The speed of Ezekial Elliott

[basel90]

I actually think he is about 20lbs heavier than when he was drafted and he can't make that quick cut like he used to. Just looked him up and he was 225 at the combine and this July he claimed he was 218. I don't believe that!

Yes that is strange , but maybe he had more muscle then .

 

[Aviano90]

Again this is a bogus statement based on perception. Zeke has I believe 9-10 20+ yard plays over the last 2 years.. Yes down from years prior, but a far cry from "none at all." I also submit you are wrong about your assessment of Pollard's top end speed... Pollard had a 67 yard KO return last year that he got tracked down on. He also had two runs last Sunday when he got into the secondary and the DBs closed on him in short order. He's got decent speed and elite short area burst.. He is not however a true burner. If he was that 67 yard kickoff would have gone 100 yards to the house. Also on his 44 yard run against the Rams two years ago if #83 (who was that guy?) doesn't block #24 Pollard gets pushed out of bounds after a nice 10 yard run.. It also bears noting that the Cowboys were winning 37-15 and there were mostly practice squad guys on the field for both teams at that point. But regardless.. I stand by my assertion.. If receivers don't block downfield there aren't 5 backs in the NFL who can just run away from NFL DBs. Even Henry on all his long runs is having to throw people off who keep catching him .. The beauty of watching him is that he actually is so big he CAN just throw guys off.. It's actually pretty comical..

Go look at Pollards. 44 yard TD run and tell me if anyone was in position to track him down. I often times think you just create excuses because they sound good.

 

[Cowpolk]

Go look at Pollards. 44 yard TD run and tell me if anyone was in position to track him down. I often times think you just create excuses because they sound good.

Lots of long plays happen because of the location of the defenders . Running back is in the right place at the right time and there is no one that can get to him

 

[RonnieT24]

Go look at Pollards. 44 yard TD run and tell me if anyone was in position to track him down. I often times think you just create excuses because they sound good.

I watched it 4-5 times before I posted because I didn't want to post what I remembered and have remembered it wrong. #24 is absolutely going to push Pollard out of bounds if he is not blocked. And even Pollard manages to stay in bounds he clearly would not have outrun the DB.. he would just have outmuscled him.. But again.. at that point in the game Pollard and our #83 may have been the only ones really trying.

 

[Aviano90]

I watched it 4-5 times before I posted because I didn't want to post what I remembered and have remembered it wrong. #24 is absolutely going to push Pollard out of bounds if he is not blocked. And even Pollard manages to stay in bounds he clearly would not have outrun the DB.. he would just have outmuscled him.. But again.. at that point in the game Pollard and our #83 may have been the only ones really trying.

When the last defender dives and missed him, Pollard is gone. He had too big of a lead to be tracked down if that were another 30-40 yards.

https://www.nfl.com/videos/tony-pollard-eclipses-100-yard-mark-with-44-yard-td

 

[Hadenough]

When the last defender dives and missed him, Pollard is gone. He had too big of a lead to be tracked down if that were another 30-40 yards.

https://www.nfl.com/videos/tony-pollard-eclipses-100-yard-mark-with-44-yard-td

Agree! What was impressive though was when he ran through all that traffic had he been a half a step slower he may of been caught up in the wash like Zeke and it would of just been a 5 yard gain.

 

[RonnieT24]

When the last defender dives and missed him, Pollard is gone. He had too big of a lead to be tracked down if that were another 30-40 yards.

https://www.nfl.com/videos/tony-pollard-eclipses-100-yard-mark-with-44-yard-td

No my point was not that anybody was going to catch him. Rather it was that if not for the WR block there would have been no long run. 24 is ahead of Pollard once he cuts upfield and he had the angle. If 83 does not get that block like I said that play is over at maybe 10 yards. Go look at the two 20+ yard runs last Sunday. No receivers are over there blocking and those guys have ZERO trouble closing on Pollard. If just one receiver is over there running interference those go a lot farther and maybe to the house. That is the point I'm making that we seem to be miscommunicating on. DBs in the NFL are too fast for 90% of backs to just outrun them. If no WR blocks it's a nice run and then the little 4.3 guys either just push the back out of bounds or slow him down long enough for the rest of his guys to come make the tackle. To his credit Pollard's quickness has allowed him to get to the edge more consistently than Zeke.. though I still say Zeke could do more of it if asked.. but the Cowboys don't ask .. so he does most of his damage between the tackles. It is what it is .. Like I keep saying I'm not mad about it as long as we win games. How we win is not nearly as important to me as the winning itself.. It seems like Zeke feels the same way.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

#ZekeHaters are back

This and Aria is not even leading the charge these days!

