Unpopular opinion: I don't think Zeke is having a bad year

[Tussinman]

If they are not the top person in the league at their position these same people will attack.

This has been happening alot this season. People are crying that Tyron is a bum because he's not the best offensive lineman in the league anymore but reality is he's ranked higher than 7 out of the 8 left tackles that made the NFC pro bowl last year all while not even being a top 10 highest paid tackle........ (lol)

Same thing with Martin. People are crying this year about his injuries yet he's currently the highest rated Cowboys player on the team and is a lock for his 6th straight all-pro team...... (lol)

Fans are gonna artificially attack good players just to justify both there frustration and the overall record

 

[Number1]

I honestly think

1. Dak is improving as a pocket passer, and he's throwing more passes

2. This is Moore's first year as the OC

3. Dak's contract

In fact, part of this team's problem is that it abandons the run even when it IS working(Bills, Patriots game)

not sure what you mean by Dak's contract ...

I'd add a few points

4. no XWR (box Ss and LBs can key on Zeke)

5. the OL is deteriorating - from OG to OG - they can't make a reach block

 

[GORICO]

I honestly think

1. Dak is improving as a pocket passer, and he's throwing more passes

2. This is Moore's first year as the OC

3. Dak's contract

In fact, part of this team's problem is that it abandons the run even when it IS working(Bills, Patriots game)

Zeke no longer is the guy he was in first couple of years....only broke one over 30

 

[jnday]

I honestly think

1. Dak is improving as a pocket passer, and he's throwing more passes

2. This is Moore's first year as the OC

3. Dak's contract

In fact, part of this team's problem is that it abandons the run even when it IS working(Bills, Patriots game)

The last couple of games, Zeke came out running like he was in fire. They stopped giving him the ball which was the coaches response to seeing a really motivated player that was running his rear end off. That’s the way to dampen that enthusiasm .

 

[mattjames2010]

It's not "bad", it's disappointing - if you didn't expect it.

 

[mattjames2010]

On pace for 1400 yards and 12 tds. 50 catches in a “bad year”

Again I’ll make the case zeke last durability and consistency is better than all these other runners that have one good year every 3 years on their resume because of injury

Zeke has played 2 full seasons in the league. Let's stop pretending he's Smith.

 

[nightrain]

1000 yard rushers are not having a bad year after 13 games. He's still not having a Zeke year and nowhere near highest paid back year.

 

[JonesBoys]

His cap hit is $6.3m

You were saying?

His cap hit jumps up after the first year so it’s not staying at 6.3. He is the highest paid running back people expect more.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

I honestly think

1. Dak is improving as a pocket passer, and he's throwing more passes

2. This is Moore's first year as the OC

3. Dak's contract

In fact, part of this team's problem is that it abandons the run even when it IS working(Bills, Patriots game)

I am with you but I am stepping far away from you, because you are about to be stoned to death like in the Biblical days.

 

[gimmesix]

I don't think that's an unpopular opinion. He's not had a bad year.

But he's not had a great year and he's paid to have great years. Therein lies the problem.

Like any other top back, some years are better than others for a variety of reasons. Look at a great like Emmitt Smith, one year he'd average 5.3 a carry. The next 4.0. 4.7 followed by 3.7.

It's difficult to play at the same level every season whether you are paid to be great or not.

 

[gimmesix]

1000 yard rushers are not having a bad year after 13 games. He's still not having a Zeke year and nowhere near highest paid back year.

That's probably the main issue. Two out of three years, he set a really high standard, and the other one he had the excuse of being suspended for six games.

 

[mattjames2010]

Like any other top back, some years are better than others for a variety of reasons. Look at a great like Emmitt Smith, one year he'd average 5.3 a carry. The next 4.0. 4.7 followed by 3.7.

It's difficult to play at the same level every season whether you are paid to be great or not.

By the time Smith had that 3.7 ypc, he was out of his prime. Still a productive back, but he wasn't a top 3 back anymore.

 

[fansince68]

I honestly think

1. Dak is improving as a pocket passer, and he's throwing more passes

2. This is Moore's first year as the OC

3. Dak's contract

In fact, part of this team's problem is that it abandons the run even when it IS working(Bills, Patriots game)

I agree 100%

 

[Aviano90]

That's probably the main issue. Two out of three years, he set a really high standard, and the other one he had the excuse of being suspended for six games.

