News: Ezekiel Elliott: I have a lot to prove

[SteveTheCowboy]

That would depend on what game and why.
If it was end of season and win and your in game like phil last year, and he has a "down " game, are you ok with that??

What do you mean by "okay with that"?

Let's say ..."If".... Dak had a bad last game....are we "okay with that"?

Good players shine when most needed. I support my players rain or shine....as long as they don't give up. The problem with your baited question is....it is indeed a TEAM game. If the line doesn't do their job, zeke has a bad game.....and you bash zeke for it. I am NOT "okay with that".

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

he has good stats, but your comparing him to other RB's who were not a top of round 1 draft pick. Also the other RB's are not demanding top pay.
Most play for far less.

Expectations for a guy picked at # 4 in round 1 and now the highest paid RB ever, are much higher than just about all other RB's .
Can you not understand that??

Also back when 1000 yd season was considered to be a great season for a RB, there were only 10 games I think, later it was 12 games.
Now they still use that same standard as a good season, which is flawed because there are 16 games now.
So originally a avg of 100 yds per game said you were a top RB. That would mean that today 1600 yds is what a great/ elite RB should get
per season.
Now since some RB's also are used heavily in passing game that has to be factored in too , as far as evaluating them, but
for a rushing back, then 1600 yds is what they need to be considered elite rusher.

OJ got 2003 yds in a 14 game season, think about that. Jim Brown did a 1600 yd season in 12 game season I think.

Wow.....dude.

The NFL has changed in more ways than your cherry=picked ones. 3,000 yards passing used to be great too. 5,000 rare. now you got like 9-10 QB's with over 4000 and several of those at or near 5.

How many passing yards did JB's QB have that year? In 1958, when Jim had 1500 yards in 12 games....Milt had 1600 yards. Can you imagine THAT stat NOW?

"expectations"......whose? He's been a top back for 4 years. Too bad GODell had it out for Jerry. And yes....too bad he held out too.

You are really reaching to attempt to justify your Cowboys hatred. If you don;t like th emoney part...fine. Not a dman thing you can do about that. But you COULD try cheering on your Cowboys RB.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

A few missed tackles and some breakaway speed would be nice.

Didn't see much of either last year.

Or the year before or the year before that but whose counting?

 

[ShortRound]

Really? Not allowed to have a down game or you are gonna bash him, eh?

That's called lowering your standards.

 

[tyke1doe]

he has good stats, but your comparing him to other RB's who were not a top of round 1 draft pick. Also the other RB's are not demanding top pay.
Most play for far less.

Expectations for a guy picked at # 4 in round 1 and now the highest paid RB ever, are much higher than just about all other RB's .
Can you not understand that??

Also back when 1000 yd season was considered to be a great season for a RB, there were only 10 games I think, later it was 12 games.
Now they still use that same standard as a good season, which is flawed because there are 16 games now.
So originally a avg of 100 yds per game said you were a top RB. That would mean that today 1600 yds is what a great/ elite RB should get
per season.
Now since some RB's also are used heavily in passing game that has to be factored in too , as far as evaluating them, but
for a rushing back, then 1600 yds is what they need to be considered elite rusher.

OJ got 2003 yds in a 14 game season, think about that. Jim Brown did a 1600 yd season in 12 game season I think.

Also, today's modern offenses rarely use every-down running backs. That greatly reduces the number of carries and yards they accumulate by the end of the season.

During his 2003 yard season, O.J. averaged 24 carries a game over a 14 game season.
In Zeke's best season (1631 yards), he averaged 22 carries per game. He played 15 games, sitting out one because the Cowboys had already clinched the first seed in the playoffs.
In AP's best season (2012) where he gained 2,097 yards, he averaged 22 yards per game and started all 16 games.

 

[DandyDon52]

Also, today's modern offenses rarely use every-down running backs. That greatly reduces the number of carries and yards they accumulate by the end of the season.

During his 2003 yard season, O.J. averaged 24 carries a game over a 14 game season.
In Zeke's best season (1631 yards), he averaged 22 carries per game. He played 15 games, sitting out one because the Cowboys had already clinched the first seed in the playoffs.
In AP's best season (2012) where he gained 2,097 yards, he averaged 22 yards per game and started all 16 games.