 

[Aviano90]

No my point was not that anybody was going to catch him. Rather it was that if not for the WR block there would have been no long run. 24 is ahead of Pollard once he cuts upfield and he had the angle. If 83 does not get that block like I said that play is over at maybe 10 yards. Go look at the two 20+ yard runs last Sunday. No receivers are over there blocking and those guys have ZERO trouble closing on Pollard. If just one receiver is over there running interference those go a lot farther and maybe to the house. That is the point I'm making that we seem to be miscommunicating on. DBs in the NFL are too fast for 90% of backs to just outrun them. If no WR blocks it's a nice run and then the little 4.3 guys either just push the back out of bounds or slow him down long enough for the rest of his guys to come make the tackle. To his credit Pollard's quickness has allowed him to get to the edge more consistently than Zeke.. though I still say Zeke could do more of it if asked.. but the Cowboys don't ask .. so he does most of his damage between the tackles. It is what it is .. Like I keep saying I'm not mad about it as long as we win games. How we win is not nearly as important to me as the winning itself.. It seems like Zeke feels the same way.

Agreed that we need blocks which help spring a player but you mentioned Tony Pollard’s speed doesn’t get him 60-70 yard plays because we don’t have downfield blocking escorting the runner like Dez and Twill used to do. I showed a play were Pollard didn’t have a longer run simply because of field position. He didn’t need downfield blocking. He needed blocking to be sprung and after that it was game over for the defense. That play could have gone 99 yards if we were in the 1 yard line.

 

[CowboyRoy]

With the amount of money he’s making per season a lot is expected of him. His production has been down and he hasn’t been the game changer everyone wants him to be. Some of the problem has been the OL. It’s not nearly the same run blocking unit he played behind as a rookie. Our offense has changed since Kellen Moore took over. We went from a run first team that revolved around Zeke to a pass first team that revolves around Dak. We pounded Zeke his rookie year behind arguably the best OL in the league and now we’re a happy team. Backs like Nick Chubb and Derek Henry seem to break long runs every week but Zeke has become more of a 4-12 yard push the pile back. He doesn’t seem to have the best vision and lacks burst and shiftiness. However I do think he’s looked a little quicker this season with the weight loss.

Some, like Bozon, cant admit the obvious.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Agreed that we need blocks which help spring a player but you mentioned Tony Pollard’s speed doesn’t get him 60-70 yard plays because we don’t have downfield blocking escorting the runner like Dez and Twill used to do. I showed a play were Pollard didn’t have a longer run simply because of field position. He didn’t need downfield blocking. He needed blocking to be sprung and after that it was game over for the defense. That play could have gone 99 yards if we were in the 1 yard line.

Poor old RonnieT24 has been sticking up for Zeke for a couple years now and he is watching it all come crumbling down.

 

[Batman1980]

Poor old RonnieT24 has been sticking up for Zeke for a couple years now and he is watching it all come crumbling down.

Imagine how the people who drafted Zeke in the first round in money fantasy leagues feel right now lol.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Imagine how the people who drafted Zeke in the first round in money fantasy leagues feel right now lol.

I can tell you first hand.....................I feel very dumb.

 

[Thomas82]

Pollard is a great change of pace, do everything kind of back but I have no doubt if he were the lead back, his production would go down significantly. It's the difference between being the guy teams prepare for and being a guy that is looked at as a backup.

+1

 

[Thomas82]

You can take it however you want.. It has been stated on many an occasion that long runs in the NFL don't happen without good downfield blocking. Because too many NFL corners run 4.3. If nobody blocks them they WILL catch you. What has gone underreported is that since Dez and Witten left town the Cowboys have not had any runs longer than 44 yards. Even that world class speedster Tony Pollard has not put together any 60-70 yard plays .. If you're looking for reasons why we have no coast to coast runs or screens or anything like that you may want to take a look at our downfield blockers.. namely the receivers.. Both Dez and Terrance Williams would hustle downfield and escort a play for 50 yards.. I have not seen this bunch doing that all that much. Pollard's short area burst has enabled him to get more 20+ yard runs.. but the lack of downfield blocking is the reason those stay 20+ yard runs and not 60-70 yarders... Again take it however you like.. but this mph thing is a red herring. I think either of them is capable of running faster if they get out into the open.. But until somebody goes and gets the free safety and the backside corner we're not going to see it.

