Twitter: Three reasons why Cowboys' Ezekiel Elliott will remind fans why he's one of the top running backs in

[Scotman]

Attitude, attitude, attitude

Right or wrong, this is really the only thing that can make him a dominant back again. IF it's not too late.

When Zeke came in, he was a massive bruising back who also had break-away speed. He was a nimble, massive man capable of running through, around and/or away from defenders. Unlike 33 or 22, he did not seem to have the same sense of urgency to remain at the top. It was like he just expected to stay there. It looked like he allowed lots of distractions into his life. In my opinion, the distractions have kept him from maximizing his years as an athlete...and those years are fleeting.

Those are obviously just my perceptions. I could be wrong. I HOPE I'm wrong. It's also not lost on me that he's only 25. If his attitude becomes one of focus, a true driven focus to become/regain a top back in the league, he could add years of real productivity to his career. If he doesn't, the drop off will continue and he'll remind us of just how special backs like Emmitt, Walter Payton, Marcus Allen, Barry Sanders and Dorsett really were.

One or two years of dominance is not enough for a guy drafted fourth overall for me. I wanted this guy in the draft. I was convinced he could run right by people for the next 10 years. I admittedly haven't given him the benefit of the doubt lately. No one will be happier if my thoughts about him right now look silly in about 5 years than I will.

 

[USArmyVet]

A negative person like you would take that kind of take. A positive person like many of us would look at what he’s been doing in the offseason, his current age of 25, his best friend Dak coming back and the improvements being made on the defense and be optimistic. A little giddy in fact. But you do you and feel like crap for the upcoming season expecting the worst. It’s what you do.

You do the same thing you always do: belittle anyone that fails to share the same opinion as you. How dare they provide statistical data to support their post and how dare they get you emotionally triggered. The fact you simply can't look at posts in a respectful manner without casting aspersions on people shows how unable you are in the ability to have a meaningful, open adult dialogue.

 

[USArmyVet]

That’s what all the haters say about me and I LOVE it.

Well, if you seek self fulfillment through reactions on social media than there is a lot missing from your life.

 

[USArmyVet]

Zeke stats rookie year and remaining of his career:

2016 (15 games): 322 carries 1,631 yards 15 TD's 5.1 YPA

2017-2020 (56 games): 1,091 carries 4,753 yards 45 TD's 4.36 YPA

So when you look at Zeke's rookie year compared to his remaining years, he has gone from averaging 21.5 carries per game, 108.7 yards per game, and 1 TD per game down to 19.5 carries per game, 84.9 yards per game, and .80 TD's per game. What that tells me is that Zeke had a great rookie season and has seen a decrease in production ever since.

 

[MyFairLady]

Chub Chub boy signed his big fat contract and turned into a big fat waste of space. His contract negatively affects our chances of winning. His play on the field negatively affects our chances of winning. His pathetic attitude negatively affects our chances of winning.

 

[Sydla]

Okay so what difference does it make if we object to the "cap hit". IS jerry going to fire him? IS he going to pay his pets less?

Why even bother...it's insanity.

"Ooooooh cap space i HATE him! "

Stupid.

It's part of a being a fan. Conversations like this happen with every fanbase in the NFL. The cap and contracts and those implications on the roster are prominent discussions that happen all over this country. No, Jerry isn't going to pay him less. But sure, fans can wonder if paying Player Y what they are paying him made sense.

The issue here is that you simply are a big Elliott fan and simply don't want to discuss or acknowledge the reality that maybe, just maybe, the Cowboys messed up in paying him what they are paying him. He has to be elite to even come close to justifying that contract. Will he be? I have no idea but the trend isn't good and as noted elsewhere, the evidence shows that TBs really start to show wear and tear after a certain amount of usage. Maybe Elliott can buck those trends. He has to. If he doesn't, the Cowboys have a cap problem IMO.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

It's part of a being a fan. Conversations like this happen with every fanbase in the NFL. The cap and contracts and those implications on the roster are prominent discussions that happen all over this country. No, Jerry isn't going to pay him less. But sure, fans can wonder if paying Player Y what they are paying him made sense.

The issue here is that you simply are a big Elliott fan and simply don't want to discuss or acknowledge the reality that maybe, just maybe, the Cowboys messed up in paying him what they are paying him. He has to be elite to even come close to justifying that contract. Will he be? I have no idea but the trend isn't good and as noted elsewhere, the evidence shows that TBs really start to show wear and tear after a certain amount of usage. Maybe Elliott can buck those trends. He has to. If he doesn't, the Cowboys have a cap problem IMO.

I get the conversation. But people take it too seriously. And they judge THEIR players for it. I have said before Jerry should have let Elliot sit. it would have been a tough decision...not to be taken as lightly as fans do.

But at the end of the day....I root for the players...ALL of them. Regardless of how much or how little they make. The money is meaningless to me. I din't know or care in the 70's, 80's 90's, oughts, 10's and still do not care. I like the sport of football no the business of it. If business effects the sport...then so be it.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

That’s what all the haters say about me and I LOVE it.

You, of course, WOULD!

That's how trolls work.

 

[kskboys]

Only problem with your comment is that not everyone is saying it. There are many decent posters here. Only reason I’m still here. We out number you haters 2 to 1.

You're one of the haters. Everyone knows it.

 

[Rockport]

You're one of the haters. Everyone knows it.

You're absolutely right. I hate the haters.

