I honestly don’t understand some of these comments. No wonder why fans of other teams laugh.. Dal fans tend to overrate some players and down right don’t appreciate other players.
On paper, Zeke has been trending downward.. but to overlook what he has done in his entirety is just cherry picking bias. One poster stated there’s 30 other backs as good as Zeke.. that’s just false and pathetic analysis.
Zeke is the best blocking back in the league, bar none. Many times I’ve seen Zeke allow Dak to get passes off that otherwise he would have taking a sack. Pollard CANT do that. And if it’s offense your wanting.. don’t gloss over the fact he ranked 16th in the league in all-purpose-yards. That includes RBs, WRs, and TEs!
Yes, we want more. Exp at that salary, I agree. Last year, before he tore his PCL.. he was giving more and that can’t be argued. Had he continued on that trend, he would have surely ranked atleast 2nd in rushing yards. The fact he continued to play through the PCL injury is crazy and he deserves more respect than Dal fans give him.
The fact of the matter is.. Dal OL didn’t help one bit. Dal started 3 of the most penalized OL in the league. (Biadasz 9p/17g, Williams 14p/14g, Collins 9p/10g) Two of those players are gone. We all hope the OL will play better. Now throw in the fact that Dak wasn’t the same. Some can hate me for this comment, but one of the aspects of Daks game that make him great is he could periodically run the ball effectively. Last year he couldn’t for a few reasons. Hopefully another year helps Dak and the “rebuild” of the OL produces more offensive efficiency… namely more play action, which benefits our running game.
A more bold prediction: 3000 APY between both Zeke and Tony.
I believe it could be done(health permitting). Pollard (1056 apy last year)is in line for more passes and involvement..and Zeke (1289 apy) just stays healthy and continues to grind out the tough yards. (All reports are that he’s healthy and running 22mph). That’s fantastic news.
Food for thought:
Zeke avg 5.3 ypc before PCL injury; 3.8 afterwards (-1.5 yards)
Pollard avg 6.7 ypc before Zeke’s injury; 5.0 afterwards (-1.7 yards)
So what caused the offense to slow down?
Zeke’s injury?
OL’s penalties and gradual deterioration?
Dak’s calf? Foot? Shoulder?
Some will say play calling. I personally believe all of it played a part.
That said, I also believe if we can stay healthy and the OL improves.. the Running game will naturally improve.