I actually don't mind the hold out itself, it isn't like he was going to be doing anything here anyway. Now I would prefer him to be here with the team and visibe but I don't really care that much.
Of the three I don't think his demands are that off base.
My frustration with this is the offense. He puts up big numbers but it is because of volume not efficiency. Not his fault really but the crappy offense/mind set we run. I don't like paying RBs big money, and I certainly think the Gurley deal is an outlier and not the actual value. Deep down I hope that a deal doesn't get done because I want to see what this team is like without him and to get a better reading on Dak. I want to see if the coaches change the offense without Zeke and rely on Dak more. If they do that, I want to see how Dak responds, does he elevate his and his teammates games or does he have to have perfection around him? If the coaches do change the offense and it works, then I want it to stay the same when Zeke gets back, hopefully making him more efficient with less of a workload and thus extending his career.
The only issue I have with the Zeke holdout itself is him. He made it all about him. He didn't have to go to Cabo, he could have trained in any of a number of places. Wouldn't people be less annoyed if say he went to Columbus and trained at Ohio State or something like that? No, he had to pick a location that was out of the ordinary and gave the feel of a vacation and thus like he isn't taking this seriously. Making sure everyone focused on him. As far as doing it with two years left, I don't care when he would have done it. This was the one time he had leverage. I guarantee next year if he doesn't have a new deal, there will be more options for the Cowboys than just a rookie 4th round RB.
I get him wanting to get paid, he has produced (when he is here) and wants to cash in while he feels like he can. I wouldn't do a deal with him though, and I certainly wouldn't do any substantial amount of guaranteed money. He probably deserves to get paid but there are A LOT of people who are in the same boat but are having to wait. It is how the NFL is set up. This isn't a Dallas issue this is a NFL issue, the Cowboys are simply playing by the same rules as the other 31 teams are. I wouldn't pay him until he proves to me that he is going to be an adult. The current Commissioner has a beef with him and has pretty much stated another screw up and Zeke is toast. Now I am beginning to think the beef is more with Jerry than Zeke so the ice under Zeke might be getting thicker but he is still on ice. Zeke has been here for three years now and we have yet to get through a single year without some dust up regarding him. I am not going to commit a large sum of money and cap space to someone who could be gone for large portions of a season/career because he wants to act like a child (and how will giving him more money make him more responsible?). So my inclination is to let him wait. He can hold out and not report, but then he is missing paychecks. I can wait, I want to see the offense without him anyway. If they lose games, then so be it. You can learn A LOT in a loss, not as much with a win. I say play by the NFL rules and see what the team is like without him and to see if maybe that will finally make him mature.
