What if Zeke received the Murray treatment

[JD_KaPow]

He hasn’t had a run longer than that, but he’s had receiving TDS longer than the proclaimed most exciting back in the league saquon by almost double.

Saquon had receptions of 57(TD) and 55 yards last season. Zeke's long was 38.

How many 90 yarders was emmitt regularly breaking off?

I don't know (FR doesn't have play-by-play until '94) but he was 29 before he had a season without a run longer than 41.

 

[TwentyOne]

Zeke is a generational talent at RB and while Murray had a great year in 2014 and some decent ones prior...they aren't the same player despite sharing the same position. Zeke has HOF talent. Not sure you don't pay him.

Zeke is good, no question. But he is no generational back. Peterson was or Gurley is. Zeke is not there.

 

[charron]

I love zeke. But if you build an OL with 3-4 pro bowlers and you pay a QB 30/ year then you shouldn't have to have a superstar RB just to make the offense work. We should be able to take a lower tier guy like murray and run him behind this line so he looks much better than he is. You have to decide what positions you go young/ cheap and RB can easily be one of those.

 

[northerncowboynation]

I mean I actually see nothing wrong with letting Zeke walk if things get out of hand.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.c...ing-for-a-future-without-ezekiel-elliott/amp/

And just what if Murray had received the upcoming Zeke treatment

 

[northerncowboynation]

Stephen on record he has every intention of resigning Zeke. Even admitted he'll like be the highest paid RB ( said Zeke contract floor will be Gurley numbers ). He basically asked Zeke to be patient but it'll get done.

pfft l'il Stevie what's he know

 

[Setackin]

Zeke better Hope JJ lives long enough... cause Stephen ain’t giving that contract lol

 

[Thomas82]

The QB better make a major leap and the defense needs to be a legit top 5 turnover tough to score against machine OR...things can get ugly for the Cowboys IMO.

Zeke is a generational talent at RB and while Murray had a great year in 2014 and some decent ones prior...they aren't the same player despite sharing the same position. Zeke has HOF talent. Not sure you don't pay him.

Cosign!! Also, Dak is heavily dependent on Zeke. Zeke is the engine of this offense.......you don't mess with that.

 

[DandyDon52]

Both Murray and Elliott have coughed up the ball but why does it seem to me Murray excelled at fumbling usually at the most inopportune moments?

announcers, like aikman made a big deal about murrays fumbles, and of the 6 he had in 2014 3 were situations where the ball was pulled out,
now really a fumble.
On one 2 cowboys had a chance to recover the pullout in wash game, and they couldnt get on the ball !lol
only about 3 were at bad time, and then the gb game, which was early in the game, and not why they lost.

Elliot isnt staying in shape, so I dont know what he will be like after another year.
He was a great RB fresh out of college, but to me he is going downhill fast.
He had the chance to be truly great, but seems to be blowing that.
He is still good though even though he has gained weight and lost speed, and not in the shape he should be.

 

[Little Jr]

Guess we didn't learn anything from the Murray issues........RBs are NOT a dime a dozen. Especially if you're a run-first team ....

We learned we took a former first round bust and washed up RB and he ended up being the 4th leading rusher with the 8th amount of carries in 10 starts. Oh yeah, with **** at qb.

As far as what SJ said about zekes contract, he also said in 2016 that drafting zeke wasn't wasn't sign of making a mistake on Murray but how they felt about RBs on their 2nd contract. After SJ made his comments about Zeke and his contract, JJ said it's a matter of having the resources and the real question is, how you're going to do it.

There's a lot of things behind said but id be shocked if they gave him Gurley money or more and honestly, I hope they don't.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

We learned we took a former first round bust and washed up RB and he ended up being the 4th leading rusher with the 8th amount of carries in 10 starts. Oh yeah, with **** at qb.

As far as what SJ said about zekes contract, he also said in 2016 that drafting zeke wasn't wasn't sign of making a mistake on Murray but how they felt about RBs on their 2nd contract. After SJ made his comments about Zeke and his contract, JJ said it's a matter of having the resources and the real question is, how you're going to do it.

There's a lot of things behind said but id be shocked if they gave him Gurley money or more and honestly, I hope they don't.

This explains your post lol .........It's pretty clear FO has every intention of keeping Zeke. We've heard nothing to suggest otherwise.

 

[Little Jr]

This explains your post lol .........It's pretty clear FO has every intention of keeping Zeke. We've heard nothing to suggest otherwise.

Again , I heard jj say it's a matter of having the resources and how you're going to do it . I also heard sj say this, “I think it says a lot. It was tough to let Murray leave, and I think we have an opinion, that, at the end of day, especially with running backs after they have had some wear and tear on them, may not be the right investment as they go forward. It is real easy to sit back and say, ‘well the value of the running back is coming this way financially in terms of cap dollars.’ We actually have done some work and believe that some of their best years, the great ones, are in their first five years. So you are maybe getting the best part of the running back in his first five years versus the second contract. Now, we all know one who was right here who is a Hall of Famer and owns the rushing record that may never be broken that panned out pretty good for 10, 11, 12 years, whatever the number was. Those things happen, but I do think we really did a lot of getting our hands around it. Sometimes you are getting the best part of him when you get him right out of college and they are ready to roll. We do think that, one of the things about Ezekiel, is that not only is he a great running back, which we all equate to running, but he brings so many other things to the table. He is so well rounded; about as well rounded as we’ve seen in a while in terms of catching the ball out of the backfield, protecting the quarterback, which we all know in this room is so important to us with Tony [Romo]. He just brings so much to the table right there. We just finally got our hands around that this is a special guy that was worth spending this pick on.”


