Is Zeke the back he was the first 3 years?

[superonyx]

Yeah, that’s patently false.

If Barkley had the extra 43 carries Zeke had he trumps Zeke’s rushing yardage in 2018; as Gurley would have; as would have Joe Mixon.

In 2017 the leading rusher was Kareem Hunt with 1,327 yards on 272 carries in 16 games. Yeah, Zeke averaged 98.3 yards per game, but he also had nearly as many rushes (242) as Hunt did in just 10 games and was averaging just 4.1 YPC. That’s volume.

In 2016, Zeke was a dynamic playmaking running back, which is exactly the point of this thread.

Math doesn’t care about your opinion.

Man you are right.


If we could just get rid of Zeke the cowboys would be such a better team said no one ever.

misery loves company right?
You have become a Zeke troll.

I may start another “Zeke is not the same “ thread and watch all the trolls come running to repeat the same nonsense they love repeating over and over and over on every thread.

how many anti Zeke post would you type in a given day?

 

[atlantacowboy]

And it doesn't help that he still gets 20-25 touches in games where we are blowing out the opponent.

Your talking about one game. Whats killing zeke more than anything is that he spent training camp in cabo getting fat and lazy.

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

On a serious note... is Zeke the back he was the first 3 years? He just seems slow.

Zeke was extraordinary his rookie season. He hasn't been since then.

 

[superonyx]

Zeke was drafted to pair with Romo.
He would've been more effective with Romo because Romo was a serious passing threat.

Yea teams know they don’t have to worry about Dak. Who needs to worry about the guy who leads the NFL in QBR, is coming off a 400 yard passing game, leads the league in 4th qt come from behind victories, has a QB rating over 100. Is in the top 5 QB ratings in NFL history. And by every count is worth around $35m per year.

nothing to worry about from our QB.
Maybe we can draft Tua.

 

[Bullflop]

Zeke isn't the same well-conditioned athlete he was in the first 3 years by any realistic comparison. I feel his partying lifestyle and holdout has taken a very serious toll on the well-conditioned and well-prepared athlete that he was originally. The stats that he's compiled this season are stark reminders of that unfortunate occurrence. Zeke sorely needs to re-commit himself to a physical and lifestyle change if he's to return to being the elite RB we drafted. As far as Dak is concerned, I do believe his future with the Cowboys is destined to thrive. His commitment to his position and his work ethic have been ideal.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Man you are right.


If we could just get rid of Zeke the cowboys would be such a better team said no one ever.

misery loves company right?
You have become a Zeke troll.

I may start another “Zeke is not the same “ thread and watch all the trolls come running to repeat the same nonsense they love repeating over and over and over on every thread.

how many anti Zeke post would you type in a given day?

Pobably a fraction of the posts you spend trying to defend his honor.

I do appreciate the fact you’ve been reduced to snark instead of trying to formulate a legitimate response.

Why don’t you just say “Zeke! He da best!” and be done with it, smh.

 

[Whyjerry]

Zeke probably ran for more yards to sign Cook's jersey after the game than he ran for us during the game.

Zeke has definitely lost a step.

Exactly. I love the GIF. That jersey signing shows how tone deaf this team is. Lewis tweet as well. The clown car is packed.

 

[BrassCowboy]

bull.

You must not have watched it. That defense is ferocious and quick.

 

[MyFairLady]

He sure didn't do much last night. Ran a pretty uninspired route on 4th down. This team has no sense of urgency or feel for the moment. They are all happily paid.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

He isn’t. Still powerful but the guy is a blob. Lost a step for sure.

In three, really two and a half, years?

Nope. In his first year the o-line was the best in football, by most accounts, or at least top 3. Teams had no game film on him, after the two and a half years they have made adjustments and the defenders know his speed, moves etc.

To me it seems he's trying to emulate Leveon Bell's "tiptoe to the line, pause while the blocks develop, then blast ahead" technique. For whatever reason, that worked for Bell.
But it's not Zeke's style, nor the o-line's blocking style, both flourish with a hit the hole hard and go style.

Zeke needs to get back to that...

 

[CyberB0b]

Doesn't seem like it:

Elite combination of vision and decisiveness. Instinctive, short strider with instant reaction time. Has a bona fide jump-cut to elude penetration in the backfield and enough burst to elude chasers when he bounces runs to the outside. Able to change directions with no hesitation or wasted motion and is always headed forward. Has innate feel for developing blocks in space and is excellent at setting his blocks up and accelerating from behind them when the linebacker is trapped. When it's gridlocked inside, finds yards on his own. Rocked up physique but still maintains loose hips for agility. Exceptional balance through contact and takes tacklers for a ride. Has a "come at me, bro!" mentality as a runner. Loves to end runs on his physical terms. Uses lead shoulder as a weapon, but plays with outstanding ball security. Looks to absolutely bludgeon defenders as a lead blocker and is often successful. Able pass catcher who adjusts to throws and can do something with it after the catch.

