at the upcoming schedule: a really tough matchup against the Jets defense in Week 2, probably gonna be chasing points in Week 4 at Miami, you have his bye in Week 5, and then three consecutive matchups against the Colts, Bills, and Lions – not super favorable.