Judge 2017 on the 10 games he played. He was about as efficient as Joseph Randle was in 2015. The only difference is Zeke kept on being fed the ball and Randle was cut.

Morris averaged more YPC than Zeke did in 2017 and Morris faced a greater percentage of stacked boxes. Morris also played in the 3 games Tyron missed and the offensive line played like crap and still ran better than Zeke that year. It was just blown off as “empty yards” was the term used on the DC.com board to explain the difference between Morris and Zeke that year because we went 3-3. Then Zeke comes back and doesn’t add anything of value to the offense in the last 2 games.

2017 was a horrible year for Zeke based upon the type of player Zeke should be.

 

[DuncanIso]

I honestly think

1. Dak is improving as a pocket passer, and he's throwing more passes

2. This is Moore's first year as the OC

3. Dak's contract

In fact, part of this team's problem is that it abandons the run even when it IS working(Bills, Patriots game)

Agree.

I think his rushes are down from last year though.

I don't know if that's on purpose.

 

[gimmesix]

Judge 2017 on the 10 games he played. He was about as efficient as Joseph Randle was in 2015. The only difference is Zeke kept on being fed the ball and Randle was cut.

Morris averaged more YPC than Zeke did in 2017 and Morris faced a greater percentage of stacked boxes. Morris also played in the 3 games Tyron missed and the offensive line played like crap and still ran better than Zeke that year. It was just blown off as “empty yards” was the term used on the DC.com board to explain the difference between Morris and Zeke that year because we went 3-3. Then Zeke comes back and doesn’t add anything of value to the offense in the last 2 games.

2017 was a horrible year for Zeke based upon the type of player Zeke should be.

Elliott averaged 4.1 YPC and scored 7 TDs in 10 games. Emmitt Smith had nine seasons with that average or less (granted the last few were when he was far beyond his prime).

What some of you consider horrible is still not bad, and that's the point. When you set a high bar, it is hard to live up to it.

 

[DFWJC]

Zeke is fine.

He's not having year anywhere close to McCaffery's (or even Cook's) but he's been good. Just not off-the-charts great.

 

[texbumthelife]

That doesn't make sense. There isn't something magical about faking a handoff that makes a QB more capable of throwing a football.

The reality is we simply don't have Dak under center very often unless it is a down where there is a good chance we run, so in that case, if we decide to pass, why wouldn't we go play action? That's when it is most effective - when the opponent is looking for a run.

Whether or not it's true, it does make sense. Lining up under center means Dak has to read during his drop. It makes timing far more critical, which is one thing Dak still struggles with. Many QBs coming from spread offenses in college struggle transitioning to under-center play. Mind you, I'm not saying this is the case, cause I'd have to do film study, but its definitely a thing and it wouldn't shock me if it was true.

 

[Aviano90]

Elliott averaged 4.1 YPC and scored 7 TDs in 10 games. Emmitt Smith had nine seasons with that average or less (granted the last few were when he was far beyond his prime).

What some of you consider horrible is still not bad, and that's the point. When you set a high bar, it is hard to live up to it.

Our backs typically average ~4.6 ypc. 4.1 was Randle territory. If that was good, we didn’t need to draft Zeke.

 

[gimmesix]

Our backs typically average ~4.6 ypc. 4.1 was Randle territory. If that was good, we didn’t need to draft Zeke.

You are comparing Elliott to a back who had 76 carries in 2015 and was not somebody defenses viewed as the same kind of threat as Elliott.

This is comparable to those who thought Troy Hambrick could replace Emmitt Smith because Hambrick averaged 5.1 yards per carry on 113 carries in 2001 and followed that up with 4.0 on 79 in 2002. The next year with Smith gone, he carried the ball 275 times and averaged 3.5.

DeMarco Murray, like Elliott, average 4.1 YPC his second year after 5.5 his first season, and that was before we became a run-first team, so there was less focus on him than Elliott receives each game.

Not saying 2017 was a great year for Elliott. It wasn't. It just wasn't a bad year.