News: Ezekiel Elliott tops NFL in big plays against stacked fronts

[gmoney112]

Ezekiel Elliott tops NFL in big plays against stacked fronts

http://thelandryhat.com/2017/01/28/ezekiel-elliott-big-plays-stacked-fronts/


(let's look at some of the real strength of the Dallas Cowboys)


Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott excelled when it came to facing stacked defensive fronts according to next gen stats.

When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, expectations were sky high. Behind the league’s most dominate offensive line, Elliott was expected to excel in Dallas. And boy, did he deliver!

Elliott lead the NFL in rushing with 1,631 yards and 15 scores on the ground. Zeke’s 5.1 yards per attempt was good enough for sixth best in the league. And his touchdown total came in third overall.

And it wasn’t easy as the highly-touted rookie running back faced some stiff competition week-in and week-out, as opposing defenses often stack the box against him to try and stall the Cowboys second ranked rushing offense. But Elliott actually had some of his biggest plays when the odds were not in his favor.

“…Ezekiel Elliott saw an eight-plus man box on 27.6 percent of his non-red zone carries this season, ninth-highest among running backs with 35-plus attempts, “wrote Next Gen stats guru Matt Harmon on NFL.com. “No running back produced more big plays against stacked fronts than the 2016 fourth-overall pick. “[Elliott] led all running backs in runs of 10-plus yards (12), 15-plus yards (eight) and 20-plus yards (five) when facing eight men in the box.”

Not only did Elliott find success against eight-plus man fronts, but he gained most of his yardage on first down according to FOX’s Charissa Thompson...

Awesome numbers. Thanks.

 

[DFWJC]

I was in a thread yesterday and a guy, just to yet again belittle Romo, said Murray was better than Zeke.

Zeke is just so much more explosive. Defenses fewr im more, and stack the boxes regularly.

 

[VACowboy]

Nonsense. The only "myth" is that they went away from the run based on the score when that's not what happened at all.

I never said they "went away from" anything. That's kind of my point. Elliot ran the ball 22 times, which was right on his average, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY GOT DOWN BIG EARLY. As I said, I wish they'd have put it in his hands on a few of those short-yardage downs, but when you get behind by 18 points halfway through the second quarter you aren't going to catch up by running the ball more than you usually do. They stayed with their game. They tied the thing up with 35 seconds left. And Rodgers, Cook and Crosby made great plays to end the game in regulation. We didn't lose because Zeke didn't get X number of carries. We lost because we got down early and couldn't stop Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. How many more Zeke Elliot rushes would have changed any of that?

 

[percyhoward]

Playoff Wins, 2006-2016
Top 5 defenses: 51
Top 5 passers: 45
Top 5 rushers: 14

Defenses based on points per drive
Passers based on passer rating
Rushers based on rushing yards

 

[negativecreep]

Ezekiel Elliott tops NFL in big plays against stacked fronts

http://thelandryhat.com/2017/01/28/ezekiel-elliott-big-plays-stacked-fronts/


(let's look at some of the real strength of the Dallas Cowboys)


Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott excelled when it came to facing stacked defensive fronts according to next gen stats.

When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, expectations were sky high. Behind the league’s most dominate offensive line, Elliott was expected to excel in Dallas. And boy, did he deliver!

Elliott lead the NFL in rushing with 1,631 yards and 15 scores on the ground. Zeke’s 5.1 yards per attempt was good enough for sixth best in the league. And his touchdown total came in third overall.

And it wasn’t easy as the highly-touted rookie running back faced some stiff competition week-in and week-out, as opposing defenses often stack the box against him to try and stall the Cowboys second ranked rushing offense. But Elliott actually had some of his biggest plays when the odds were not in his favor.

“…Ezekiel Elliott saw an eight-plus man box on 27.6 percent of his non-red zone carries this season, ninth-highest among running backs with 35-plus attempts, “wrote Next Gen stats guru Matt Harmon on NFL.com. “No running back produced more big plays against stacked fronts than the 2016 fourth-overall pick. “[Elliott] led all running backs in runs of 10-plus yards (12), 15-plus yards (eight) and 20-plus yards (five) when facing eight men in the box.”

Not only did Elliott find success against eight-plus man fronts, but he gained most of his yardage on first down according to FOX’s Charissa Thompson...

I don't know what to say, this kid is special.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

He was under used in the Green Bay playoff game. That cost the Cowboys a win. They got away from their bread and butter. And thats on Garrett.

I think the way the game went had more to fo with that. Being fiwn 21- 3 you can't really just run the ball and control the clock. Dak did his thing and got us the quick scores we needed and when the game got closer we got back to what worked. I still say if the defense makes a few more stops we are in a diffefent position.

