Zeke Theory

BBGTYCOON

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Zeke is still the same Zeke. He came into his rookie camp overweight. He complained on Twitter about having to wake up on day 2. His mom called him out on it. He went to the weed store hours before his first preseason action. He's had several off the field incidents. He looked disinterested in the 2017 coming into meetings looking like he rolled in from the club and in need of a nap, from the All or Nothing footage. It was apparent in 2017 he already wasn't the same player he was as a rookie. I believe the dude has relied on natural ability, had a dip in performance from his rookie year to year 2 and has been the same back ever since. This year he is running behind the a crap line and his inability to create on his own is more obvious this year.
Bullseye!!!!!! The FO must've been on that booger sugar when they extended him and #54.
 

Denim Chicken

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IMO, Zeke issues are a combo of the O-Line issues, bad play calling (predictable), & lastly and physical decline.
 

CowboysRule

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He just doesn't seem to do much. He's a little slower than he used to be so he can't outrun people. He doesn't juke, doesn't seem to break many tackles in the open field.

He runs hard, seems to usually fall forward. He rarely loses yards.

But we have been ending up behind quickly in games and needing quick scores which doesn't really fit the grinding, ball control system he is best suited for. You need three things to have a team built on running: good RB, good O-line, and a good defense. We definitely don't have the line or defense. It's up in the air on Zeke.
 

aria

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My theory is that Zeke honestly believed he was one of the greatest gifts to the NFL but now he's in his own head and wondering if what's being said about him is true. "Maybe I'm not that special." "Maybe I have lost a step or two." He's having to come to terms with that now and doesn't even believe in himself at this point. It's physical and mental now.

If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times. Good RBs are a dime-a-dozen and can be replaced. Zeke is no different.
The diva already looks lost but imagine how lost he is in his own head! That thing is huge, it would be like trying to find your way out of a black hole. If he’s lost in his own head then we’ll never see him again.
 

MyFairLady

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Played for the money. Got the money. What more is there to talk about.
 

JJHLH1

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Seeing how running backs are pretty much done after 5 years now, it’s pretty incredible looking back at what Emmett Smith accomplished.
 

CouchCoach

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When Elliott came into the league, he had what few #4 picks have in a top shelf OL. His contact behind the line was minimal so he was allowed to be a contact back. There is a really good reason why the shelf life of a RN is so short in the NFL.

I think he realized the wear and tear his body was taking and decided on doing something no player had ever done, hold out with 2 years to go. Get his money while the getting was good and that's why they play the game.

There are few RB's with that innate ability to protect himself like Emmitt could do. It was if he had this little voice telling him to get down quickly as some head hunting LB or SS came flying over him. Elliott, like Demarco Murray, is a contact back, not a juker but a runner that makes the tackler pay as much as they do but that shortens the shelf life and after that great year Murray had for DAL, he was never the same again.

Elliott's first few years was more of one tackler hitting him and now he's getting gang tackled and those hits are taking their toll. Add to this he knows he's not the back he was and to make that worse, the opposing teams know it as well. He doesn't scare them anymore.
 

Aviano90

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Seeing how running backs are pretty much done after 5 years now, it’s pretty incredible looking back at what Emmett Smith accomplished.
Amazing how having a strong work ethic and being motivated to be the best can help sustain excellence. One of the most telling interviews Emmitt had was after his rookie year. The interviewer asked him if he knew he would be great and Emmitt responded something like this: "I'm not great. I won't be great until I lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl and win it and have career stats like Walter Payton and Tony Dorsett."
 

Idgit

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I totally disagreed with you. Especially on draft day. Now I've just had to accept the fact that I was wrong.

It’s an easy mistake to make, because he was a great all-around RB.

They just don’t last, and for whatever reason you can find really good ones sprinkled throughout the top 100 in any given draft.
 

SteveTheCowboy

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My theory is that Zeke honestly believed he was one of the greatest gifts to the NFL but now he's in his own head and wondering if what's being said about him is true. "Maybe I'm not that special." "Maybe I have lost a step or two." He's having to come to terms with that now and doesn't even believe in himself at this point. It's physical and mental now.

If I've said it once I've said it a hundred times. Good RBs are a dime-a-dozen and can be replaced. Zeke is no different.


