The evidence of a Zeke decline

[Cmac]

Can we acknowledge the OL has dropped off drastically in the last 2 years? Can we do that? …..Can we acknowledge that the offense led by OC Genius has become more predictable and pass-happy? Can we do that?.....If not, when all else fails.....blame Zeke. Can someone step up this morning and apologize like Zeke?......No.

 

[ESisback]

I agree—Zeke’s in decline. Trade Zeke and Cooper! Restock OL and DL! Acquire LB and S!

I don’t wanna be one of those panicky, overreactors, but GET RID OF NOLAN!

 

[Bobhaze]

Can we acknowledge the OL has dropped off drastically in the last 2 years? Can we do that? …..Can we acknowledge that the offense led by OC Genius has become more predictable and pass-happy? Can we do that?.....If not, when all else fails.....blame Zeke. Can someone step up this morning and apologize like Zeke?......No.

Zeke is not the main problem here. The lack of cohesive team building is the bigger problem. The 78 year old insecure billionaire in the owner’s box is the biggest problem we have.

 

[cowboyec]

i wouldn't hate it if OT Alex Leatherwood,Alabama was our 1st pick...RB Najee Harris,Alabama our 2nd.
i'm not saying we should do that.
i'm not saying they will do that.
i just wouldn't hate it.

 

[nightrain]

The numbers don’t lie. Ezekiel Elliott is showing multiple signs of a decline in the performance most people assumed wouldn’t happen until for at least 2-3 more seasons before declining. He’s only 25, but he has a ton of touches on his tire treads. It’s hard not to wonder if he will never again have that magnetic playmaking ability he had at the beginning of career.

When Zeke hit the scene in 2016, he showed an incredible combination of power, speed and playmaking ability. Behind that once great OL, Zeke was clearly the best RB in the league from 2016-18. But the last two seasons, his burst and ability to break a big run has dropped precipitously.

Here is some of the stat evidence:

• Yards per carry- 2016: 5.1, 2017: 4.1, 2018: 4.7, 2019: 4.5, 2019: 4.1
• Yards per game- 2016: 108, 2017: 98, 2018: 95, 2018: 95, 2019: 85, 2020: 69
• Yards after contact: only have numbers since 2018 but he has finished 4th, 6th and 7th the last 3 seasons in yards after contact.

And the fumbles....Omg...Zeke has the most fumbles of any RB since he came in the league- specifically 22 fumbles since he came in the league, but he’s had 14 fumbles in just the last two seasons, losing 7. And you can’t say it’s because he has more touches. Because Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, and Joe Mixon have comparable touches, but have much fewer fumbles. Henry and McCaffrey have had 5 fumbles each, while Joe Mixon has only had one fumble the last two years!

I believe Zeke still has talent and can be a big contributor. But it is no longer in doubt, he has not what he used to be. And with this makeshift OL in front of him now, he is almost on his own.

And he has a big contract.

Was very obvious last year and a perfect example of why you don't pay RBs. They are dispensable. Young and hungry is what you want in a RB. Zeke is also unmotivated and content.

 

[Bobhaze]

I agree—Zeke’s in decline. Trade Zeke and Cooper! Restock OL and DL! Acquire LB and S!

I don’t wanna be one of those panicky, overreactors, but GET RID OF NOLAN!

ES...sadly, with the contracts Zeke and Cooper have, we won’t have any trade suitors.

 

[RonnieT24]

ES...sadly, with the contracts Zeke and Cooper have, we won’t have any trade suitors.

You know there were a ton of article written about Emmitt at about this same point of his career.. Too many touches early.. the Cowboys use him too much ..he's starting to show signs of this and signs of that. Emmitt rushed for another 10000 yards and 60 TDs after they said he was "done." I'm gonna withhold judgement on Zeke until I see more than one year like this one.

 

[superonyx]

Ok hill billy grandma. You need to get off the board if you don’t know what Stan means.

I typically try to avoid the children and trolls.
I'll have to see if my 11 year old can catch me up on troll dialect. How's virtual school working for you? Seems you have more time to post during the day.

 

[aikemirv]

It is not a skill issue with Zeke. It is the maturity to be a professional and do what it takes to be a pro. He is just not a professional, he is a high school college kid and some of them just never grow up. No different that what you see in the real world

 

[BBGTYCOON]

You know there were a ton of article written about Emmitt at about this same point of his career.. Too many touches early.. the Cowboys use him too much ..he's starting to show signs of this and signs of that. Emmitt rushed for another 10000 yards and 60 TDs after they said he was "done." I'm gonna withhold judgement on Zeke until I see more than one year like this one.

