Ezekiel Elliott = Edgerrin James?

[Super_Kazuya]

Edgerrin James had one of the best rookie seasons in history... arguably topped by only Sanders and of course Dickerson. Heck, Alfred Morris had one of the top handful of great rookie rushing seasons.

I'll be fine if Elliott tops 1000 yards and has numerous contributions that don't show up on the stat sheet. I'm not going to heap crazy expectations on him... I'm more inclined to get down on my knees and hope he's not another Richardson, Benson or McFadden.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

I'd be fine with 1200 yards and 10 TDs

 

[AdamJT13]

More importantly....
James was
Fastest player to 3000 yards (least games needed)
Fastest to 4000
Fastest to 5000
Fastest to 6000
Fastest to 9000
Fastest to 10000
Fastest to 11000
Fastest to 12000

What kind of yards are you referring to? It's certainly not rushing yards.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Edgerrin James had one of the best rookie seasons in history... arguably topped by only Sanders and of course Dickerson. Heck, Alfred Morris had one of the top handful of great rookie rushing seasons.

I'll be fine if Elliott tops 1000 yards and has numerous contributions that don't show up on the stat sheet. I'm not going to heap crazy expectations on him... I'm more inclined to get down on my knees and hope he's not another Richardson, Benson or McFadden.

I for one do not want him to have a season that looks like Edgerrin James's rookie year. Edge had 369 rushes his first year and 387 the next...and then tore his ACL the next year. He recovered and was super-productive through his age 27 season, but when you have the stable of RBs we're looking at now and the line we have, it would be insane to give Zeke anywhere near that many carries.

 

[Spectre]

Edge was such a beast. Indy really had some amazing players back then. Peyton, Edge, Little Bob, Freeney and Mathis, just to name a few.

By the way, really hoping Tapper could be our Dwight Freeney. Freeney might've been the most athletic DE ever and Tapper's numbers are right up there with him.

You can't leave Harrison off of that list.

I'm sorry but Tapper... Freeney?... lol

 

[JoeyBoy718]

You can't ave Harrison off of that list.

I'm sorry but Tapper... Freeney?... lol

I said Harrison in my mind as I was writing it. Guess I forgot to write it down... And I was comparing Tapper's speed and size to Freeney. They're both very similar and there aren't many DEs in the history of the NFL with similar attributes.

 

[Spectre]

we all compare prospects coming into the league to guys we've seen before. With Zeke, I keep coming back to Edge. The size, speed, jump cuts, power, burst... These guys just have such a similar game. James was also a legit threat out of the backfield and very good pass blocker. Not to mention, he was also the 4th overall pick.

If Zeke turns out to be a similar player, like I think he will, we're gonna be awfully happy with the results.

I don't see it- Edge. NFL.com's draft preview on EE compared him to Edge, so I think there's where folks are getting it from. Edge was pretty dang good, but the bodies and running styles are different to me. Not really a good comparison. Edge was kinda slim looking, upright running in a slippery way. EE is defintely a bit of a throwback. Lower and a bit bigger than Edge. Maybe more somewhat of Shaun Alexander- another underrated, highly productive, 'complete' runningback.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

It should be noted Edge played just 7 seasons for the Colts.... 2 of which he had fewer than 1k yards because rbs get injured.

 

[tico]

I had no idea he was that fast, wow.

Think Zeke has a lower center of gravity and balance than James as well though.

Didn't James have a knee injury at some point with Indy then kind of hit a major wall? I remember him going to Arizona for a stint at the end as a shell of himself.

Where RB's go to die..lol Emmitt, Edge, C.Johnson..

 

[MonsterD]

One of the stranger things I heard Peyton Manning say was when he was questioned "Who was the smartest player you ever played with". I expected him to say Saturday or someone like Faulk, but he said it was definitely James. He said James not only knew his playbook and every position on the offense and where they were suppose to be but he also knew the entire defense and each position they needed to take on each play.

 

[cowboyuptx]

From what I've seen, Elliott has a running style that's pretty unique unto him... The only question is how well his style will translate to the NFL, and I for one am only expecting marginal results... He relies too much on speed and wants to get to the edge, but getting to that edge will be a lot harder in the NFL. He is a bona-fide NFL starting caliber RB, I just don't think he'll ever deserve to be mentioned alongside upper-echelon RBs like Edgerrin James.

 

[DFWJC]

What kind of yards are you referring to? It's certainly not rushing yards.

I'm 100% sure know the answer to that, Adam.
Although James exceeded 12000 rushing yards, he was even more known for his versatility and all of his yards from scrimmage records.
Those "fastest too" are YFS.

 

[Silver N Blue]

we all compare prospects coming into the league to guys we've seen before. With Zeke, I keep coming back to Edge. The size, speed, jump cuts, power, burst... These guys just have such a similar game. James was also a legit threat out of the backfield and very good pass blocker. Not to mention, he was also the 4th overall pick.

If Zeke turns out to be a similar player, like I think he will, we're gonna be awfully happy with the results.

If he finishes his career with those stats he was the right pick at 4. Good comparison.

 

[bdk76]

I see a combination of Le'veon Bell and Jamal Charles

 

[Oh_Canada]

Well hate to burst the Zeke lovers bubbles, but James (who I agree was similar in build and talent) had five good years (one injury plagued season in middle) than began to fall off the cliff. If that's all we get out of the fourth overall, I call that a disappointment.

 

[Hardline]

And some people thought Indy was insane for taking James over Ricky Williams. I was one of them.

 

[zrinkill]

And some people thought Indy was insane for taking James over Ricky Williams. I was one of them.

Williams would have been a monster if he cared as much about football as he did getting high.

Just like Gregory.

 

[JBS]

From what I've seen, Elliott has a running style that's pretty unique unto him... The only question is how well his style will translate to the NFL, and I for one am only expecting marginal results... He relies too much on speed and wants to get to the edge, but getting to that edge will be a lot harder in the NFL. He is a bona-fide NFL starting caliber RB, I just don't think he'll ever deserve to be mentioned alongside upper-echelon RBs like Edgerrin James.

I don't agree with this assessment whatsoever...I just finished watching 48 mins of nothing but Elliott carries...starting from his first carry as a freshman all the way through his last carry this past season...if nothing else, I would argue that Zeke is much more of an inside power back than a scat back..I actually expected much more speed and far less power...the guy has a nose for plowing through defenders and finishing runs...I'm not sure why you feel he likes to bounce things outside..I didn't get that impression at all..now if you want to argue about him running through gaping holes....that's a different story

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

I think he is a cross between Fergie and Jesus.....

Oh, you didn't mean his singing voice?

 

[MSCowboyFan]

Edge was such a beast. Indy really had some amazing players back then. Peyton, Edge, Little Bob, Freeney and Mathis, just to name a few.

By the way, really hoping Tapper could be our Dwight Freeney. Freeney might've been the most athletic DE ever and Tapper's numbers are right up there with him.

He really was. Helluva player. Zeke will be similar IMO if not better PROVIDING he stays healthy and motivated. Just hope we split his carries with MOrris and DMC enough to not burn him out. I want him around for 6-8 years, not 3-4