With Zeke having a down year...including (no-longer) exceptional blocking, we have 2 QB's out.

Granted....o-line is decimated too. But I think he hasn't gotten enough credit in the past for helping keep Dak healthy when other RB's don't block like that.
 

Vegas_Cowboy

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The diva already looks lost but imagine how lost he is in his own head! That thing is huge, it would be like trying to find your way out of a black hole. If he’s lost in his own head then we’ll never see him again.

:laugh:
 

Jake

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We have all seen the drop in productivity in Zeke. He looks slow, has zero vision, and is now a liability in pass protection / catching. Some on these boards mentioned it last year that he had lost his speed, while others disagreed.

My theory is Zeke knows his body better then anyone else and fought so hard for that contract because he already knew something we didn't. So what does he do? hold out, get paid, and is now on cruise control. Who cares if he gets cut? He got 50 mil guaranteed. That punishing running style fizzles out fast, just ask Marion Barber.

I dont blame the guy, just my thoughts.

He also knew Jerry would cave, as did some of us here, because it was Dak's last year on his rookie contract and Jerry always thinks THIS is the YEAR.
 

triplets_93

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Zeke will never be one of my favorite Dallas Cowboys players.

I don't give rip about all of his yards. He's just another average team player to me.
 

pitt33

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What amazes me about Zeke Elliot is he is the complete opposite from Emmitt Smith. Zeke cannot carry the ball more than four times in a row without tapping out for a few plays or until that particular series comes to an end. And for God's sake, how can any running back be "not what he used to be" at 25 years old? Zeke needs to take better care of his body during the week. Like Emmitt did.

It appears he does just enough to get by. I don't know. Really kind of disappointing to watch him now. Just blows me away to see such a talented back like him play as if he's on cruise control. The guy has proven he does everything well when it comes to running backs. Those guys are far and few between. The complete backs.

Part of me thinks he's still a very immature young man. A kid at heart in a grown man's body.
 

CouchCoach

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I do wonder if Elliott's heart is in this any longer. When Prescott went down, he did not assume the leadership role. I can't say that anyone did but he was the next in line because the other players know him. Or do they know enough about him that assuming the leadership role is contradictory?

I know he likes the life football gives him but does he really have his heart in the game? That's not a slam, people change.

Then again, maybe it's just everything swirling around him and the team. So many new faces and losing and then him contributing to that with turnovers and then there's the physical side of this. He taps out too early in the game when he should be fresh. He doesn't have that thing great RB's have where they actually get better the more carries they get and I wonder if they've had him checked out with some lab work? He looks physically more in shape than last season but he doesn't play like it.

He was a like a dodge'em car bouncing off tacklers and hurdling some and he just doesn't look the same on the field this year. He even gets a dream game against Gurley and that doesn't fire him up. Those are usually RB highpoints.
 

beware_d-ware

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I think it's all mental with Zeke. He hasn't been fast since 2016, but he's still been more effective than this. PFF actually gave him their RB of the week award in week 1, so whatever physical shape he's in, it's not enough to stop him from being one of the best at his position.

My theory is that as the season went downhill, Zeke just mentally checked out. He's never been a motivated player in the best of times, so once his OL fell to pieces, once his defense took him out of games, once Dak got his ankle shredded, he just quit caring. And it's been mental mistake after mental mistake for a guy who made his bones on taking care of the little things.
 

beware_d-ware

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I know he likes the life football gives him but does he really have his heart in the game? That's not a slam, people change.

I read a post (I think by Bob Sturm?) where someone asked him how many NFL players actually like playing football. He said "based on the guys I've been around? Probably half."

I don't think Cooper loves playing football, for example, but he practices his technique militantly and plays through pain anyway because he's a professional. I think if you gave Tony Romo $100 million to either be a golfer or be a quarterback, he'd choose to play golf. That doesn't mean that he didn't work hard at football either. You can not like your job and still give your all at it.

I think Zeke's pretty immature, and like you said, he enjoys the life that football gives him more than the game itself. He doesn't like football enough to run hard behind a broken OL on a team that's losing by 30, and isn't disciplined enough to work out in the offseason rather than play Call of Duty or get weird stomach tats. He liked the sport when it was easy for him, but he's not interested when the going gets tough.
 
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