 

[Stash]

I never said they "went away from" anything. That's kind of my point. Elliot ran the ball 22 times, which was right on his average, DESPITE THE FACT THAT THEY GOT DOWN BIG EARLY. As I said, I wish they'd have put it in his hands on a few of those short-yardage downs, but when you get behind by 18 points halfway through the second quarter you aren't going to catch up by running the ball more than you usually do. They stayed with their game. They tied the thing up with 35 seconds left. And Rodgers, Cook and Crosby made great plays to end the game in regulation. We didn't lose because Zeke didn't get X number of carries. We lost because we got down early and couldn't stop Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. How many more Zeke Elliot rushes would have changed any of that?

Possibly one or more in the very first drive of the game. Well before they were ever down 21-3.

You keep pointing to that number as an excuse for bad playcalling when the facts are that playcalling was poor when they were tied, ahead, and behind.

You point to 22 carries and 'season average' as if that justifies anything. It doesn't. They didn't rest him for several weeks to worry about his carries in a one-and-done game.

We "got down early" because nit only didn't we stop the Packers, but we didn't control the ball and score either like we did throughout the season. The coaches forget what got them there.

 

[robjay04]

Take a closer look at the game. They went away from the run from the very first drive of that game. Score didn't dictate it.

Unfortunately, I remember the game very well.

Penalties and mistakes killed our first few drives and I do know there were a couple questionable calls. The Brice blunder, TWill drop and Witten missed block really killed us. It didn't help that everytime the Packers got the call, they put up 6.

I'm sure the gameplan, early on, was altered by mistakes and the fact that they had to play catchup early on. I'm not saying the coaching staff doesn't deserve criticism, they do, but I don't think we win the game if Zeke gets 5 more carries in the first half. I do think we win if he gets 3 more carries in the fourth quarter though.

 

[Stash]

Unfortunately, I remember the game very well.

Penalties and mistakes killed our first few drives and I do know there were a couple questionable calls. The Brice blunder, TWill drop and Witten missed block really killed us. It didn't help that everytime the Packers got the call, they put up 6.

I'm sure the gameplan, early on, was altered by mistakes and the fact that they had to play catchup early on. I'm not saying the coaching staff doesn't deserve criticism, they do, but I don't think we win the game if Zeke gets 5 more carries in the first half. I do think we win if he gets 3 more carries in the fourth quarter though.

How about that very first drive? 3rd and 2 and they can't just simply run for the first? Everybody has to run downfield routes?

That was the very first drive of the game, before the Packers ever scored anything. They abandoned the running game before they ever got down. And all of those 'blunders' you indicate were the result of pass plays too.

The coaches forgot what got them there and they should be and deserve to get blasted for it.

 

[tyke1doe]

Disappointment rings too strongly here. The OP stated that Zeke Elliott was one of the very top producers when the box was stuffed. Then it added especially on first downs. The kid only rang up a top rushing title by quite a margin for the season. That is pretty strong evidence that a schemed type of play was pretty darned effective...

Now, individual game plans are adjusted by what the coaching staff expects and how it intends to attack a single team. That is where the dice is rolled, not in general design.

No, the design is very solid, alright...

I understand. It may take me awhile before I re-engage on this and similar topics. I'm a part of the too disappointed crowd I guess.

 

[Zordon]

I'd like it sent to Jerry Jones, he's paying big bucks to the coaches making these decisions and costing his team a chance for a championship.

The Green Bay loss was on the coaches.

It's a process. One day we'll have all-pros at every position so we can overcome the trainee's errors. One day...

 

[Stash]

It's a process. One day we'll have all-pros at every position so we can overcome the trainee's errors. One day...

Based on the number of guys we have wasting time in Orlando, I thought we already did...

 

[Stash]

I understand. It may take me awhile before I re-engage on this and similar topics. I'm a part of the too disappointed crowd I guess.

You're not alone. Despite how great the season was overall, watching the coaching and playcalling cost us a golden opportunity still stings.

 

[VACowboy]

Possibly one or more in the very first drive of the game. Well before they were ever down 21-3.

You keep pointing to that number as an excuse for bad playcalling when the facts are that playcalling was poor when they were tied, ahead, and behind.

You point to 22 carries and 'season average' as if that justifies anything. It doesn't. They didn't rest him for several weeks to worry about his carries in a one-and-done game.

We "got down early" because nit only didn't we stop the Packers, but we didn't control the ball and score either like we did throughout the season. The coaches forget what got them there.

