News: Elliott's deal is becoming the NFL's worst

[Hawkeye0202]

Statistically you're correct. the decline i think had more to do with the eye test than anything. He bulked up, lost some burst, etc. It would certainly be unfair to say he wasn't productive though. I think he turned into more of a limited back.

Bingo!!!!! Take a look at his stats per year......notice he will likely finish this with the lowest touches since 2017, when he played only 10 games. Total rushing numbers are way down ( based on his career average ). Zeke had over 1700 total yards from scrimmage in 2019 and 2000 yards in 2018. My point is exactly what you've said, he's more a limited back now BUT IMO it's by design and has nothing to do with talent. Remember 2014 DeMarco Murray led the lead in rushing, total yards and touches. He finished the year over 400 touches on a contract year and guess what, Stephen used the same wear and tear against him during negotiation( why Zeke held out ). My guess, Jerry and Stephen wanna make damn sure they are not stuck with a worn-out injured prone RB with 2-3 guaranteed years left on his deal. IMO MM had one mandate regarding his use of Zeke, don't over use or how can he just as effective with fewer touches.

The bottom line IMO, Zeke is the same RB but his contract and MM scheme have reduced/changed his impact on the offense it's no fault of his at all.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/ElliEz00.htm

 

[stinkface]

One thing I've noticed different between this years Zeke and the Zeke from a few years ago is the few times Zeke has hit open daylight over the last two years, he doesn't hit the jets and try to outrun folks. He knows he doesn't have the top end speed anymore. Too much tread off the tires. Doesn't mean he's not a good back. He may be more in the line of Jerome Bettis right now. Bettis had a good line and lots of power and some amount of wiggle. Towards the end of his career he was a chain mover and a good one. That is the Zeke I think we have now. He is no longer that quick or that fast. He is however still a good running back who is unfortunately way overpaid based on production. If we return to having a dominant O line next year he will have another good year, but a great year for Zeke is in the rear view mirror. I think there is no doubt D. Henry is not only a more powerful running back then Zeke right now, he's also got more speed. D. Henry no doubt has a better O line in front of him then Zeke has.

 

[DuncanIso]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/cowboy...t-may-set-up-a-divorce-in-2021-072636940.html

Becoming?

Get him outta here. Now.

Zeke isnt even the highest paid player on the team.

just more #ZekeHate

 

[cern]

That's right. I actually JUST looked into it and you're right. There are a lot of fans that expect him to be All World and he's "getting 90 million" but the way the contract is written, we're OK. And, they can actually save cap money.

Same for amari cooper. Mystifies me how many just don't get how good Stephen is at his job.

 

[DandyDon52]

This is a hack bull**** written article, there’s nothing wrong with the contract, Zeke earned it, we got the money to pay Dak, he just needs to stop listening to his idiot agent, really needs to fire him. Dak is a top 4 QB

Is that you Jerry??

 

[jaythecowboy]

Teams will line up for CW next year, no one is calling Jerry for Zeke.

That is my think as well. I think a trade for Wentz is more possible than a trade for Zeke, so from that perspective Zeke has a worse contract.

One thing I've noticed different between this years Zeke and the Zeke from a few years ago is the few times Zeke has hit open daylight over the last two years, he doesn't hit the jets and try to outrun folks. He knows he doesn't have the top end speed anymore. Too much tread off the tires. Doesn't mean he's not a good back. He may be more in the line of Jerome Bettis right now. Bettis had a good line and lots of power and some amount of wiggle. Towards the end of his career he was a chain mover and a good one. That is the Zeke I think we have now. He is no longer that quick or that fast. He is however still a good running back who is unfortunately way overpaid based on production. If we return to having a dominant O line next year he will have another good year, but a great year for Zeke is in the rear view mirror. I think there is no doubt D. Henry is not only a more powerful running back then Zeke right now, he's also got more speed. D. Henry no doubt has a better O line in front of him then Zeke has.

That is not true. Pollard just magically gets all the good blocking.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

That's a bit revisionist. Zeke meant a lot to this team those first couple of years. You guys are saying this now but 3 years ago you guys claimed we sucked because Zeke was suspended lol.

Many forget, he was drafted to take the pressure off Romo. This came after Romo had his best career year in 2014 when DeMarco Murray led the league in rushing. So considering how close we were to being SB contenders and trying to preserve/extend Romo's career, Zeke was the right pick IMO. Unfortunately, a lot of us spend so much time living the hindsight or what-if world, we forget sometimes things just happen, no one's fault, they just happen.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

One thing is for certain, Zeke was smart to hold out.