You know there were a ton of article written about Emmitt at about this same point of his career.. Too many touches early.. the Cowboys use him too much ..he's starting to show signs of this and signs of that. Emmitt rushed for another 10000 yards and 60 TDs after they said he was "done." I'm gonna withhold judgement on Zeke until I see more than one year like this one.

More than one year - 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020........

 

[aria]

RB at 4 Injured LB at 34. That’s just really smart management. Jerry’s got the whole league fooled with his brilliance!

And about 75% of this fan base.

 

[ESisback]

You know there were a ton of article written about Emmitt at about this same point of his career.. Too many touches early.. the Cowboys use him too much ..he's starting to show signs of this and signs of that. Emmitt rushed for another 10000 yards and 60 TDs after they said he was "done." I'm gonna withhold judgement on Zeke until I see more than one year like this one.

Good point. I think he’d have more success if he had his old line blocking for him,

 

[aria]

Can we acknowledge the OL has dropped off drastically in the last 2 years? Can we do that? …..Can we acknowledge that the offense led by OC Genius has become more predictable and pass-happy? Can we do that?.....If not, when all else fails.....blame Zeke. Can someone step up this morning and apologize like Zeke?......No.

Lol, still defending this clown. There is so much wrong with this post.

1) This is why you don’t draft RB’s high and especially give them fat contracts. Most RB’s would have similar or more success than zeke is they all needed or had the same top 5 O line he’s had since day 1.

2) RB’s like Barkley were putting up equivalent numbers to zeke and they were running behind some of the worst O lines in the league which is more evidence how over rated zeke has been.

3) The O line isn’t responsible for zeke’s fumbles.

4) He demanded to be paid as the best back in the league. If he truly was, he wouldn’t need a top O line.

5) Even when he has room, he doesn’t have the speed, he doesn’t make people miss and often rather go out of bounds.

6) When he has had top O lines he always ranked average to below average in individual talents which shows how dependent he was on the O line. Broken tackles, yards after catch, yards after contact, forced missed tackles, elusiveness, yards from scrimmage, short yard situations...the list goes on.

Those are mostly individual talents that are on him, not the O line and now he’s been exploited at how much he lacks compared to other backs. He rarely makes people miss, can’t get around the edge, etc. He’s nothing but a glorified fullback who can block well and get a few yards if he has a 10 ft wide hole to run through.

Just stop. He’s been exposed. He’s not worth it and never was.

BTW, what other player held out with two years left on his contract and wouldn’t play until he was paid at the highest for his position? What other player “demanded respect?”

zeke brought this upon himself, demand to be paid as the best you better play as the best every game whether or not you have a top 5-10 O line.

 

[aria]

Good point. I think he’d have more success if he had his old line blocking for him,

Lol, what RB wouldn’t have more success with a top 5 O line blocking for him? I’ve always said I would have loved to seen Barkley behind the O lines zeke has had. Between his speed, power and elusiveness Barkley would crush zeke’s numbers if he had that kind of room to run.

 

[mardwin]

Did you know Dallas signed Zeke for 6 yrs / $90M, that's an average of $15M per season. $50M is guaranteed. Zeke is not going anywhere until 2023.

 

[RonnieT24]

More than one year - 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020........

So he led the league in rushing in 2018 and was leading up until the time he was suspended in 2017. And that's you evidence of decline? MmmmK.

 

[Verdict]

Zeke is not performing well. Zeke is not the back he was. Zeke has lost focus. Zeke has the physical skills to put it all back together.

To do that Zeke needs to 1. Focus, 2. Have better OL play and 3. Get back in shape, not necessarily in that order but he needs all 3.

 

[TheCritic]

Yes you can simultaneously acknowledge that the Cowboys are full of holes to fill while admitting that resigning Zeke was the biggest mistake ever. He's such a cancer that I would just cut him and start the rebuilding process now.

 

[Bobhaze]

I think there’s a discussion to be had about having a great line vs a great RB- which is more important? It’s certainly nice to have both, but the best time to have an impactful RB is during their rookie deal.

Because having a top paid “bell cow” RB is a thing of the past. And I believe that extends to WRs too. Having a big piece of cap space dedicated to a RB and WR is not good cap mgmt in today’s NFL. Most teams winning SBs haven’t been doing that for a reason.

Sadly, we are strapped with an owner who is the worst kind of fool- a rich and stubborn one. He doesn’t know how to build a quality roster without a very strong influential coach and never will.

 

[Brooksey]

I saw a hole last night that should have went for a 30-40 yd run or maybe 6..he picked up 7 yards.