Ever had a player like Zeke?

Cmac

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Zeke's fumbling is a problem.....without question. And obviously like the OL, Zeke numbers are down.

But if you can't see the underlying issue (coaching), by now…..you don't want to see it.

This team's coaching would ruin Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffery, Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook, Josh Jacobs, or an Aaron Jones. And when Zeke is gone....we will see, and Pollard will probably follow, when his contract is up, because another team will say "I can do something with his skill set, in our offense".

Since Jimmy Johnson left, JJ has been on a crusade that "anybody" can coach this team, or be a son of a former coach, or get OJT while trying to do so.
blind-man.jpg
 

Cmac

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Has there ever been a player that tricked 90%+ of the forum into thinking he's good, when in fact he was not? Normally when we get a shiny new free agent like Poe or HHCD, then they'll be 10x better according to the forum than they actually are, but Zeke is an endentured player that y'all just continued to ignore his lack of effectiveness.

I mean this offseason the list of positions he held according to y'all included:
Best all around RB in the league
Best player on the team
Top 5 RB in the league

Completely asinine
….falls in line with the 'Boys projected as Super Bowl contenders.....every year.
 

CowboyRoy

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Has there ever been a player that tricked 90%+ of the forum into thinking he's good, when in fact he was not? Normally when we get a shiny new free agent like Poe or HHCD, then they'll be 10x better according to the forum than they actually are, but Zeke is an endentured player that y'all just continued to ignore his lack of effectiveness.

I mean this offseason the list of positions he held according to y'all included:
Best all around RB in the league
Best player on the team
Top 5 RB in the league

Completely asinine

CHECK!!!
 

CowboyRoy

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Zeke got football old very quickly....and not seriously conditioning in the off season shows on these short weeks. He may be out of the league by 27 if he doesn't turn things around here quickly.

Once we cut him, he will get one more decent contract and that will probably be it.
 

TheCoolFan

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I never cared about Zeke...or any RB in 2020. So yeah, while people can waste time debating Henry, McCaffrey, etc. I really don't care for them either. A superstar RB is outdated now. This isn't like the 90s when it was fun to support Emmitt vs. Barry, Thurman Thomas, etc.
 

QuincyCarterEra

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Zeke's fumbling is a problem.....without question. And obviously like the OL, Zeke numbers are down.

But if you can't see the underlying issue (coaching), by now…..you don't want to see it.

This team's coaching would ruin Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffery, Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook, Josh Jacobs, or an Aaron Jones. And when Zeke is gone....we will see, and Pollard will probably follow, when his contract is up, because another team will say "I can do something with his skill set, in our offense".

Since Jimmy Johnson left, JJ has been on a crusade that "anybody" can coach this team, or be a son of a former coach, or get OJT while trying to do so.
blind-man.jpg


That's so odd.

With the same exact offensive coordinator last season the Cowboys were:

5th in the league in yards per carry
7th in rushing TDs
5th in rushing yards

Now was Zeke the lowest in yards per carry and TDs per carry of the RBs? Yes, he was.

But yeah, sure it's definitely the coaching staff! You're onto something!
 

nightrain

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Has there ever been a player that tricked 90%+ of the forum into thinking he's good, when in fact he was not? Normally when we get a shiny new free agent like Poe or HHCD, then they'll be 10x better according to the forum than they actually are, but Zeke is an endentured player that y'all just continued to ignore his lack of effectiveness.

I mean this offseason the list of positions he held according to y'all included:
Best all around RB in the league
Best player on the team
Top 5 RB in the league

Completely asinine
He was good, but like most RBs, wears down quickly when relied on to be the team's offense. The blame for the Zeke debacle is squarely on the shoulders of camp Jones.
 

Cmac

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That's so odd.

With the same exact offensive coordinator last season the Cowboys were:

5th in the league in yards per carry
7th in rushing TDs
5th in rushing yards

Now was Zeke the lowest in yards per carry and TDs per carry of the RBs? Yes, he was.

But yeah, sure it's definitely the coaching staff! You're onto something!
….care to address winning football....that is what coaching are suppose to do.
 

Cmac

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Huh? We are talking about running Zeke and the running game.

Ok.....Zeke expected to get yardage, but then talk gets completely dismissed about an injured & downtrodden OL, or predictable play-callin'. Instead, the constant reach about salary surfaces....Pollard responds, begins to get high praise (and deservedly), then he is taken out, or completely dismissed during long periods in a game. And again, the questioning of the play callin' is minimized. Instead, and like the broken clock, Zeke's play and/or salary surface. When that fails, the reach for lack of burst surfaces, or the expectation for Zeke to transform into a different type back.