Very smart......call it the DeMarco Murray effect. Notice nearly all RBs up for second contracts, pressured their teams before the last year of their rookie deal. The running back agents community didn't for 2014 when we intentionally ran Murray to the ground and refused to give him a new deal coz wear and tear.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

Mediocre....

The blind hate for Dak is amazing in here considering this is a Cowboys fan forum isn’t it?

 

[ChronicCowboy]

This article is flawed in that it describes Zeke as a player that isn’t utilized in the passing game. The dude had 77 catches a couple years ago.

His fumbles are inexcusable but calling him over the hill and not worth the contract is short sighted. Most players have failed to produce this season.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

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.

Well said!!!! Well done!!!! This is exactly right.

 

[DCowboyz]

Not worse than Wentz. Just saying.

 

[StuckMojo]

The blind hate for Dak is amazing in here considering this is a Cowboys fan forum isn’t it?

I see a lot more hate towards Zeke. I’m amazed at the name calling and insults.

 

[EST_1986]

That's a bit revisionist. Zeke meant a lot to this team those first couple of years. You guys are saying this now but 3 years ago you guys claimed we sucked because Zeke was suspended lol.

and now we suck because Zeke is playing, times change

 

[G2]

The blind hate for Dak is amazing in here considering this is a Cowboys fan forum isn’t it?

It is very odd.

 

[ondaedg]

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.

I agree 1000%. The thing about the Zone is half of them only know what they've seen watching the Cowboys since 1990. They had no idea that teams don't physically dominate the LOS anymore with an offensive line. They have no idea that some teams have put up 30+ TDs without their QB being on the field. (Chiefs have 30 return TDs since 2015 compared to our 6). They have no idea that losing 50yds/game of field position is a fricking big deal. And they completely ignored the fact that QBs like Brady and Mahomes were getting 15 to 20 more possessions per season on takeaways than Romo and Dak were with many of them being deep in opponent territory.

Elliott was asked to do the impossible which is be an Earl Campbell while lasting 8 seasons so of course he is going to try and get paid. No back over the last 5 seasons has punished guys as much as he has so the toll on himself is going to be high. I'm glad he got paid because he has put his body on the line without concern for himself. Garrett set us back a decade and now McCarthy or whoever has to get us out of the 90s and into the 2020s.

 

[JJHLH1]

Not even close.

Leveon. Much worse. Trubiskey. Not even close. Bortles. David Johnson. Kirk Cousins. Gurley. Trey FLowers. Foles.

Wentz’s deal is guaranteed for $109 million which makes it the worst in the league.

He can’t even start for a bad team.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I agree 1000%. The thing about the Zone is half of them only know what they've seen watching the Cowboys since 1990. They had no idea that teams don't physically dominate the LOS anymore with an offensive line. They have no idea that some teams have put up 30+ TDs without their QB being on the field. (Chiefs have 30 return TDs since 2015 compared to our 6). They have no idea that losing 50yds/game of field position is a fricking big deal. And they completely ignored the fact that QBs like Brady and Mahomes were getting 15 to 20 more possessions per season on takeaways than Romo and Dak were with many of them being deep in opponent territory.

Elliott was asked to do the impossible which is be an Earl Campbell while lasting 8 seasons so of course he is going to try and get paid. No back over the last 5 seasons has punished guys as much as he has so the toll on himself is going to be high. I'm glad he got paid because he has put his body on the line without concern for himself. Garrett set us back a decade and now McCarthy or whoever has to get us out of the 90s and into the 2020s.

100% Garrett is the poster boy for privilege. He barley played as a NFL QB...so his body has taken ZERO punishment.
He was not innovative as on offensive architect.....so he barley stressed himself.
He got a head coaching job in the most recognized franchise in the entire sporting world without ever being a head coach at ANY level. And he simply asked and quite often got the best talent and sat back and asked them to be more physical than the guy in front of them week in and week out.
So Zeke and his agent saw that Garrett was going to load the entire organization on his back....much like he did with Romo. They saw that it BROKE Romo's back....and they got out in front of it. People are upset with Zeke because they feel he should be Emmit when you consider what he is being paid.....but like I said....there are no more Emmits. Game is way to physical. And I am in no way saying players from the past were not physical. But the bigger stronger faster athlete creates more violent collisions...and the body breaks down sooner as a result.

 

[tunahelper]

The contract was designed to be able to cut bait with Zeke if he is no longer performing well after its 3rd season. So we are going to be stuck with Zeke through the 2021 season.

Nope through 2022. According to the article, 6.7m dead cap space to cut him before 2023. Two more years.

 

[Bullflop]

Seemed to me like Zeke's inclination to hold out overcame Jerry's willingness to manage without him. When pressed, JJ cowered in a fit of panic.