The evidence of a Zeke decline

[InTheZone]

Our line or playcalling does not create opportunities when zeke has the ball. Fumbling is a major problem, but the scheme and blocking is doing zero favors

 

[bdk76]

I personally think Zeke's "decline" is all in his head. He looks like a player who just doesn't trust what he see's and is playing without confidence and swagger. I also think the culture of this organization is at its worst for guys like Zeke. Guys lose there edge when no one holds them accountable. I'd be willing to bet if he were in a place like Seattle or Pitt he'd be thriving.

 

[BlueStar22]

Honestly, I also think Dak not being there is messing with his head even more. The OL isn't helping either.

The possibilty of his health post-covid was raised on the morning show on the Ticket this morning. They talked about how quickly he taps out of games and breathing hard on the bench after one of the fumbles.

 

[FVSTONE]

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.

It's that god dam hair style he's wearing! Shave your f@#$%^king head, pull that crap out of your nose and at least look like a football player! Hey Zek, lose the " FEED ME" BS while you're at it. Instead of feeding him, maybe it's time they start weaning him off this team.............

 

[jaythecowboy]

He's been declining since year 3 which is why I didn't want him paid in the first place.

 

[Whyjerry]

Just to be clear. I’m not blaming this dumpster fire of a team on Zeke. The real culprit for our ire is sitting the owner’s box with his kids. And they all have lifetime contracts regardless of how bad it gets. What could possibly be wrong with that system? Lol!

Fumbles aside Zeke has not been great.

 

[JonesBoys]

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.

I would be looking to see what his trade value is. I know it’s low now but if can pick it up the rest of the year I would try like hell to get rid of him.

 

[MRV52]

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.

I don't buy any of this. At beginning of the season Zeke looked amazing he was hitting the holes and punishing defenders. It's the turnovers that have killed him. Destroyed OL doesn't help either, so I don't put all the blame on him. Zeke will come back.

 

[john van brocklin]

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.

Wow, not good news

 

[RS12]

Moral to the story? RBs should not be given second contracts. Draft, use up, move on.

 

[aria]

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.

Well considering he carried the ball more times than any other RB and had one of the best O lines in the league he should of been leading. He also faced less and less stacked boxes since his rookie year and faced less stacked boxes than 26 other RB’s last year which was also the least in his career.

Take a look at 10+ yard runs, 20+ yard runs, yards after contact, etc...he’s been declining.

 

[aria]

Our line or playcalling does not create opportunities when zeke has the ball. Fumbling is a major problem, but the scheme and blocking is doing zero favors

He demanded to be paid as the best RB in the league, HE’S getting paid to create opportunities. How did Barkley manage to match and surpass a lot of zeke’s stats his rookie year behind one of the worst O lines in the league? Because he possesses the skills zeke lacks and that’s becoming more and more obvious.

All that “dancing around” that Barkley did was because he didn’t have the 10 ft wide holes to run through like zeke, he had to create opportunities whereas zeke just slips, runs out of bounds, or runs into a defender for a yard or two and his fans praise hime for it.

 

[cffl2323]

I'm sure it's been said somewhere in the previous five pages, but honestly Pollard looked like the better RB last night. I've always been a Zeke fan, hell probably a fan of almost everyone who's worn the jersey, but hopefully we've learned our lesson regarding paying running backs.

 

[TexasBoys2288]

Honestly, I also think Dak not being there is messing with his head even more. The OL isn't helping either.

I think something else is messing with his head, weed.

 

[basel90]

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.

many on this board were clamorning for jerry to pay zeke. I see them silent now. Zeke is a bust now by all means.

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

i get it but as much as he handles the rock he had 3 last year and 1 in 2017... so its not all the time they seem to come in spurts..not making excuses but this season is the worst given we arent even at half way point..

so give hes had entire years at 3 and 1 this years an anomaly..


btw Daks had 34 in case you are keeping count and that doesnt count 40 INts so do we view Dak as TO prone, most would say no but these mistakes come in bunches at times are anomalys.... like i said this years an anomaly. He met his career worst this early is an anomaly..

so Daks at 74 Turnovers and zeke 19?hmm lets be fair here they need to stop but it happens tpo many payers at some points in their careers..

Dak's turnovers are for a separate discussion since we are talking about Zeke after all.

Lets do some comparing of other RB's in Zekes "League"

Henry - 7 fumbles in under 4 1/2 years. 5 last year. Now that is an anomaly.
Barcley - 1 fumble in under 2 1/2 years
McCaffrey - 7 fumbles in under 3 1/2 years
Gurley - 15 fumbles in under 5 1/2 years
Cook - 8 fumbles in under 3 1/2 years
Chubb - 4 fumbles in under 2 1/2 years
Kamara - 6 fumbles in under 3 1/2 years

In my honest opinion, it has nothing to do with amount of touches, its sloppy play on his part.

 

[quickccc]

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.

2020 - Zeke ranks/ties for No.1 with 5 fumb
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles

2019 - Zeke ranks 50th with 3 fumb
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles?season_id=17

2018 - zeke ranks 23th with 6 fumb
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles?season_id=16

2017 - zeke in an short-susp season does even qualifies
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles?season_id=15

2016 - zeke ranks 24th - with 5 fumb
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles?season_id=14

 

[aria]

2020 - Zeke ranks/ties for No.1 with 5 fumb
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles

2019 - Zeke ranks 50th with 3 fumb
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles?season_id=17

2018 - zeke ranks 23th with 6 fumb
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles?season_id=16

2017 - zeke in an short-susp season does even qualifies
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles?season_id=15

2016 - zeke ranks 24th - with 5 fumb
https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/fumbles?season_id=14

Lol, that’s including QB’s, not even close. Let’s see those numbers and rankings compared to other running backs.

 

[MyFairLady]

I would love to see try to run a 40 now. Actually I would like to see him try to do all the combine drills. The loss of explosion is staggering. Can you imagine fat boy trying to hurdle the defender or jump into the kettle these days. Bwaaaahahahahahahaha.

 

[aria]

I would love to see try to run a 40 now. Actually I would like to see him try to do all the combine drills. The loss of explosion is staggering. Can you imagine fat boy trying to hurdle the defender or jump into the kettle these days. Bwaaaahahahahahahaha.