This team can win without Zeke

[J12B]

Oline is stacked with talent

Amari Cooper is a threat defenses will need to double

Dak can do enough to get a W

New offensive scheme and creativity that can only help the offense

Defense is young and talented

If you believe Dallas would lose to the Giants and Commanders if Zeke is unavailable....then you have no faith in this team. You're also saying the front office hasn't built a good team with depth.

The success of the team shouldn't revolve around the availability of a starting running back.

 

[GenoT]

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Lets see.

An OL without a RB. Oh I forgot any scrub can run behind that line.

Without Zeke and a threat of a running game they will double Cooper.

Then it will be all on Dak and then we can have the Dak bashing threads again.

We have no idea what kind of a coach Moore is. He could be awful. Just don't know. It's still Garrett's offense.

Defense is so young and talented until playoff games. Still can't get over the Rams game.

But you're right. If this team can't play a couple games without Zeke then they aren't as good as we think they are.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Yes this team can win without Zeke. While I won't undersell his ability as a pass blocker...he's great at it.

However....

We use a Massey-type rating system using PFF run-blocking and run-defense grades to adjust our play-by-play grading by opponent and rank offensive lines in run blocking (they are what help Mike Renner create lists like these). The last three seasons, the Cowboys offensive line has ranked fourth, second and sixth, respectively.

While offensive line rankings correlate well (r = 0.52) with EPA per running play, the Cowboys actually performed worse than would be suggested by their offensive line, finishing 12th in EPA generated as an offense per run play (-0.06 per). The Cowboys offense averaged -0.02 EPA per Zeke run (-0.04 if you count playoffs), which is still lower than one would expect with an offensive line that effective.

As a run blocker he essentially get's what is blocked.

As we and others have noted, a running back’s ability to break tackles is his one stable trait as a player. Specifically, our Elusive Rating , which not only captures how often one breaks tackles in both the passing game and the running game but also what they do when they break a tackle, was not kind to Elliott in 2018. He was 35th in the metric (37.7), behind players like Todd Gurley (tied for 33th with Chris Ivory), Alvin Kamara (31st), Christian McCaffrey (26th), Adrian Peterson (13th), Chris Carson (12th), James Conner (11th), Melvin Gordon (9th), Saquon Barkley (8th), Kareem Hunt (4th), Derrick Henry (3rd) and Nick Chubb (2nd).

Zeke was 40th in this metric in 2017 and 31st in 2016. A lot of our grading system tries to divorce what a running back does versus what his offensive line “gives him.” A running back that doesn’t break a great deal of tackles will hardly ever earn a grade that their (volume-based) production would appear to imply.

More evidence...he's going to give you simply what is there. I always chuckle when people talk about Zeke running through all those arm tackles (broken tackles) and falling for an extra 2 yards. It's a myth.

Another of our other Signature Stats, Breakaway Percentage, measures the percentage of yards a running back gains on runs of more than 15 yards, was also not very kind to Zeke, who finished 15th in that metric. This isn’t one of our more stable metrics, but it demonstrates a relative lack of the Derrick Henry -on-TNF-like big plays that would substantially lift Elliott in our view.

And on top of that he isn't very explosive anymore?

Zeke like most any RB we plug in (See Morris, DMC) we plug in will produce. So we shouldn't worry about retaining him. This post will annoy some. But who cares. These are facts. Get out your feelings.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/ne...as-cowboys-rb-ezekiel-elliotts-2018-pff-grade

 

[CATCH17]

Consider the coach.

 

[cern]

even jimmy's cowboys couldn't win without emmitt. zeke's just not any running back. he's the best.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Lets see.

An OL without a RB. Oh I forgot any scrub can run behind that line.

Without Zeke and a threat of a running game they will double Cooper..

Dez was doubled while Murray was in the backfield.

Dez was doubled when Morris was in the backfield.

Cooper will be doubled no matter what RB we put in the backfield because our O-line will mandate defenses resources.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Dez was doubled while Murray was in the backfield.

Dez was doubled when Morris was in the backfield.

Cooper will be doubled no matter what RB we put in the backfield because our O-line will mandate defenses resources.