So using your numbers:
Ap 352 carries 2097 yds
OJ 336 carries 2003 yds
EE 330 carries 1631 yds

Ap and OJ were clearly much better than EE and OJ did it in a shorter timespan which is more work or harder on the RB.
Your first statement is or was true, so many RB's dont get the amount of carries they would need to compete with RB's of the past.
Elliot did get the carries, so did Murray, and I believe Murray out did Elliot, and Elliot didnt even come close to the 2000 yd mark.
Murray I believe still holds the cowboys single game rushing record, and he broke
OJ and browns record of 1st 6 games with 100 or more yds rushing.
And yet many think elliot is better than Murray.

 

[Parcells4Life]

I’ve said since his rookie year, Zeke is the closest in style to Emmitt we’ve seen in 20 years. Like McCarthy said, he’s solid for at least 4 per attempt and has great vision. Everyone wants Barry Sanders breakaway type games. But Emmitt is the all time leading rusher for a reason.

 

[Ranched]

 

[tyke1doe]

So using your numbers:
Ap 352 carries 2097 yds
OJ 336 carries 2003 yds
EE 330 carries 1631 yds

Ap and OJ were clearly much better than EE and OJ did it in a shorter timespan which is more work or harder on the RB.
Your first statement is or was true, so many RB's dont get the amount of carries they would need to compete with RB's of the past.
Elliot did get the carries, so did Murray, and I believe Murray out did Elliot, and Elliot didnt even come close to the 2000 yd mark.
Murray I believe still holds the cowboys single game rushing record, and he broke
OJ and browns record of 1st 6 games with 100 or more yds rushing.
And yet many think elliot is better than Murray.

My point is that OJ carried the ball more than the others. It was simply an addendum to your point.

 

[stilltheguru]

The obsession with Zeke is scary. If the entire team performed on his level weekly wed be champions

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

The obsession with Zeke is scary. If the entire team performed on his level weekly wed be champions

You want every player to bring half the value their contract demands?

Super yikes

 

[Aviano90]

The obsession with Zeke is scary. If the entire team performed on his level weekly wed be champions

The entire team isn’t as talented as Zeke. Zeke can mail it in and still be a high performer. The issue is people believe he can do better than what he has performed. There is a clear drop off from his 2016 season and the 2017-2019 seasons and he isn’t as explosive as he was as a rookie.

Therefore, if the thought is Zeke is underperforming what his potential is and his teammates underperform their potential, you get a team that won’t compete for Jack crap.

What we need is our stars to be the solution to our weaknesses. We don’t need them to be just good enough to not be the problem.

 

[stilltheguru]

You want every player to bring half the value their contract demands?

Super yikes

Half? Half?????
If he did 100 percent hed rush for 3000 yards lmao

 

[aria]

I’ve said since his rookie year, Zeke is the closest in style to Emmitt we’ve seen in 20 years. Like McCarthy said, he’s solid for at least 4 per attempt and has great vision. Everyone wants Barry Sanders breakaway type games. But Emmitt is the all time leading rusher for a reason.

16 out of 20 RB’s with 200 attempts or more averaged more than 4 ypc and many of those did it behind much worse O lines.

zeke is overpaid, “the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.”

 

[DandyDon52]

The entire team isn’t as talented as Zeke. Zeke can mail it in and still be a high performer. The issue is people believe he can do better than what he has performed. There is a clear drop off from his 2016 season and the 2017-2019 seasons and he isn’t as explosive as he was as a rookie.

Therefore, if the thought is Zeke is underperforming what his potential is and his teammates underperform their potential, you get a team that won’t compete for Jack crap.

What we need is our stars to be the solution to our weaknesses. We don’t need them to be just good enough to not be the problem.

Well said.

 

[DandyDon52]

I’ve said since his rookie year, Zeke is the closest in style to Emmitt we’ve seen in 20 years. Like McCarthy said, he’s solid for at least 4 per attempt and has great vision. Everyone wants Barry Sanders breakaway type games. But Emmitt is the all time leading rusher for a reason.

I would have to disagree on the vision part, I think that is one reason why he leaves meat on the bone! lol

 

[Redball Express]

That's a good attitude, but I would hardly say that a running back who "has led the league in rushing in two of his four seasons, and he’s averaged 96.5 yards per game. He has earned three Pro Bowls and was All-Pro as a rookie" has a LOT to prove.

