Has Zeke lost some of his speed?

[QuincyCarterEra]

Zeke is great and we can't win a SB without him. At least that's what I was told when I said that RB's are easily replaced.

We're seeing it AGAIN immediately this year with Ekeler replacing Melvin G. Very first opportunity for a RB and he's killing it.

I guess Carlos Hyde was first and he is destroying Miller's best year as a Texan.

It's truly embarrassing some havent grasped that RBs are replaceable. Even the elite ones like Gurley, Bell, Gordon, and Zeke.

 

[Dylan88Wilson]

Yeah, he doesn’t look nearly as explosive. He isn’t the homerun-hitter he was his rookie season.

 

[Keithfansince5]

I will say the man earns his money and is a stud RB but I cant help but think he was faster in his rookie year. I just don't see zeke breaking a lot of those long runs like he did his rookie year.

Yes, Zeke is in decline. I have said it several times. Of course it is my opinion and anyone else can have theirs. But to me, he is not the same dude who played in 2016. He was dynamic then.

 

[Keithfansince5]

Zeke is like Emmitt, he was never a homerun runner. but if he gets out there he is hard to run down, just like Emmitt was, but he is not a homerun hitter.

No Zeke is not like Emmitt. Zeke has more speed than Emmitt but has half the heart Emmitt had.

 

[Batman1980]

Yup, all of this is why I would've signed Ajayi and let Zeke stew until we traded him.

 

[Future]

You’re speaking in generalities and making it up as you go.

I’m using the very definition from a metric used to determine scenarios (“stacked in the box”) running backs face against defenses designed specifically to stop the run.

Yeah, the fact that the defense has more defenders in the box versus blockers makes it more difficult. That should be obvious; more defenders in a smaller area in closer proximity makes it more difficult to run.

By your half-baked definition, an offense could spread out a defense into a nickel and have 6 defenders go against 5 offensive linemen, and you’d consider that a “negative front” when in reality that’s a favorable defensive front to run on.

That definition is b.s. for the modern game. Number of times a runner faces 8 men in the box means absolutely 0 when you don't know the offensive sets. It tells you nothing.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT 11 PERSONNEL DOES and why it is the most common offensive grouping by a mile. Good teams throw when there are 6 box defenders because it means single-high and generally man coverage. It is quite literally the exact offensive philosophy that McVay uses and what Moore is implementing. They still don't run against unblocked defenders, unless they are optioning them.

I did not realize you were so completely out of touch with the state of NFL offenses.

 

[Vegas_Cowboy]

We're seeing it AGAIN immediately this year with Ekeler replacing Melvin G. Very first opportunity for a RB and he's killing it.

I guess Carlos Hyde was first and he is destroying Miller's best year as a Texan.

It's truly embarrassing some havent grasped that RBs are replaceable. Even the elite ones like Gurley, Bell, Gordon, and Zeke.

I tried my hardest to convince people that they're easily replaceable but failed. At the end of all of it, all I saw here was, "It's Jerry's money. Let him worry about the salary cap."

I respect the opinion of those who said that but I don't want to here them complain when the Cowboys let other players walk because they can't afford them.

 

[tomsanders921]

No RB in the league faces more stacked boxed than Zeke.

What about saquon? Giants have no passing game and teams know he is the only player that can beat them

 

[Shane612]

Felix Jones put on some weight his second or third off season, and he was never the same.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Besides Barkley, name one back who runs away from the secondary? The secondary guys are the fastest guys on any team. However, let those secondary guys get tackled about 20 times a game and that speed won't be what it was. I think running backs are always a bit nicked up and I think they also try to protect themselves a bit from being tackled from behind when they are running flat out. When Bo got injured it was because he was running full speed and someone who had the angle got him from the side and behind. Bo's career over at that point. The true test on any running backs speed is always when he is in the open and trying to get run down from behind. I haven't seen zeke get run down from behind in that situation yet.

Christian McCaffery and Devin Cook. Both I think are better than Zeke.

