ESPN - Should Cowboys sign Ezekiel Elliott to long-term deal?

[Diehardblues]

But is that typical? Don't players sign extensions the year before their final year?

Right !

 

[Diehardblues]

His backup could not run as well behind that line but that does not mean another starter like Thurman Thomas, Barry Sanders, Marshall Faulk, Jerome Bettis or Ricky Watters or a handful of other RB's couldn't have been effective enough for that team to accomplish what they did. Only two of those RB's, Bettis and Watters, ran behind lines as good as the Cowboys.

The Cowboys need to take a page from the Shanahan playbook, build the OL and the RB's will come...…..one after another after another. He had Terrell Davis to lead the league but after that didn't need the leading rusher to lead the league in rushing.

Ya know what many here are guilty of? Blaming Booger for falling in love with his players and then doing the same thing. In this case, and every other one involving re-signing a player, I ask myself 'what would Belichick do'? No way in hell he pays a RB 15M a season, he pays his QB that. And he had a rookie RB last year in Michel at pick #31 and just took another in this draft at 87, Damien Harris. Keep'em young and coming, no reason to have any RB in his 2nd contract.

A 30M QB is going to be a necessity, regardless of who he is, and a 16M WR looks to be as well but a 15M RB is a luxury and a team killing one. A team could afford two starting quality RB's, one a pass catching fool, for that but should not be spending 15M on the whole RB corps.

I’d tend to agree with Coach. We’ve already had 2 league leading rushers behind this OL.

Just so we don’t try to go with a RB by committee and draft another stud we should be ok.

But build the OL and the RB will come. Well said!

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

With Emmitt holding out for those 2 games, if memory serves me well after the 2nd loss, Haley and Michael were going off in the locker room and I believe old jerrah was scared as h--- and said I better get ES signed or what could happen to me.

 

[northerncowboynation]

Can any team have the highest paid triplets in the league, all 3 in the top 5 at their position, and build out and hold onto a defense?

Good question Coach. I think we're going to find out, agreed

 

[northerncowboynation]

With Emmitt holding out for those 2 games, if memory serves me well after the 2nd loss, Haley and Michael were going off in the locker room and I believe old jerrah was scared as h--- and said I better get ES signed or what could happen to me.

Yep, Haley used the locker room as JJs face and punched a hole in the wall.

 

[Diehardblues]

That was with as backup, would they have been the same with a starting caliber RB?

Great question. Much like in 2015 after we left Murray walk going with Randall then eventually went with McFadden who had a 1,000 yards not starting until Week 6 if I recall correctly.

If we’d had a suitable replacement RB he probably could have had close to 1500 yards.

 

[Diehardblues]

Yep, Haley used the locker room as JJs face and punched a hole in the wall.

As much as we needed Emmitt to return as he became MVP that season , it’s very doubtful our defending SB Champs go 0-16 without him. If we’d had a suitable backup behind that OL we might have been on. Not saying it would have been Emmitt like.

 

[JohnsKey19]

I would. But I'd do it immediately as that would allow him to play out 4 year extension before age 29.

 

[DuncanIso]

Cut Zeke and sign Rod Smith.


Not.

Pay Zeke his $$$$.

 

[Diehardblues]

I’d tag him. If we haven’t won a championship with Elliott and Dak after 7 years, it’s most likely not happening.

 

[CouchCoach]

With Emmitt holding out for those 2 games, if memory serves me well after the 2nd loss, Haley and Michael were going off in the locker room and I believe old jerrah was scared as h--- and said I better get ES signed or what could happen to me.

Did you catch that shot of him lurking in the alcove of TS in that second game, the first home game? He was taking those death threats seriously. The word is it was Jimmy that convinced him to get the deal done. I think that was the first opportunity for Booger to flex his GM muscles and he picked the wrong player, the fans' favorite, to do that with.

I do not recall any player having a year that started like his did and closing that out as he did in NY, winning the rushing title in only 14 games and leading his team to a back to back Lombardi's. That could be a sports movie. To this day, I have never stood and cheered longer after that NYG game and I often harken back to that day when the talk turns to rich athletes not caring. And John Madden felt the same for that was the only time in his broadcasting career that he went down to the locker room to shake a player's hand, not even the love of his life, Favre.

Interesting that people were hating on Booger for trying to hold the line on a salary then and later on we would criticize him for just the opposite.

 

[CouchCoach]

There's another tick on the cat with extending Elliott, his running style. Think he's not going to have some bike to nowhere time on the sideline, if he keeps that up? Could have a Gurley situation and they are going to regret doing that. That hurdling, while fun to watch, is asking for it and he has already dinged himself up hitting the ground.

There are different years on RB's based on their running style. Emmitt was the master at using that hole he was going through to get down to avoid the big hit but Elliott just takes that on. It's not a sign of toughness, we know he's tough, he needs to run smarter and live to play another play.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Last I checked Zeke has missed only 6 games due to suspension unless you want to add the one he was held out in week 17 against the Eagles his rookie season (a game we did lose). Now if there is more please share them with the rest of us, we would like to know!

Keep searching it isn't very hard

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

We also set Zeke in the last Gnats game last year.

 

[Redball Express]

Best players don't fold in the playoffs. Emmitt showed up, Zeke didn't.

I have watched that Rams game again.

What I see about Zeke was there were just no holes upfront.

No cutbacks runs.

Now I feel our patches together OL finally caught up to us against a good defense.

They took Cooper away and that forced us back into calling the old offense as if we had no #1 WR.

That nobody stepped up offensively also depends on the play calling.

Linehan was trying to play a close game but once the Rams went ahead 14 pts early..

Zeke was less of a weapon.

So it all snowballed.

I loved Emmitt.

He is not Emmitt. agreed.

 

[cowboyec]

I'd rather keep him.

 

[CouchCoach]

I'd rather keep him.

I think all of us would like to keep him but at 15M a season?

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

I'd rather keep him.

This and it is not even close. Do not want to take any chances looking.

 

[GenoT]

Best players don't fold in the playoffs. Emmitt showed up, Zeke didn't.

Emmitt had both an elite offense and defense around him in his SB years.

Zeke doesn’t own the entire blame for the Cowboys’ 2018 playoff loss vs the Rams; the majority of our players failed that day.

Btw...have you forgotten Zeke’s 2018 league-leading rushing yardage, which was a major reason why we reached them postseason in the first place?

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Emmitt had both an elite offense and defense around him in his SB years.

Zeke doesn’t own the entire blame for the Cowboys’ 2018 playoff loss vs the Rams; the majority of our players failed that day.

Btw...have you forgotten Zeke’s 2018 league-leading rushing yardage, which was a major reason why we reached them postseason in the first place?

I remember what he didn't do vs the Rams. Refused to run on the edges of their d.