Dallas does miss Zeke

[starfan1]

Thinking that Pollard could man the RB position without a quality 2nd option was absolutely insane.

Even if it looked like he was handling it, he would be so beat up by the time the playoffs came around he would be ineffective.

There is still time for the Cowboys to make some type of deal to get another proven RB.

honestly dont get why everyone is so on pollard for run game failures Its the line
#1 pollard is the same back hes been in the past. Hell get these frequent 2 yard carries then bust 1 or 2 to make his YPC look better
#2 his usage doesnt need to be an issue. Dowdle can play and should play no big trade is needed Unless its for an Oline
#3 Mccarthys play calling leaves alot to be desired. Where are all the runs outside?

 

[starfan1]

The only person that misses Zeke is CowboyRoy.

 

[BleedSilverandBlue]

Say what you will but Dallas misses Zeke badly. His 12 tds sure helped shore up that redzone and helped make Pollard elite.

With the run blocking so far this season, Zeke would be averaging a yard per carry.

I'm pretty convinced you could put Prime AP back there and still struggle based on how things have looked so far.

Why everyone is trying to pin this on Pollard is pretty bizarre to me.

 

[Praxit]

..I think they are OK, without him. MM needs to scheme better for RB's.

I would let Rico run the heavy stuff. TP run out-cuts and side routes.

Now Dak has legs too. So throw him in short stuff.

 

[Cowboyny]

They aren't using Pollard correctly and he isn't a carry the load type of back. Dowdle fits as more the physical runner, where Pollard should return to his old role. Based on the salaries, that is very unlikely to happen.

 

[starfan1]

With the run blocking so far this season, Zeke would be averaging a yard per carry.

I'm pretty convinced you could put Prime AP back there and still struggle based on how things have looked so far.

Why everyone is trying to pin this on Pollard is pretty bizarre to me.

because that was pretty much the narrative coming into the season was pollard coming off injury has never been THE guy anywhere. So naturally they want their narratives to be correct and his 3.9 YPC is helping the narrative

 

[jterrell]

I would have gladly paid the 2.9M for Zeke that the Pats are.
But I certainly wouldn't have paid his massive prior base.

Dallas simply lacks a bigger, interior back.
Dowdle can do OK there on runs but he looks lost blocking so it is an adventure when we pass.
TP is getting worn down that's for sure. RB take so many minor injuries and knocks that slow them down.
A rested TP walks away from Asante Samual Jr.

 

[conner01]

Zeke was good at finding that little space to get yards near the goal line. But pollard avg twice the yards after contact that Zeke did last year
Create holes with the oline and the run game will be fine.

 

[KJJ]

Pollard was better with Zeke softening up the defense for him. Heading into the Chargers game Pollard was averaging 20 carries per game, which is too many for him in my opinion. He’s not being kept as fresh as he was when Zeke was here and it’s lessened his effectiveness, which I thought it would.

 

[glimmerman]

Elliot will never be the same. And it sucks he was a good power back that wore defenses down and allowed Pollard to be Pollard. What we need is to try Luepke in the middle. They handed him the ball on the 4 and he ran it in with a tough run for a TD. Not much since then. Must be a reason.

 

[jterrell]

because that was pretty much the narrative coming into the season was pollard coming off injury has never been THE guy anywhere. So naturally they want their narratives to be correct and his 3.9 YPC is helping the narrative

The exact opposite is also true.
Was clear to anyone who had ever watched a football game that TP wasn't going to benefit from 20+ carries a week.
Zeke had to be gone or massively restructured but Rico Dowdle is most certainly not the answer as the lead back either.
But Dowdle is running harder than TP right now.
Not exactly shocking given TP ran harder than Zeke when he was the one getting 8-10 carries a game.

But you are correct in that the OL run blocking needs to be better. Teams see that they want to pull nearly every run play so it is easy to shoot gaps and kill plays.
LBs are taught to follow pulling guards and they are faster so get to the backfield and dead plays. Front side 3T get taught to just shoot gaps and interrupt the play.
Counter trey is very 1988.

SF is doing the insanity with CMC as well. Putting way too much work on his shoulders so the oblique strain that gives him a break was easy to see coming. When they trashed us I had no idea they kept giving him the ball making him take big shots.
You don't try to prove your toughness with a vet running back who has had so many injuries in his career.

 

[gimmesix]

Say what you will but Dallas misses Zeke badly. His 12 tds sure helped shore up that redzone and helped make Pollard elite.

I think we miss a Zeke-like back to pair with Pollard. Not down on Dowdle, but we just need that guy who can successfully hammer between the tackles. Pollard has had some success between the tackles but his game isn't built around being a pounder.

Considering that Elliott only has one rushing TD this year, so that's not exactly supporting your argument. And I'm a Zeke backer. The last few years, he has not been able to stay healthy for a season with heavy use, so the wall that all running backs eventually hit is there. Elliott may not be completely finished yet, but he's close to being Emmitt after he went to the Cardinals.

 

[diamonddelts]

With the run blocking so far this season, Zeke would be averaging a yard per carry.

That would be an improvement for him.

 

[fairviewfarmer]

Say what you will but Dallas misses Zeke badly. His 12 tds sure helped shore up that redzone and helped make Pollard elite.

+1. We need to find someone to take his place. Jmo.

 

[LovinItAll]

It's not that simple. If you want Zeke it costs you $18M a year.

So looking at it like that the answer is easily NO Dallas doesn't miss Zeke badly.

Additionally, did you watch the last 6 games last year? His 1.8 ypa isn't missed one bit.

Negative. All reports indicated Zeke was willing to take a pay cut to stay in Dallas. How much? No idea. He's playing for $3MM plus a $1MM signing bonus in NE, a deal that doesn't look like it will be renewed. Pollard is guaranteed $10MM this year. Zeke wouldn't have been a replacement for Pollard, but we could've given him $3MM/yr.

Do we miss him in short-yardage situations? Absolutely. Pollard never has and never will be the guy that can bull his way between the tackles. Is that worth $3MM? I have no idea.

 

[CATCH17]

We don’t miss Zeke at all.

They could throw Hunter Luepke in the game anytime they wanted and replicate what Zeke did.

 

[Bullflop]

I can't help but to feel McCarthy is making a big mistake by not utilizing Luepke in the offense considerably more than he is. Here's hoping he wakes up and finally decides to use the talent at hand to better advantage. Yes, the OL isn't functioning nearly as well as they should but if you don't know enough to use a talented RB to advantage, you'll only have yourself to blame. It's puzzling why MM fails to give Luepke the reps that he sorely needs to get the success he's likely capable of achieving. Let's hope that changes if and when the OL's health improves.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Zeke was good at finding that little space to get yards near the goal line. But pollard avg twice the yards after contact that Zeke did last year
Create holes with the oline and the run game will be fine.

Folks don’t care about facts.

 

[plasticman]

Dallas misses Zeke but certainly not his contract. Right now he's pretty one dimensional. He can get the tough yards but he's no big play threat. Not only is he not worth the money he was being paid, I don't know if I would want him as the 2nd back. If possible I think he would make a good situational 3rd back.

I don't think the Cowboys miss Dak in particular, they are simply undermanned at the position and any available productive RB on the trade market should be considered.