Outside of fumbles....I don't know how you can discuss Zeke, without looking at the complete picture.....the offensive scheme. Maybe the load has taken its toll. Maybe JJ should be taking the heat. Players don't give money back, especially RBs with the short career span. Maybe the RB coach should take the fall, like Zeke. I'm not even sure why the team doesn't reduce Zeke in the scheme now. It don't look like anybody is flourishing in the scheme or system now......except the kicking game....punts & FGs.

I maintain, it is no coincidence that Zeke numbers, and now play, has declined in Kellen Moore's offense, and Pollard has no idea what his role is.....week in and week out. The team evolved into a pass-oriented team, put up gaudy numbers, got away from strengths, and now can't get back to them, and still can't win. And everything is worse, now that Dak is gone.
 

catiii

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He runs like he's already past 30, have the number of hits gotten to him?
I can't understand a non contact fumble....butter from thanksgiving lunch?
Alcohol/misc substances/late nights at the bars and strip joints = low standards and poor decisions. he got paid and now he just don't give a stuff- simple as that. immaturity combined with giveadarnsbusted don't make a good combo.
 

AmericanCowboy

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The only other player that comes to mind is Roy Williams.

for years cowboy fans would claim he was the best safety in football, when in reality he was an overwhelming negative.

Zeke is similar. I actually really like Zeke, but my eyes don’t deceive me. We need to move on. The problem with a RB with that contract is you feel like you have to give him the ball to justify his pay. And he isn’t good anymore.
 

kumizi

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He was good his first two years. Decent his third year.

The lifespan at that position is already short. 4-6 years. When you have a workload like Zeke, you further shorten that lifespan.

Drafting him #4 was a bad idea.
That bad idea was compounded when in order to justify drafting him that high, you overworked the bezeesus out of him.
And then you had a dumb GM that completely dropped the ball extending him.

I have never been a Zeke guy but he's the last person I blame for his decline. Yeah maybe he parties too much but it's not his fault his agent was able to get him $90 million. I dont think it's because he doesnt care. He's just not good anymore. He's had the amount of touches where guys fall off a cliff.
 

DasSchnitzel

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Dirty yards are where he gets used these days and I expect we'll see him as a grinder in a RBBC for the next 2 to 4 years before we move on.

Not an ideal outcome but it's looking like what we're gonna get for our investment.

His career could go the path of Frank Gore, just grinding yards for a long time.
 

buybuydandavis

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Has there ever been a player that tricked 90%+ of the forum into thinking he's good, when in fact he was not? Normally when we get a shiny new free agent like Poe or HHCD, then they'll be 10x better according to the forum than they actually are, but Zeke is an endentured player that y'all just continued to ignore his lack of effectiveness.

I mean this offseason the list of positions he held according to y'all included:
Best all around RB in the league
Best player on the team
Top 5 RB in the league

Completely asinine

His declining burst had been noted for a couple of years, but nobody saw the fumbleitis coming.
 

PurpleHaze22

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Do any of you realize a running back is only as good as his offensive line.When you have undrafted young players going against 1st round defensive linemen what do you expect?Zeke ran well when most of our line was second string, but when we had to go to our 3rd and 4th string it is even more difficult.Zeke still runs hard there just isn't many holes with this line.I could have gained yardage with some of the holes the Washington's backs had and I'm 64 years old.
 

TwistedL0g1k

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I've consistently said that using the #4 overall pick on a RB was a tragic mistake. That said, I continue to believe Zeke is a good player. Yes, he's lost a little burst, but he was never a speed back to begin with. Don't know why he suddenly has a fumble problem? He is a reliable patient runner, with good power and blocking ability. The offensive line this season is a disaster!
 

QuincyCarterEra

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Do any of you realize a running back is only as good as his offensive line.When you have undrafted young players going against 1st round defensive linemen what do you expect?Zeke ran well when most of our line was second string, but when we had to go to our 3rd and 4th string it is even more difficult.Zeke still runs hard there just isn't many holes with this line.I could have gained yardage with some of the holes the Washington's backs had and I'm 64 years old.

He's had three all-pros or more for every season but this season, and has been good in one season.

Excuse doesn't check out.

Also if your RB is only as good as what the OL gives them, then that RB isn't good at all.
 
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