Really to me all he has to prove is that he can improve over last year, he averaged 10 runs of 20 yards or more on average his first 3 years, 4 last year is a significant drop but teams do make adjustments once they've played against, or seen on film, a running back for several years, early on defenders took incorrect angles, etc. because they didn't know exactly how he ran, but after 3 years they had a better idea. If he gets back to 6 or 7 or 8, I'd consider that pretty darn good....

This is surely trueish.

Defensive coordinators, especially the ones in your own division who have to deal with you twice a year..

are going to design defenses to slow him down.

Poor playcalling and just calling him as your 1st down back every opening drive was completely lazy and disrespectful of the player.

I blame Moore for it last year and Linehan before that. Beard being hurt and everybody on the OL being hurt and less effective..

we saw Zeke getting hit as soon as he was handed the rock.

He had no big holes to cut back on. Clearly it was all suffering.

I would hope to see Zeke get another rushing title but with the offensive change to throwing to the Three Amigos that seems impossible.

How he is used in a WCO is going to be a challenge for Moore.

What do you guys think.?

 

[khiladi]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/08/17/ezekiel-elliott-i-have-a-lot-to-prove/

Ezekiel Elliott had 30 runs of 20 yards or more in his first three seasons. He had four last season with a long of 33.

It raised questions about his lack of explosiveness.

“Um, shoot, I don’t know,” the Cowboys running back said Monday. “Just finishing, got to make more guys miss in open field. I don’t know.”

For the first time, Elliott admitted the lack of training camp last year played a part in his slow start. He held out last summer, working out in Mexico until the opening week of the season when he signed an extension.

“I think it did take me a little bit,” Elliott said. “I mean, I’m just a football player. I think I was ready. It’s definitely going to be better to have the training camp this year, just to make sure I’m rolling Week One.”

He lost a month of training with COVID-19 this offseason, but Elliott is fully participating in training camp this summer.

Elliott, 25, has led the league in rushing in two of his four seasons, and he’s averaged 96.5 yards per game. He has earned three Pro Bowls and was All-Pro as a rookie.

But he expects even more of himself.

“I think I do have a lot to prove,” Elliott said. “I have high expectations of myself. It’s not something you go enforce. You just go grind, go to work every day and let it happen.”

Elliott has only one goal this season, and it’s a big one.

“My individual goals are just win a Super Bowl,” Elliott said. “We have a great team. This is our time. That’s all of our goals. Just win a Super Bowl and everything else is going to fall in place after that.”

Elliott started out slow every year he was here.

 

[aria]

This is surely trueish.

Defensive coordinators, especially the ones in your own division who have to deal with you twice a year..

are going to design defenses to slow him down.

Poor playcalling and just calling him as your 1st down back every opening drive was completely lazy and disrespectful of the player.

I blame Moore for it last year and Linehan before that. Beard being hurt and everybody on the OL being hurt and less effective..

we saw Zeke getting hit as soon as he was handed the rock.

He had no big holes to cut back on. Clearly it was all suffering.

I would hope to see Zeke get another rushing title but with the offensive change to throwing to the Three Amigos that seems impossible.

How he is used in a WCO is going to be a challenge for Moore.

What do you guys think.?

I think your blind, more often than not he had plenty of room to run and cut but instead of trying to make defenders miss he would be lazy (or not have the skill anymore) and plow right into them for a small gain hence the reason why he’s ranked so low at elusiveness, forced missed tackles and his broken tackles percentage has dropped.

There are other RB’s that would capitalize a lot more with what this O line gives him. I would love to see what Barkley could do with as much room as zeke normally has.

 

[stilltheguru]

I think your blind, more often than not he had plenty of room to run and cut but instead of trying to make defenders miss he would be lazy (or not have the skill anymore) and plow right into them for a small gain hence the reason why he’s ranked so low at elusiveness, forced missed tackles and his broken tackles percentage has dropped.

There are other RB’s that would capitalize a lot more with what this O line gives him. I would love to see what Barkley could do with as much room as zeke normally has.

Hed miss 6 games and youd cry like a sissy.