As we all know, the Jones boys say a lot and not all of it is truth. When I see them give him the big money, I'll belive it. Until then I can't see them doing it. They've been good here lately about not giving dumb contracts and giving Zeke top $ contract would be dumb.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Again , I heard jj say it's a matter of having the resources and how you're going to do it . I also heard sj say this, “I think it says a lot. It was tough to let Murray leave, and I think we have an opinion, that, at the end of day, especially with running backs after they have had some wear and tear on them, may not be the right investment as they go forward. It is real easy to sit back and say, ‘well the value of the running back is coming this way financially in terms of cap dollars.’ We actually have done some work and believe that some of their best years, the great ones, are in their first five years. So you are maybe getting the best part of the running back in his first five years versus the second contract. Now, we all know one who was right here who is a Hall of Famer and owns the rushing record that may never be broken that panned out pretty good for 10, 11, 12 years, whatever the number was. Those things happen, but I do think we really did a lot of getting our hands around it. Sometimes you are getting the best part of him when you get him right out of college and they are ready to roll. We do think that, one of the things about Ezekiel, is that not only is he a great running back, which we all equate to running, but he brings so many other things to the table. He is so well rounded; about as well rounded as we’ve seen in a while in terms of catching the ball out of the backfield, protecting the quarterback, which we all know in this room is so important to us with Tony [Romo]. He just brings so much to the table right there. We just finally got our hands around that this is a special guy that was worth spending this pick on.”


As we all know, the Jones boys say a lot and not all of it is truth. When I see them give him the big money, I'll belive it. Until then I can't see them doing it. They've been good here lately about not giving dumb contracts and giving Zeke top $ contract would be dumb.

We'll see.......

 

[buybuydandavis]

There's an argument to be made there. Murray was a 5.0 yards a carry guy who also was much more of a receiving threat than Zeke. Murray had slippery moves that Zeke just doesn't have. Zeke is more of a power runner, rarely goes backwards. Both are great. But Cowboys made the absolute right move letting Murray go. Although their immediate replacement did not work out, Murray would not have finished out his 2nd contract here. He broke down after the 2nd year away.

Zeke runs with a physical style and doesn't shy from contact. It's unlikely he lasts at a high level for more than 6 seasons.

He did have a shortened season, and we aren't running him ragged with carries. Maybe he makes it longer. But just maybe. The historical odds, and his own running style, are against it.

 

[ghst187]

The QB better make a major leap and the defense needs to be a legit top 5 turnover tough to score against machine OR...things can get ugly for the Cowboys IMO.

Zeke is a generational talent at RB and while Murray had a great year in 2014 and some decent ones prior...they aren't the same player despite sharing the same position. Zeke has HOF talent. Not sure you don't pay him.

This, although I am sure that you DO pay him.
Unlike Oakland you don’t let HOF talent in their prime walk....

 

[Little Jr]

Zeke runs with a physical style and doesn't shy from contact. It's unlikely he lasts at a high level for more than 6 seasons.

He did have a shortened season, and we aren't running him ragged with carries. Maybe he makes it longer. But just maybe. The historical odds, and his own running style, are against it.

Hes lead the league in carriers in 2016&18 with 322 and 304. Even his suspension season he was 10th with 242. That's just his carries, not his touches.

 

[Hardline]

Going into the playoffs, Zeke was averaging 101.2 rushing yards per game in his first 3 seasons in the League. That put him behind only the great Jim Brown (104.3 yds/game) and ahead of Barry Sanders (99.8 yds/game), Terrell Davis (97.5 yds/game) and Eric Dickerson (90.8 yds/game). Making Zeke number 2 all-time in yds per after 3 seasons. Each name on the list is in the HOF.

That is what makes him generational. That also makes him different than Gurley, Barkley, Bell and David Johnson. Barkley may make that list but it is not likely IMO. Also, just because you play at a time with other great players, HOF players, at your position does not make you any less great or generational. Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas all were between the lines at the same time. Emmitt is still a great. Zeke playing at the same time as them does not diminish his abilities in my opinion. He is a special player.

Just reposting this in case anyone missed it.

 

[slick325]

@Hardline...what is truly amazing is that since coming into the League no back has more rushing yards than Zeke and he has missed 8 games (6 due to suspension and 2 as healthy scratches in the final games of 2016 and 2018). Special, special talent. Dallas got lucky getting him and not a Trent Richardson with that Top 5 pick.

 

[Hardline]

@Hardline...what is truly amazing is that since coming into the League no back has more rushing yards than Zeke and he has missed 8 games (6 due to suspension and 2 as healthy scratches in the final games of 2016 and 2018). Special, special talent. Dallas got lucky getting him and not a Trent Richardson with that Top 5 pick.

I'm in your corner.
Zeke is a great RB that's already on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
Its amazing how some people in this forum can down play his accomplishments.

 

[Hennessy_King]

We drafted Zeke due to a win now mindset in the 2016 draft. Remember, we had Romo then and felt we were a player or two away from a Super Bowl.

And romo ruined it by not knowing how to slide

 

[3rd_n_inches]

No chance cause Randall isn’t on the team anymore