Yea and we ran Murray into the ground doing it. Like it or not that 2014 team was a rushing team and that's when Romo had his best year. Morris? lol Don't remind me of those other years when we didn't have a running game or we had one and the coaches were too stupid to use it. So if Cooper is doubled without a running game how is that better if he's doubled with one? If you can run the ball you loosen the defense up.

 

[charron]

We can win without Zeke but not without an effective run game. Do we have another guy on this roster who can run against loaded box's?

 

[Ranched]

Oline is stacked with talent Amari Cooper is a threat defenses will need to double
Dak can do enough to get a W New offensive scheme and The success of the team shouldn't revolve around the availability of a starting running back.

 

[JayFord]

I rather not test this theory

 

[Proof]

Yes this team can win without Zeke. While I won't undersell his ability as a pass blocker...he's great at it.

However....


As a run blocker he essentially get's what is blocked.



More evidence...he's going to give you simply what is there. I always chuckle when people talk about Zeke running through all those arm tackles (broken tackles) and falling for an extra 2 yards. It's a myth.



And on top of that he isn't very explosive anymore?

Zeke like most any RB we plug in (See Morris, DMC) we plug in will produce. So we shouldn't worry about retaining him. This post will annoy some. But who cares. These are facts. Get out your feelings.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/ne...as-cowboys-rb-ezekiel-elliotts-2018-pff-grade

What is a broken tackle anyway? Where the defender gets a hand or arm on you and you escape completely?
If that’s the case then Zeke must be dragging guys along with them or falling on top of them (forward).

Either that or guys that have a shot at him initially aren’t grabbing him at all.

He absolutely turns rushes that appear doomed into modest gains, routinely.

 

[PAPPYDOG]

Oline is stacked with talent

Amari Cooper is a threat defenses will need to double

Dak can do enough to get a W

New offensive scheme and creativity that can only help the offense

Defense is young and talented

If you believe Dallas would lose to the Giants and Commanders if Zeke is unavailable....then you have no faith in this team. You're also saying the front office hasn't built a good team with depth.

The success of the team shouldn't revolve around the availability of a starting running back.

Good one LOL....did you hear the one about the Fat lady at the beach???

Zeke is the fuel that makes our offense run baby!!!!!

 

[JoeKing]

Zeke is a game-changing running back! He gives us an advantage like no other player on the roster.

 

[gimmesix]

Oline is stacked with talent

Amari Cooper is a threat defenses will need to double

Dak can do enough to get a W

New offensive scheme and creativity that can only help the offense

Defense is young and talented

If you believe Dallas would lose to the Giants and Commanders if Zeke is unavailable....then you have no faith in this team. You're also saying the front office hasn't built a good team with depth.

The success of the team shouldn't revolve around the availability of a starting running back.

When that running back is roughly 60 percent of your offense, I do believe it makes a difference. We can win without Zeke if we have another capable running back to replace that production. Even then, it wouldn't be easy (see 2017 — 6-4 with Zeke, 3-3 without him).

 

[big dog cowboy]

This team can win without Zeke

Short term - probably

Long term - unlikely

 

[panchucko]

The way this team is stacked we can win without any player to include Dak or cooper. As long as the Defense keeps us in

 

[Toruk_Makto]

What is a broken tackle anyway? Where the defender gets a hand or arm on you and you escape completely?
If that’s the case then Zeke must be dragging guys along with them or falling on top of them (forward).

Either that or guys that have a shot at him initially aren’t grabbing him at all.

He absolutely turns rushes that appear doomed into modest gains, routinely.

It's not routine. That's kind of the point. And yes running through an arm tackle counts.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Yea and we ran Murray into the ground doing it. Like it or not that 2014 team was a rushing team and that's when Romo had his best year. Morris? lol Don't remind me of those other years when we didn't have a running game or we had one and the coaches were too stupid to use it. So if Cooper is doubled without a running game how is that better if he's doubled with one? If you can run the ball you loosen the defense up.

Because we'll be able to run effectively without Zeke like we've done every year for the last half decade.

 

[GenoT]

Short term - probably

Long term - unlikely

Short term - maybe for a game or two

Long term - we’re back to 8-8