 

[quickccc]

Felix Jones put on some weight his second or third off season, and he was never the same.

and they (Cowboys staff) did that to him because Felix was already having major issues with durability and staying healthy...

 

[Whirlwin]

He sucks trade his fat lard for a 2nd rounder....

P.S. Lets see how the defense "Bites" on the PA after you don't have slow FAT Zeke to kick around....won't be pretty without him.

You didn't answer the question, did he lose a step. Personally I don't think so.

 

[stinkface]

Christian McCaffery and Devin Cook. Both I think are better than Zeke.

Let Christian run the ball as much as Zeke does and he will be a broken down man and that speed will be gone. Need to see some more of Cook. He seems a tad brittle based on how much time he's out of the line up.

 

[Cowpolk]

I will make this ezy Zeke is the fastest ewok in the NFL

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

That definition is b.s. for the modern game. Number of times a runner faces 8 men in the box means absolutely 0 when you don't know the offensive sets. It tells you nothing.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT 11 PERSONNEL DOES and why it is the most common offensive grouping by a mile. Good teams throw when there are 6 box defenders because it means single-high and generally man coverage. It is quite literally the exact offensive philosophy that McVay uses and what Moore is implementing. They still don't run against unblocked defenders, unless they are optioning them.

I did not realize you were so completely out of touch with the state of NFL offenses.

What a completely ridiculous take, smh.

If you can’t understand why facing 8+ men in the box as a RB is inherently different and more difficult than having facing 5 or 6 then I can’t help you.

You got your little flimsy 11-personnel theory busted up by showing you exactly what the Cowboys were doing with Noah Brown bringing him and blocking at the LOS.

Your response was “oh, you’re proving my point; there’s more defenders than blockers” which is effectively saying you don’t have a freakin’ clue how stupid your theory is.

Why?

Because it doesn’t freakin’ matter how many blockers the offense has. The metric looks at the number of defenders stacked in the box at the snap.

Here’s an entire article on how Brown is utilized including in 11-personnel: https://www.___GET_REAL_URL___/s/in...ew-light-end-noah-brown-makes-big-impact/amp/

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

Let Christian run the ball as much as Zeke does and he will be a broken down man and that speed will be gone. Need to see some more of Cook. He seems a tad brittle based on how much time he's out of the line up.

McCaffrey had more touches last year and in college. No signs of any injury at all.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Nah..

Barber, Felix, and Zeke all got huge after their rookie year.

Demarco is the only guy that bulking up helped.

And Demarco lost alot of speed in the process. He was a sub 4.4 guy at, what, 200 lbs when we drafted him? What was he in 2014? Close to 230?

He lost speed, but both him and the Cowboys would make that transformation 10 out of 10 times.

Felix on the other hand was all acceleration. You take that away and what do you have

 

[TRUTH87]

Zeke used to hit the holes at 100mph that's why he looked more explosive.

Now I see a guy that takes his time to maneuver through the right lanes and keep the chains moving instead of looking for the homerun every run.

yes. that’s why le’veon looks like a turtle. patient runners.

 

[Daktozekecoop]

Depends on what one finds exciting. Beating up on a weaker opponent isn't exciting to me. Games never in question are not exciting to me. I like seeing TD's but I like exciting football games more and that's why I watch.

That ATL-PHL game was the most exciting game I've watched so far. The LAR-NO, the biggest letdown.

For some, not me, a good game is one won by their team and that's fine but I love the game of football more than any team.

I understand. But Washington had just played the Eagles who are a super bowl favorite, in a really good game that the skins barely lost. Many here either picked the skins to beat Dallas or predicted a close game. Suddenly after the game everyone is saying Dallas has played no one. Not true, they just soundly beat a good team. So to my eyes what Dallas is doing is making decent or good teams look like scrubs. That is what champions do and so it gives me the feeling we are at the dawn of a championship season and that to me makes these recent games really exciting.

 

[boysfanperiod]

To answer the question: Yes, he has.