Very well said!!

 

[RaZon]

Poor old RonnieT24 has been sticking up for Zeke for a couple years now and he is watching it all come crumbling down.

What is this guy 15?

 

[RonnieT24]

What is this guy 15?

No idea.. as soon as one of them starts acting like a 12 year old I put them in the rear view mirror. They're not worth engaging.. unless you just like that kind of pain.. Talking to stupid people just aint my cup of tea. It's fine to have a different opinion.. nobody is ever going to change anybody's mind about pretty much anything in a forum such as this. But the discussion itself is fun.. These children however seem to think that if they can draw you into some sort of internet dozens game they "win." It's a weird deal .. but let them have at it. Idiots don't need my help to be idiots..

 

[RaZon]

No idea.. as soon as one of them starts acting like a 12 year old I put them in the rear view mirror. They're not worth engaging.. unless you just like that kind of pain.. Talking to stupid people just aint my cup of tea. It's fine to have a different opinion.. nobody is ever going to change anybody's mind about pretty much anything in a forum such as this. But the discussion itself is fun.. These children however seem to think that if they can draw you into some sort of internet dozens game they "win." It's a weird deal .. but let them have at it. Idiots don't need my help to be idiots..

I like to roll around in the guts the blood and the beer, love the joust, but........make it interesting and a challenge, that cat can't do that, actually I feel like I'm picking on some kid, I don't like that.

With you and me we both agree Zeke is a great back, I do think he's lost a step and think you are agreeing with tha, pretty hard not to. We both think Zeke has a lot of football left.

 

[RonnieT24]

I like to roll around in the guts the blood and the beer, love the joust, but........make it interesting and a challenge, that cat can't do that, actually I feel like I'm picking on some kid, I don't like that.

With you and me we both agree Zeke is a great back, I do think he's lost a step and think you are agreeing with tha, pretty hard not to. We both think Zeke has a lot of football left.

Yes I think we agree that Zeke is still a great back. And while I agree he has lost that quickness and burst that young backs have I don't think he's any slower on the top end. It just takes longer for him to get there. As a track-o-phile you know that an athlete can maintain their long speed into their mid-30s.. but what is lost as you grow longer in the tooth is that quickness. The way I always try to explain it to people is that the brain sends a certain signal to the muscles to perform.. The muscles send signals back that "okay okay we're doing it." As muscles age they keep sending the same signal back to the brain but they are absolutely NOT doing the same work. So the challenge for the athlete is to teach the brain to recognize that the muscles are lying.. Well not lying, but not telling the whole truth. I spent all of my track and field career as a super fast starter. I could beat (or at least stay with) world class guys to the halfway point of a 100 meters just on my start alone. Now they would all go zooming past me because I would run out of gas after that .. but hey it was fun while it lasted. As I got into my late 20's and early 30's I began to lose my explosive start and I didn't know why. Everything felt the same but I couldn't get out as fast as I used to. Ironically it was an interview that Ronnie Lott (who I hated when he was a 49er) game to one of the magazines (ESPN or TSN) where he talked about how he was losing quickness as he entered his 30s even though he was as fast as he ever was once he got going. He talked about having to do specific drills to rewire the muscles and the brain to generate quick twitch movement to the level that he was used to. I studied up on it and did some of the same drills and found that not only did my start come back but I was running PR's into my mid 30's! Culminating in a 10.58 at age 35.

All of this is a long winded way of saying that athletes can regain explosiveness if they want to. I think Zeke took the first step in enrolling in the offseason program he did this year. I think he may have erred however in NOT doing enough of the training in pads. Because the idea of these types of programs is to retrain the brain and the body in what it feels like to generate explosive movement not accounting for the difference that full pads would make would be a mistake. Zeke needs to teach his body how to hit the accelerator to and through the hole quicker WHILE wearing pads. Since he just turned 26, I have little doubt that he can do it. The only question is does his new trainer know how to get him there and can they get it done on the fly this season.

 

[JBond]

LOL, you are never going to convince me Zeke has lost a step so stop wasting your breath. We disagree. Understand this and stop repeating yourself.

Look at explosive 20+ plays. Not a great look.