Twitter: Next gen stats - Zeke was slower in 2017

Risen Star

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I would have liked you to never have started in the first place. So according to you, Dak sucks, he regressed, defenses stopped paying attention to him and started loading the box. In 2016, we played with a lead most games and the O line was in top form. So to sum it up, you just explained why Zeke had such a great season that year. Thanks for helping us out.

Another classic response. Feel free to pm me with your personal thoughts. Ironic how you don’t agree with 90% of the people who post on this site. You must have it all figured out.

Dak does suck, yes. Large. He's an empty vessel. No talent. He's got good intangibles, he's smart, but his physical skill set belongs in a semi-pro league.

I don't know what's confusing you. Zeke Elliott is the best thing this team has going for it. If they have any chance to compete next year it will be on his back. So before I worry about him I will worry about a litany of other inferior players on the team who don't pull their own weight and that starts with the QB. He can't play to the level the Cowboys need him to play as the present and future of the position.
 

Aviano90

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Dak does suck, yes. Large. He's an empty vessel. No talent. He's got good intangibles, he's smart, but his physical skill set belongs in a semi-pro league.

I don't know what's confusing you. Zeke Elliott is the best thing this team has going for it. If they have any chance to compete next year it will be on his back. So before I worry about him I will worry about a litany of other inferior players on the team who don't pull their own weight and that starts with the QB. He can't play to the level the Cowboys need him to play as the present and future of the position.

Now I understand. It's alright for the best players to under perform their capabilities as long as fingers can be pointed to weaknesses as being a bigger problem.

I see where the disconnect is. I want our best performers to actually perform at their best and apparently that is and argument starting worthy opinion to have.
 

Risen Star

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Now I understand. It's alright for the best players to under perform their capabilities as long as fingers can be pointed to weaknesses as being a bigger problem.

I see where the disconnect is. I want our best performers to actually perform at their best and apparently that is and argument starting worthy opinion to have.

Yeah, now you're getting it. When a guy like Zeke Elliott is on pace to win another rushing title despite having no QB and a struggling offensive line, you don't really care about fan nonsense of how in shape he is. But when a stiff like Dak Prescott can't put up 200 yards passing for long stretches of the season when he's asked to carry a load as the franchise QB of this team you do care about that. See, Dak's "off" wasn't most productive at his position. You see the difference?
 

CouchCoach

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The offense was slower in 2017 in every regard. Slow to react, slow to fix problems on the OL and the only receiver with any speed is leaving. The only thing this offense was fast on was to add more dump plays short of the marker.

Still say the biggest problem in 2017 was Leary leaving and Free retiring. Both were better than given credit for here and Free was a good run blocker. Any good OL plays as a unit, did you see that at any time in 2017?

Other than the suspension, Elliott was the least of our problems on offense.
 

HungryLion

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Zeke is a volume runner. He gets better as the game wears on and he also gets better as the season wears on. The more carries he gets the better he gets.

He was the same way in college and it has shown the first two years.

Now last season was disrupted because he had the off field BS affecting him and then as he was reallly gaining strength and form he was suspended 6 games in the middle of the season. And even though he clearly trained hard during the 6 weeks off, it’s not the same as playing football.

Zeke Will probably start off a little “slow” this season too. I put slow in quotations because it’s a relative term for his ability. As he is still one of the best even before he rounds into form.

But as the season goes on, Zeke gets better. And he will do the same this season too.

He will be fine.
 

Aviano90

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Yeah, now you're getting it. When a guy like Zeke Elliott is on pace to win another rushing title despite having no QB and a struggling offensive line, you don't really care about fan nonsense of how in shape he is. But when a stiff like Dak Prescott can't put up 200 yards passing for long stretches of the season when he's asked to carry a load as the franchise QB of this team you do care about that. See, Dak's "off" wasn't most productive at his position. You see the difference?

yeah, it's alright for Zeke to under perform as long as Dak can be blamed. Very in depth analyze from a football guru, such as yourself. Garrett probably agrees.
 

Toruk_Makto

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I'm claiming I understand football. Which is why I never believed for a second during the 2016 season that Dak Prescott was a quality QB. Once teams figured him out and saw how limited he is, defenses were much more nosey at the line of scrimmage this year. They knew the QB in Dallas couldn't beat you. He doesn't have talent.

There are several factors for the lower rushing average, the OL play dipped, Tyron's missed time, the distraction of the #HerTruth scandal, but no factor was bigger than the giant void behind center in Dallas.

Worrying about a player who almost definitely was going to win another rushing title seems silly to me. Like of all the things to worry about, this is your focus? You are truly clueless if it is. He is our offense and the only possible way this team can compete for anything this year is on his back.
Has your understanding on football and Anthony Hitchens evolved?

Asking for a friend.
 

Nightman

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Before the suspension and after..........holmes was chubby...... still has a 20 lb head

ezekiel-elliott-before-after.jpg
 

blueblood70

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What your simpleton brain fails to realize, probably because you're 12, is it is much, much harder to maintain a gaudy per carry average the more you touch the ball. Much harder. Like, this should go without saying if I'm talking to even a casual football fan harder.

So tell me again how Alfred Morris out ran Zeke last year.

I know you think you have a point. You don't.
yes and to add to that they played different defenses against rod and morris after zeke when out..of course noones arguing Murray and in 2014 murray had IMO the best Oline weve had since the 90s but he was good, he got expensive and a lot of miles on him, we let him walk..

its insane to question zeke and last year that first 4 games were against some monster defenses stacking the line to make sure they stopped Zeke..really his average got dented in one game, Denver..other than that he looked like Zeke to me..
 

Super_Kazuya

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yes and to add to that they played different defenses against rod and morris after zeke when out..of course noones arguing Murray and in 2014 murray had IMO the best Oline weve had since the 90s but he was good, he got expensive and a lot of miles on him, we let him walk..

its insane to question zeke and last year that first 4 games were against some monster defenses stacking the line to make sure they stopped Zeke..really his average got dented in one game, Denver..other than that he looked like Zeke to me..
He had 9 carries at Denver...
 

condoin125

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Zeke definitely wasn't quite as good in 2017 as he was in 2016...but it wasn't a very big difference at all. The bigger issue was the drop in the OL play....at LG and RT....one awful player and another out of position set the line back big time. Our OL allowed more penetration into the backfield this past year than I've saw the the two years prior combined.
 
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