Film Room: Ezekiel Elliott's supporting cast benefits as much from him as he does from it

[WoodysGirl]

by Cian Fahey

Dak Prescott got a signature win last weekend. He beat the Philadelphia Eagles with a touchdown pass to Jason Witten in overtime on Sunday Night Football. It was the second signature win of Prescott's short career so far, after he beat the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay two weeks previous. With the Cowboys leading the NFC East at 6-1, there is no reason for Jason Garrett and/or Jerry Jones to disrupt the team's chemistry by putting Tony Romo back in.

In truth, if you want to call these past two games signature wins for an individual player on the Cowboys roster, you should be looking at Ezekiel Elliott.

We have a tendency to look back and judge draft picks with hindsight, overlooking how the moves were actually perceived at the time. Ezekiel Elliott was a popular pick in the first round of the draft and a highly-touted option for the Cowboys. There was a debate though. One side thought the franchise couldn't afford to pass on Jalen Ramsey, a potential superstar defensive back who could play multiple positions for more than a decade. That was an easy argument to make. The Cowboys had needs in the secondary, and Alfred Morris was more than capable of rushing for 1,200-plus yards behind an excellent offensive line. The other side saw Elliott as a special talent. That side envisioned the impact a superstar running back could have behind the most dominant offensive line in the league. Elliott alone would have a big impact, but that impact would be multiplied by his situation. At this point, it looks like both sides were right in their evaluation of the individual players, but it's hard to argue that the Cowboys would be 6-1 with Ramsey on the roster instead of Elliott.

Read the rest: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/film-room/2016/film-room-ezekiel-elliott

 

[Tenkamenin]

I'm surprised with how quickly Elliott improved from week 1 to week 3. Matter of fact I was on the Morris should get more carries bandwagon after Zeke's second game.

 

[Primetime42]

This thread should be great, legitimate analysis be damned.

 

[Kevinicus]

Elliott = Chemistry.

 

[Bullflop]

Elliott = Chemistry.

Yep but also: Elliott + Dak = Lotsa Chemistry.

 

[Kevinicus]

Yep but also: Elliott + Dak = Lotsa Chemistry.

Eh...if you put Elliott + OL, then you got me.

 

[sbark]

It's what they call a symbiotic relationship

 

[JD_KaPow]

This is a fantastic article, with detailed discussion using GIFs of many many plays. There's some Prescott editorializing at the beginning and end (which I happen to agree with), but don't let that keep you from reading all the great Zeke content.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/film-room/2016/film-room-ezekiel-elliott

We have a tendency to look back and judge draft picks with hindsight, overlooking how the moves were actually perceived at the time. Ezekiel Elliott was a popular pick in the first round of the draft and a highly-touted option for the Cowboys. There was a debate though. One side thought the franchise couldn't afford to pass on Jalen Ramsey, a potential superstar defensive back who could play multiple positions for more than a decade. That was an easy argument to make. The Cowboys had needs in the secondary, and Alfred Morris was more than capable of rushing for 1,200-plus yards behind an excellent offensive line. The other side saw Elliott as a special talent. That side envisioned the impact a superstar running back could have behind the most dominant offensive line in the league. Elliott alone would have a big impact, but that impact would be multiplied by his situation. At this point, it looks like both sides were right in their evaluation of the individual players, but it's hard to argue that the Cowboys would be 6-1 with Ramsey on the roster instead of Elliott.

Whoops. Didn't see the other thread. Thanks for merging.

 

[Dale]

Tremendous read. Thanks for posting.

Really goes to show what a special talent Zeke is, and nips in the bud any argument about how he is just running through wide-open lanes. Dude can swerve by you, leap over your or power his way through you. Tremendous combination of skills. Perhaps most impressive, though, is how these gifs illustrate his understanding of the scheme and how to make the most out of each run.

 

[JDSmith]

I've thought the same thing watching, although without the all 22. The guy is just a monster, and I think some fans underestimate how much he improves the offense.

 

[erod]

It is a silly misnomer that this offensive line is so good that anybody can run behind it.

Zeke gets 5-10 yards in the process of getting tackled. And he cuts and sheds so many tackles, he does make the o-line look as good as it does him.

 

[DFWJC]

Elliot is the best of the bunch. A beast for sure.

It's no coincidence that this line started really gelling in 2014 and a very good, but not great RB, Demarco Murray broke a bunch of Cowboy records on his way to NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
And then in 2015, a player (Darren McFadden) who could be had for almost free and who had done very little in his 7 year career came in 4th in the entire league in rushing while only starting 11 or 12 games.

yes, Zeke is better than those guys. But it's not fully equal.
In other words, Zeke behind the 7-8th rated line does not lead the league in rushing. But the 7-8th leading RB very well could be leading the league in rushing with this line.

takes nothing away from Zeke though.

 

[Proximo]

It is a silly misnomer that this offensive line is so good that anybody can run behind it.

Zeke gets 5-10 yards in the process of getting tackled. And he cuts and sheds so many tackles, he does make the o-line look as good as it does him.

Yea, and I've always thought we'd be selling ourselves short by employing the "our O line is so good anyone can run behind it" rationale. I prefer the stance of "we have a beast O line, let's maximize it by getting an elite RB behind them". Sure looks like EE is elite to me.

 

[tyke1doe]

I'm surprised with how quickly Elliott improved from week 1 to week 3. Matter of fact I was on the Morris should get more carries bandwagon after Zeke's second game.

It doesn't surprise me. He virtually had no pre-season except for a half playing against Seattle. He came into the season rusty. It was only a matter of time, from my perspective.

 

[Plankton]

Tremendous read. Thanks for posting.

Really goes to show what a special talent Zeke is, and nips in the bud any argument about how he is just running through wide-open lanes. Dude can swerve by you, leap over your or power his way through you. Tremendous combination of skills. Perhaps most impressive, though, is how these gifs illustrate his understanding of the scheme and how to make the most out of each run.

The Ohio State coaches remarked that Elliott often times would report back to them after early series in the games where he saw weaknesses in the opposing defenses, and where they should look to attack. He has a very high football IQ, amongst his other skills.

 

[JDSmith]

It doesn't surprise me. He virtually had no pre-season except for a half playing against Seattle. He came into the season rusty. It was only a matter of time, from my perspective.

7 carries.

That was not remotely enough to get him ready to adjust to the NFL game.

 

[Zman5]

Zeke is a beast. Another thing I noticed from the GIFs is that Lucky, for a small guy, is a big asset in the running game.

 

[windjc]

Bingo:

"
With Romo on the field instead of Prescott, the Cowboys would lose the running threat in the red zone, but gain a quarterback who could put Elliott in more positions to take advantage of favorable matchups whether out wide, in the slot, or just from the backfield. That's not a slight against Prescott, who has consistently put the Cowboys in good plays with audibles and adjustments at the line, but Romo eclipses the majority of quarterbacks in the league when it comes to this type of thing. With Peyton Manning retired, it's between Romo, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Tom Brady when it comes to the smartest starter in the NFL.

Regardless of what the Cowboys do at the quarterback position moving forward, Elliott should continue to thrive. He's on course for 1,826 rushing yards this season, and that's with the slow start he endured over the first two weeks. For a rookie who won't turn 22 until next August, that's pretty impressive."

 

[Bullflop]

Eh...if you put Elliott + OL, then you got me.

Fair enough. Actually, they're a mega-monster all rolled up into one. I wouldn't leave Dak out of the equation, though.

I can't see him as not one of the prominent factors that has this Cowboys team motivated and playing their hearts out.