Agreed. All his last years, strong in the beginning, and then body couldn’t take it by the end. Was it that Panthers game a few years ago where him and Pollard both had 100 yards? Damn, I thought we had the best thunder and lightning combo since the MB3 days but thunder lost it in the end. And to be clear, I’ve always been a huge Zeke fan, but I’m just being realistic. If Zeke has any type of rebirth, it’s because of those young offensive linemen coming out strong.
It's going to be tough. I expect a decent start by him again, since he did it both of his last years here (although I can't say I know what happened in New England). But he's at the wall for running backs, so I'm not expecting a rebirth. I think he'll get injured, try to play through it and end up having a similar output as his last few seasons. I'm hoping that's not the case, but I can't say it's a realistic hope.
Thing is, if he does get taken back down by injury, I'm not sure who can step up. I can't sit here and say Dowdle can survive with more carries since he's had his own injury issues. I can't say Freeman has starter ability since he's washed out in that role. I can't say Vaughn can step up since he didn't do much as a rookie (despite also looking good last preseason).
We're hoping a combination of those backs will get the job done, but if Zeke is not our lead dog, I'm not sure who else is capable. Maybe one of them will seize the role, but I'll believe it when I see it during the regular season.
