Twitter: Ezekiel in the lab

[Ranching]

I expect him to get off to a good start. He did that both of his last two seasons with us. But at this point, I don't think his body can hold up to the pounding, especially his knees, which were his downfall his last two seasons with us.

Now, I didn't watch him in New England, so it's possible that his body has given out the rest of the way, but just basing it on his time here, he started out 2021 and 2022 solidly before the knee injuries took a toll. He's a power back, so anything that affects his leg drive is going to make it tough on him to succeed.

If that's the case, I would hope that MM manages his workload..

 

[gimmesix]

If that's the case, I would hope that MM manages his workload..

I do think there will be an effort to do that, which is why running back by committee is being mentioned, but I don't know how it will work. Dowdle had 89 carries last year and has had his own problems staying healthy. Freeman had 77 and hasn't had more than that since 2019. Vaughn has to prove that he's worthy of some carries.

I think if Elliott does start out strong that the team will lean on him more until he breaks. Of course, he has shown that he will play through fairly bad injuries, so he'll keep going and fans will criticize his decline in play, like they did in 2021 and 2022.

 

[Motorola]

It's always looks like this until the season starts.....

On a side note, if you turn the screen off and just listen to the audio, it sounds like an old karate movie from the 70s and 80s.

LOLOLOL X10 --What young male between the ages of 9 and 22 didn't go to the movies, or stay up to watch kung ** films on late-night TV back in the day?
"Kung ** Theater" --- was the rage!

 

[This is Our Year]

If the offensive line is good, Zeke will be fine. He's not going to run for an 85 yard TD, but we don't need him to do that. Besides that, he's probably going to be in a rotation. He's not carrying the ball 20-30 times.

Very true

 

[RonnieT24]

I do think there will be an effort to do that, which is why running back by committee is being mentioned, but I don't know how it will work. Dowdle had 89 carries last year and has had his own problems staying healthy. Freeman had 77 and hasn't had more than that since 2019. Vaughn has to prove that he's worthy of some carries.

I think if Elliott does start out strong that the team will lean on him more until he breaks. Of course, he has shown that he will play through fairly bad injuries, so he'll keep going and fans will criticize his decline in play, like they did in 2021 and 2022.

It's kind of a catch-22 with Zeke because I think he has to undergo a mentality shift in order to last the season and to remain effective all season. He can't go seeking contact at every turn nor should he be left in the game to get 100 yards or some garbage time TDs. The only exception I might make would be at the end of the season and there is a significant milestone within striking distance. Other than that, having Zeke fresh and strong for the playoffs needs to be on a sticky note on every offensive coach's clipboard. I thought Zeke looked pretty good splitting carries in New England last season but not quite so good once he had to be "the guy" and wasn't getting to spend long stretches on the sidelines sippin Gatorade. He's at that stage of his career where he needs more breaks and they need to be longer than when he was a pup. Father Time as we know remains undefeated. All that said those 5 games that Zeke did start and had to shoulder the whole load while being supported by the Bailey Zappe experience masquerading as a passing attack, he was still able to help the Pats beat one team that was in the playoffs (Pitt) and another who was fighting for a spot (Denver.) They were also a 4 turnover performance by Zappe away from upsetting the Bills. I can't say for certain if the Pats as a team got better just when he was inserted into the starting lineup or if he helped them get better with his play and leadership. All I can say for sure is that they were 2-3 in his starts which is not all that impressive until you see that they were 2-10 in his non-starts. One can draw one's own conclusions from there.

 

[Havic]

Zeke career average is 17.x rushes a game.

That would be 289 rushes for 2024.

At 4.2 ypa, that’s over 1200 yds.

Tbh I think he gets around 12-15 touches a game at his current age / production level. We should look at YPA for last year not career, which is 3.5ypg. So assuming he gets 13 touches a game total is 221 touches for about 780 yards, I think that's a more reasonable expectation, though I'd be shocked if he goes over 600 yards and 6 TD's personally. He looked bad last year and adding another year to a RB only hinders this.

 

[chagus]

If the video had some hip hop music and a tad more grunting I would have to be in total agreement

Possibly. Ha! I'm just employing my typical optimism. I cant afford to be pissed off every off-season. Bad for my health.