Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 OCT. 2, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED IRISH IN THE PROS BY TODD D. BURLAGE D allas Cowboys dominating offen- sive guard Zack Martin didn't need long to reestablish his value when the six-time NFL All-Pro selection made his 2021 season debut against the Los Angeles Chargers Sept. 19, one week af- ter a positive COVID-19 test sidelined him for the team's opening game against Tampa Bay. Working its ground game almost exclu- sively behind Martin in a 20-17 win over the Chargers, Dallas gained 142 of its 198 rushing yards over his right side and aver- aged 7.47 yards per carry going that way. Martin's plowing performance in- cluded him opening a wide lane on a five-yard touchdown run by Dallas run- ning back Ezekiel Elliott, and at least three other gashing blocks that Cow- boys backup Tony Pollard turned into runs of 16, 23 and 28 yards to finish the game with a team-best 109 rushing yards. Martin's 95.5 grade against the Char- gers (per Pro Football Focus) earned the former second-team Irish All-Ameri- can the highest mark given to any NFL player through the first two games this season. WELCOME BACK Missing one game because of CO- VID-19 hurt, but it will never rate as a tragic career event for Martin. Yet, sit- ting out the season opener against the reigning Super Bowl champion Bucca- neers — a game the Cowboys lost 31-29 — didn't settle well for one of the most durable linemen in the league. "It is very frustrating, especially the timing, but it's the world we live in right now," Martin said upon his return from COVID-19 after a week in isolation. "[I'm] definitely not going to be the last guy that's dealing with this, so we just have to deal with it when it comes our way, just terrible timing … but I'm back now." A sore throat and congestion dur- ing dinner with his wife made Martin suspicious. A positive COVID-19 test result the next morning confirmed those worries. Describing his viral symptoms as mild, Martin still said that being away from the usual team routine became challenging. "I tried to stay active as much as I could," Martin said. "I tried to get some sort of cardio in, so when you come back you're in halfway decent shape. It was a long week, but I'm happy to be back." Running and biking, Martin kept his cardio work right while his diet went wrong because his appetite slipped dur- ing his idle time. "It's weird because you don't want to eat, but you know you have to keep your Cowboys Guard Zack Martin Makes Charging Debut Martin's 95.5 Pro Football Focus grade against the Los Angeles Chargers Sept. 19 was the highest mark given to any NFL player through the first two games of the 2021 season. PHOTO BY JAMES D. SMITH / COURTESY DALLAS COWBOYS