 

[uvaballa]

No because in the 4th quarter it should be easier to break tackles and long runs. He runs the same at the beginning of the game as he does at the end. Not really running through guys like he used to.

 

[jsb357]

No

He's older, heavier, slower and now with his contract,
more likely to make business decisions to minimize the wear and tear.

Plus he's saving himself for the playoffs

 

[Whyjerry]

I just looked up some stats. Zeke's long this year is 27 yards. Big plays > 20 yards he just has 1. RB Leader has 8 (Chubb). In 2018 his long was 41, with 11 Big plays. The leader had 16. In 2017 his long was 30 and he had 5 big plays. The leader had 12. In 2016 Zeke's long was 60 yards and he led the league in big plays with 14. Factor in the number of attempts he gets and the stats look worse.

Its undeniable - He has lost a step or 2. Not surprising though. He had no preseason this year. 2 years ago we was under the thumb of the the league. There is no doubt the guy is 15 pounds heavier.

The question with Zeke is what he will do. Will he feel a strong sense of responsibility and work out hard in the off season, stay clean, and come in with a new sense of purpose? Will he cash his checks, get fatter, and basically be on a 2-3 year path to oblivion.

My bet is the latter.

 

[blueblood70]

On a serious note... is Zeke the back he was the first 3 years? He just seems slow.

do we need a 101post on the same subject? no we dont

Zekes fine the line and play calling schemes for the run game are not..

 

[superonyx]

Pobably a fraction of the posts you spend trying to defend his honor.

I do appreciate the fact you’ve been reduced to snark instead of trying to formulate a legitimate response.

Why don’t you just say “Zeke! He da best!” and be done with it, smh.

What is your motivation?
You keep repeating yourself over and over in every thread.
You are not enlightening anyone. You have this inflated ego where you think you somehow cracked the code and you figured out what no one else has.

What are you hoping to accomplish? The contract is done. We are not the front office. Convincing other fans that Zeke is overpaid or awful does what for them actually?
If you are successful in substantiating your misery on others how is this helping anyone?

I'm sure you will ignore these questions becuase frankly the answers should make you uncomfortable and a little embarrassed at best.

Are you just lonely and you need someone to talk football with you and this is your angle?

 

[Creeper]

No, Zeke is nothing like the back of 2016. When I watch other teams run the football, it is so obvious how slow Zeke is now. The top backs are much quicker through the hole and get outside before the opposing defense. He has been getting yards off cutbacks and some quick stops and starts but the top end speed and open field elusiveness are things of the past. The only questions are, it is missing training camp? is he overweight? Is it in his head? or is it wear and tear?

Wear and tear cannot be repaired but the other stuff can be fixed. There is also evidence its in his head. His comments about himself indicate he thinks he's not doing as well has he should. Maybe he's a little unsure of where he wants to cut? One thing is certain, he is not playing at the level of a $90 million RB.

At the same time, Zeke is not the problem with this team. They are still leading the league in offense even after playing one of the top defenses. Maybe Zeke is not getting the yards he could be but the Vikings clearly sold out to stop him which allowed Dak to throw for 3 TD and almost 400 yards. If not for the red zone failures, which were not Zeke's fault, him not gaining 50 yards would not have mattered.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Lol, the man is TWENTY FOUR years old. Running backs don't lose a step at age 24 unless they've been injured significantly.

He doesn't play in a vacuum, the line is NOT as good as it was in 2016, when he was fresh to the league. Teams know that if they stop Zeke, they usually stop the Cowboys, so they key on him all game long.

Zeke's lost a step? Simplistic answer to the lack of a strong running game, it's not that easy to figure out...

 

[MikeB80]

He doesn't appear to be.

But the other factor in that is that the line is not as good and the tight ends do not block as well. I think swaim/witten were better blockers than what we have at tight end now. Swaim only played half of the season and then they mix and matched escobar in there and he was pretty good that back stretch of 16.

Leary-Frederick-Martin were dominant in 2016. We just are not as good right now in those spots with fred still recovering and martin battling that back injury.

 

[The Fonz]

Zeke not worth the money JJ gave him