Dallas Cowboys: Can Ezekiel Elliott Take Team Worst To First?

[DandyDon52]

It will be up to the coaches, they have the players, and EE is just one of them.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Can "zeke"

This team will do better than last year barring injuries to 9.

People will credit Zeke.

The back patting will be intense.

 

[bayeslife]

He could but It's unlikely IMO. If this team goes from worst to first, Elliott will probably get the credit for that but the truth will be that it's because Tony stayed Healthy and the OL improved dramatically.

I know it's a popular position, on this board, to point to our OL and think that they are the best in the league. Talent wise, projection wise, they might be but from the standpoint of actual execution, they were not last year. They could have been better and they probably will be better this year but they still have to do that. If we flip the switch this year, that is why it will happen IMO. Elliott, thou he may get the credit, will not be the guy that does it IMO. He will be the benefactor of those two things.

Didn't PFF rank them #1??

 

[percyhoward]

Yep. Tied for 11th (or 14th depending on how you look at it) in fewest Sacks given up with 33. 10 teams were better and 3 others were tied with us.

Sacks, hits, and hurries are charted so specifically that there are records of who's responsible for every one of them. Our offensive line allowed 109 total pressures (sacks, hits, and hurries) in 2015, which was by far the fewest in the league.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Of course, we be be remiss to not mention the lack of mobility at QB as well as the WR issues that factor into these stats. It's not all on the line.

I did not say that it was all on the line, of course, but I would say this. Most of the game plans we had, once Tony went down, were to get rid of the ball quickly. We really didn't go down field, much at all. In fact, there was probably way to much dump down offense, rather then challenging the secondary. I think what you say is a valid point but I am just not very sure how much it impacted the performance of the OL, one way or the other.

I think that it's fair to say that they are talented and will get better but I don't see them as the best OL in the league at this point. I think they still have work to do in their pass blocking. JMO

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Sacks, hits, and hurries are charted so specifically that there are records of who's responsible for every one of them. Our offensive line allowed 109 total pressures (sacks, hits, and hurries) in 2015, which was by far the fewest in the league.

I would be interested in seeing the hurries info. Do you have the source for this? If not, it's OK but thought I would ask.

Thank you Percy

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Didn't PFF rank them #1??

Yes, but I have no idea how they came to these numbers. Clearly, we were not number one in Sacks Allowed or Hits on QB.

 

[zrinkill]

I see people are already setting up their excuses if Zeke has a good year.

 

[Dhragon]

Can "zeke"

This team will do better than last year barring injuries to 9.

People will credit Zeke.

The back patting will be intense.

And you have already determined no matter what you will NOT give any significant credit to Zeke. 2 sides, same coin.

#9 will help the RB. If he RB is good, he will help #9. I don't think McFadden helps Romo much at all. I believe, like Murray, Zeke will, because he is not a JAG.

 

[Dhragon]

Yes, but I have no idea how they came to these numbers. Clearly, we were not number one in Sacks Allowed or Hits on QB.

Because no O-line will be #1 at all facets maybe? So they had to take into account everything and came to a overall combined grade better than the other O-lines, maybe?

 

[Toruk_Makto]

And you have already determined no matter what you will NOT give any significant credit to Zeke. 2 sides, same coin.

#9 will help the RB. If he RB is good, he will help #9. I don't think McFadden helps Romo much at all. I believe, like Murray, Zeke will, because he is not a JAG.

Why would I give Zeke outsized credit?

A) Our running game was going to be good regardless.

B) It cannot be shown that great rushing efficiency leads to winning appreciably more than 50/50.

 

[zrinkill]

S

It cannot be shown that great rushing efficiency leads to winning appreciably more than 50/50.

So Emmitt Smith was not important in the Cowboys Super Bowl years ......correct?

 

[CF74]

He will account for a good percentage but all facets of the game require success...

 

[bayeslife]

Yes, but I have no idea how they came to these numbers. Clearly, we were not number one in Sacks Allowed or Hits on QB.

Probably has something to do with their dominating run blocking. I mean passing isn't the only thing teams do.

 

[cowboyblue22]

the difference between McFadden and the rest of the running backs and Elliot is that zeke can score at any time from any place on the field they cant. he will be much better at pass protection and receiving.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Because no O-line will be #1 at all facets maybe? So they had to take into account everything and came to a overall combined grade better than the other O-lines, maybe?

I understand this but the PFF article said that they were #1 in both run and pass. I am saying that I don't believe they are the best pass blocking OL.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Probably has something to do with their dominating run blocking. I mean passing isn't the only thing teams do.

I kinda just responded to this in my earlier post but I will say that I posted earlier that I thought they were one of the best, if not the best, run blocking unit in the NFL already.

 

[zrinkill]

I will ask again to the believers who do not think a superior running game correlates too victories ........ if present day Mcfadden would have taken Emmitt Smiths place in the early 90's teams ....... would they have still won all those Super Bowls?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I will ask again to the believers who do not think a superior running game correlates too victories ........ if present day Mcfadden would have taken Emmitt Smiths place in the early 90's teams ....... would they have still won all those Super Bowls?

I don't think you can say. I mean, obviously, the present day McFadden is at the end of his career. He would have to play at a very high level for 4 more season and I don't see that. Now, if we are talking about McFadden in his prime, it's possible that we could have. McFadden could have been really, really good IMO, had he gone to the right situation. He played for years behind a poor OL and those years, IMO, were wasted. Put him behind what I believe was the best OL in the history of the game and there is no telling what he might have been able to do. Troy was always going to be Troy, Michael was always going to be Michael, the Defense was going to do what it did and that OL was going to beat the snot out of everybody in the League for years so it is possible under those circumstances.

 

[Sydla]

In the current pass-first NFL, one thing remains the same. Running the football gets teams to the playoffs. The Dallas Cowboys have reloaded their rushing attack with first-round draft choice Ezekiel Elliott and may be poised to retake the NFC East crown.
https://nflspinzone.com/2016/05/13/dallas-cowboys-can-ezekiel-elliott-take-team-worst-first/

Am I missing something here?

They say that running the football gets teams to the playoffs. Then say 5 of the Top 10 teams last year in rushing made the playoffs. That's 50% which isn't a great stat.

Further, 12 teams make the playoffs. So out of 12 playoff teams, only 5 were in the Top 10 in rushing? How in the heck do they then conclude that running the football "gets teams to the playoffs"?

If anything, they just shot a massive hole in their theory.