Possibly, and possibly not. The Cowboys are a running team but that doesn't mean they run the ball on every play or even always when faced with a "running down." If they'd done that and lost we'd be complaining about how predictable the play calling was. The fact is that you don't know the game would have turned out differently if they'd run the ball "one or more" more times in the "very first drive of the game." The fact is that with the exception of giving up 21 points in the first quarter and a half, the Cowboys played exactly as they had en route to 13-3. The fact is, no matter how many ways you try to say otherwise, Elliot did exactly what he had done in every other game to that point. I don't know what to tell you if you really believe running the ball more would have prevented Green Bay from scoring TD's the first three times they had the ball or that getting behind by three quick scores shouldn't affect the way you approach playing offense. We were not going to limit them to two possessions no matter what we did.

Zeke ran the ball 22 times for a buck-twenty-five. Dak went 24/38 for 302 yards, three TDs, one pick and a passer rating of 103.2 (well higher than Aaron Rodgers'). The Dallas offense ran one more play than Green Bay's, won time of possession, converted 54% on third down and not only brought the team back from a 21-3 hole, but also tied the game up again in the fourth quarter after Rodgers walked the ball down the field and promptly put his team back up by seven. It wasn't perfect. It never is. But how anyone can look at what happened in this game and blame play calling is beyond me. We came out flat after a couple of week off, committed some stupid penalties and gave up a bunch of early points. We couldn't stop Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. He, Cook and Crosby made championship-level plays with 35 seconds left in regulation and we didn't, and THAT is why we lost.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Well I guess this eliminates the myth that he's just a product of his offensive line.

 

[odog422]

Lol yeah. He took a heavy dose of humble pie too. Although he'll never admit it, he did and it'll make him better.

Curious...why do you say this?

 

[Thomas82]

Well I guess this eliminates the myth that he's just a product of his offensive line.

A myth that didn't make sense in the first place.

 

[Stash]

Possibly, and possibly not. The Cowboys are a running team but that doesn't mean they run the ball on every play or even always when faced with a "running down." If they'd done that and lost we'd be complaining about how predictable the play calling was. The fact is that you don't know the game would have turned out differently if they'd run the ball "one or more" more times in the "very first drive of the game." The fact is that with the exception of giving up 21 points in the first quarter and a half, the Cowboys played exactly as they had en route to 13-3. The fact is, no matter how many ways you try to say otherwise, Elliot did exactly what he had done in every other game to that point. I don't know what to tell you if you really believe running the ball more would have prevented Green Bay from scoring TD's the first three times they had the ball or that getting behind by three quick scores shouldn't affect the way you approach playing offense. We were not going to limit them to two possessions no matter what we did.

You don't need to "tell me" anything. Save that for yourself. I've seen the numbers, reviewed the playcalls, and know the truth. My eyes are wide open. You can on,y close your own.

Zeke ran the ball 22 times for a buck-twenty-five. Dak went 24/38 for 302 yards, three TDs, one pick and a passer rating of 103.2 (well higher than Aaron Rodgers'). The Dallas offense ran one more play than Green Bay's, won time of possession, converted 54% on third down and not only brought the team back from a 21-3 hole, but also tied the game up again in the fourth quarter after Rodgers walked the ball down the field and promptly put his team back up by seven. It wasn't perfect. It never is. But how anyone can look at what happened in this game and blame play calling is beyond me. We came out flat after a couple of week off, committed some stupid penalties and gave up a bunch of early points. We couldn't stop Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter. He, Cook and Crosby made championship-level plays with 35 seconds left in regulation and we didn't, and THAT is why we lost.

Tell yourself whatever you need to. But I don't need to hear it. I know what happened.

 

[NotForLong]

Ezekiel Elliott tops NFL in big plays against stacked fronts

http://thelandryhat.com/2017/01/28/ezekiel-elliott-big-plays-stacked-fronts/



Elliott lead the NFL in rushing with 1,631 yards and 15 scores on the ground.

And it wasn’t easy as the highly-touted rookie running back faced some stiff competition week-in and week-out, as opposing defenses often stack the box against him to

“…Ezekiel Elliott saw an eight-plus man box on 27.6 percent of his non-red zone carries this season,

“No running back produced more big plays against stacked fronts than the 2016 fourth-overall pick. “[Elliott] led all running backs in runs of 10-plus yards (12), 15-plus yards (eight) and 20-plus yards (five) when facing eight men in the bix..

If Romo plays he doesn't see eight man fronts over 27% of time. Not like he did with a dink and dunk rookie QB. If Romo comes in when he was healthy Elliott gets another 200- 250 yes.

This is my biggest argument for how we would have been better with Romo. And I believe wholeheardetly we are playing this week.

 

[SlammedZero]

If, ands, buts..............................season is over fellas. We will never know what could have happened because what happened happened. Enjoy that we have a great future ahead of us and that good things did actually happen this season, like Zeke finding a groove in the NFL.

I love all these clairvoyant posters that can peer into alternate realities and tell us what would have happened if this player started or this player made this play. It is what it is. Let it go.