NoLuv4Jerry
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I've sat on the sideline long enough on this topic. I can no longer refrain from weighing in.
The Dallas Cowboys stayed in bed with Jason Garrett far too long....that more than anything is biggest problem with this team and the fallout will continue a couple of more years.
Why do I bring this up? To provide context on WHY Zeke is here. Jason Garrett's vision for a team he is the head coach of is to mirror the 90s Cowboys. Hence the investment in the OL, RB and Dez/Cooper etc. The amount of draft capital and cap dollars invested in the OL is massive. The amount of draft capital and cap dollars invested in a RB is massive. The same can be said about Cooper when you consider we traded a 1st round pick and have paid him a lot of money.
Let us not forget that the idea was to control the clock with the running game and keep the defense off the field. To wear down teams over the course of the game and the course of a season. But the problem with this approach is the 90s approach cannot be duplicated for SEVERAL reasons.....but I will just mention a few. The 90s Cowboys running game was unique because no one else deployed 4 - 5 300lb OL...so we simply won the game before the game even started. Defenses did not see that in practice nor did they see that as the played their schedule against other NFL teams. They simply could not hold up to the physicality Dallas deployed. Not to mention the ALL TIME great that Larry Allen was. DL, LBers are bigger, faster, stronger today. The collisions are more violent. We will NEVER see another Emmit Smith again. That is not to say Emmit Smith was not great. He is one of my 3 favorite Cowboys....but Emmit would NEVER duplicate what he did in todays NFL. His body...much like today's RB...would simply not hold up. The same goes for WR. In Garrets offense....the WR never caught the ball in space. The WR always had CBs draped all over them. It worked in the 90s because of Troy Aikmans accuracy....but the windows the QB has to fit the ball in Garrets offense makes it tough on the entire offense. As a WR....you were tackled immediately and violently as soon as you catch the ball because Garrett did not SCHEME you open. You could not run after catch and decide how you would you would be tackled. From the OL, to the RB to the WRs....it was about being the most physical. Be more physical than the man in front of you and that was our recipe for success. Not sure what they did all week in practice and why the watched so much film...because everyone said Dallas was the easiest team to defend...because it was what you see is what you get. Garrett was and never has been a X or O guy. There are lots of other reasons as well...but I will leave it at this for now
Which brings us back to Zeke. He is physically beat up...our OL is physically beat up....we have ONE man standing from Garrets grand vision for the OL....Zach Martin. Dez was/is physically beat up. THIS is why you hear people say Garrett wasted the career of a lot of great players. He PHYSICALLY had them BEAT up. Zeke and his agent saw this knew this and made sure they protected themselves from Garrett and his street fight approach. If you spend a top 4 pick on a RB....you need to make sure he is special and get 6 GREAT years out of that RB. Zeke WAS special. But we relied on him WAY too much. Jerry and Jason saw him as a player that must get 500 touches a season to justify the investment. That is absolutely the DUMBEST approach based on what I mentioned about the physical punishment you endure against the modern day defensive player. The way McCarthy is using Pollard/Zeke is how it should have been done from day 1. You do not have to hand it Zeke 27 times a game....throw it to him 5 - 7 times a game...use him in all short yardage situations, all goal line situations and have pick up the blitz the rest of the game....the body can only take so much. Why are the COACHES even there if it is the Zeke show all day and all night? Why are the other PLAYERS getting a paycheck if it is the Zeke show all day and all night?
So in hindsight the Zeke deal looks bad...but it is not his fault in my opinion.
The Dallas Cowboys stayed in bed with Jason Garrett far too long....that more than anything is biggest problem with this team and the fallout will continue a couple of more years.
Why do I bring this up? To provide context on WHY Zeke is here. Jason Garrett's vision for a team he is the head coach of is to mirror the 90s Cowboys. Hence the investment in the OL, RB and Dez/Cooper etc. The amount of draft capital and cap dollars invested in the OL is massive. The amount of draft capital and cap dollars invested in a RB is massive. The same can be said about Cooper when you consider we traded a 1st round pick and have paid him a lot of money.
Let us not forget that the idea was to control the clock with the running game and keep the defense off the field. To wear down teams over the course of the game and the course of a season. But the problem with this approach is the 90s approach cannot be duplicated for SEVERAL reasons.....but I will just mention a few. The 90s Cowboys running game was unique because no one else deployed 4 - 5 300lb OL...so we simply won the game before the game even started. Defenses did not see that in practice nor did they see that as the played their schedule against other NFL teams. They simply could not hold up to the physicality Dallas deployed. Not to mention the ALL TIME great that Larry Allen was. DL, LBers are bigger, faster, stronger today. The collisions are more violent. We will NEVER see another Emmit Smith again. That is not to say Emmit Smith was not great. He is one of my 3 favorite Cowboys....but Emmit would NEVER duplicate what he did in todays NFL. His body...much like today's RB...would simply not hold up. The same goes for WR. In Garrets offense....the WR never caught the ball in space. The WR always had CBs draped all over them. It worked in the 90s because of Troy Aikmans accuracy....but the windows the QB has to fit the ball in Garrets offense makes it tough on the entire offense. As a WR....you were tackled immediately and violently as soon as you catch the ball because Garrett did not SCHEME you open. You could not run after catch and decide how you would you would be tackled. From the OL, to the RB to the WRs....it was about being the most physical. Be more physical than the man in front of you and that was our recipe for success. Not sure what they did all week in practice and why the watched so much film...because everyone said Dallas was the easiest team to defend...because it was what you see is what you get. Garrett was and never has been a X or O guy. There are lots of other reasons as well...but I will leave it at this for now
Which brings us back to Zeke. He is physically beat up...our OL is physically beat up....we have ONE man standing from Garrets grand vision for the OL....Zach Martin. Dez was/is physically beat up. THIS is why you hear people say Garrett wasted the career of a lot of great players. He PHYSICALLY had them BEAT up. Zeke and his agent saw this knew this and made sure they protected themselves from Garrett and his street fight approach. If you spend a top 4 pick on a RB....you need to make sure he is special and get 6 GREAT years out of that RB. Zeke WAS special. But we relied on him WAY too much. Jerry and Jason saw him as a player that must get 500 touches a season to justify the investment. That is absolutely the DUMBEST approach based on what I mentioned about the physical punishment you endure against the modern day defensive player. The way McCarthy is using Pollard/Zeke is how it should have been done from day 1. You do not have to hand it Zeke 27 times a game....throw it to him 5 - 7 times a game...use him in all short yardage situations, all goal line situations and have pick up the blitz the rest of the game....the body can only take so much. Why are the COACHES even there if it is the Zeke show all day and all night? Why are the other PLAYERS getting a paycheck if it is the Zeke show all day and all night?
So in hindsight the Zeke deal looks bad...but it is not his fault in my opinion.