 

[Sydla]

I get the conversation. But people take it too seriously. And they judge THEIR players for it. I have said before Jerry should have let Elliot sit. it would have been a tough decision...not to be taken as lightly as fans do.

But at the end of the day....I root for the players...ALL of them. Regardless of how much or how little they make. The money is meaningless to me. I din't know or care in the 70's, 80's 90's, oughts, 10's and still do not care. I like the sport of football no the business of it. If business effects the sport...then so be it.

Absolutely they judge players for it. Because it's a key factor in how good a team is. If a team pays 5 players elite money and 3 or 4 of those players all end up being just decent players, guess what? The team likely isn't going to be as good as one would hope. We have seen that crop up here in Dallas where over the years, when you look at cap usage, it has tilted towards the offense and inevitably it ends up being the defense that sinks the team in a season.

So yeah, fans judge players and their production relative to their cap hits. It's just a reality of your team playing in a capped league. If there was no cap in the NFL, few Cowboys fans would then care about what Elliott or any other player is making. But in a capped league, where the Cowboys often have a flawed roster, absolutely, looking at the various cap hits players take up and their production is a fair analysis.

It's not that I don't root for Elliott. I hope he does great. It's that I acknowledge the reality that he's being paid to be elite and he hasn't been recently. That's an issue. And frankly, it's not even really about Elliott for me personally. I think spending money on a TB like we did and Tennessee did and others have done (Rams for example) is just a bad use of cap space. So it's not even personal with Elliott. I guess you could say it's personal for all TBs in general.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Playing in the NFL is hard. Takes a lot of effort and dedication. Some of his lack of "explosion" may be due just to having 5 years in the league, it can be a grind, keeping one's enthusiasm to go out every game and get beat to a pulp (especially the way he runs) is probably hard. Many criticize him for losing his edge after "getting paid", but how many of us wouldn't do the same? I know I didn't pay as much attention to my wife, or do "little things" for her since marriage as opposed to before marriage. The drive to do so is not there to the same degree, that's just the way it is.

"Re-discovering" his purpose, his drive to be the best, is something he needs to do...

 

[Sydla]

You're absolutely right. I hate the haters.

Let's be honest. You hate logic, facts and truth if it interferes with your daily pompom waving.

 

[Big_D]

The haters who hate and the haters who love to hate them... we need a sub forum. lol

 

[Rockport]

Let's be honest. You hate logic, facts and truth if it interferes with your daily pompom waving.

I love facts and logic. That's why I disagree with the haters like you.

 

[Sydla]

I love facts and logic. That's why I disagree with the haters like you.

And yet when the guy in this thread brought data and facts about the decline you see on average for TBs after certain usage, you threw a hissy fit because it interfered with your pompom waving over Elliott.

You really lack any sort of self awareness.

 

[Rockport]

Absolutely they judge players for it. Because it's a key factor in how good a team is. If a team pays 5 players elite money and 3 or 4 of those players all end up being just decent players, guess what? The team likely isn't going to be as good as one would hope. We have seen that crop up here in Dallas where over the years, when you look at cap usage, it has tilted towards the offense and inevitably it ends up being the defense that sinks the team in a season.

So yeah, fans judge players and their production relative to their cap hits. It's just a reality of your team playing in a capped league. If there was no cap in the NFL, few Cowboys fans would then care about what Elliott or any other player is making. But in a capped league, where the Cowboys often have a flawed roster, absolutely, looking at the various cap hits players take up and their production is a fair analysis.

It's not that I don't root for Elliott. I hope he does great. It's that I acknowledge the reality that he's being paid to be elite and he hasn't been recently. That's an issue. And frankly, it's not even really about Elliott for me personally. I think spending money on a TB like we did and Tennessee did and others have done (Rams for example) is just a bad use of cap space. So it's not even personal with Elliott. I guess you could say it's personal for all TBs in general.

But you fail to realize he hasn't been elite only 1 year, last year when no one was elite on that team. Very naïve take.

 

[Rockport]

And yet when the guy in this thread brought data and facts about the decline you see on average for TBs after certain usage, you threw a hissy fit because it interfered with your pompom waving over Elliott.

You really lack any sort of self awareness.

No because you can't label a player based on some average. Every player is different. Emmitt played for 13 years and was effective almost all of them. Facts and logic.

 

[Sydla]

But you fail to realize he hasn't been elite only 1 year, last year when no one was elite on that team. Very naïve take.

His best season was his rookie year. His yards per game average has done down every single year. In two of the last three years, he's only had 6 rushing TDs. His best ypc averages were his rookie year and then his third year. Advanced stats show decline as well. For example, he doesn't produce the long runs that he did earlier in his career.

He's a good TB at this point in his career. He's not elite, certainly not like he was elite in 2016, for example. The question is can he somehow kind of find that rookie year magic again? I guess it's possible but it's rare.

 

[Sydla]

No because you can't label a player based on some average. Every player is different. Emmitt played for 13 years and was effective almost all of them. Facts and logic.

"Effective"? Pollard is "effective". Elliott has to be better than "effective" given the cap number he's eating up. How confident are you that Elliott will return to greatness, that level of play we saw as a rookie?

And the comparisons to Smith have to stop. Smith played in a different era where the run game had more influence on outcomes of games. Since then, the league has shifted to a passing league where the rules favor passing. Trying to compare RBs today to guys who played in the 80s and 90s is a poor comparison.