What makes Ezekiel Elliott Special?

[DFWJC]

It's not the draft anymore.
So no more theory on how he can possibly do

Time to see....
the real product,
on the field,
for the Dallas Cowboys,
in a real NFL game.

As they say; put up or shut up.

I'm confident we'll like what we see,
but until we do--week in and week out in real NFL games--its all talk.

Go Zeke

 

[cml750]

Well so far I see nothing too special. He sits on the bench nursing an injury about as well as anybody else I have ever seen. Perhaps we might actually get to witness what he can do soon. Until then, I will keep the anointing oil put up in my cabinet.

 

[TwoDeep3]

I contend this offensive line would open the holes they do and Julius Jones would still find a way to run into the back of one of the guards for a half a yard loss.

 

[HomeBiscuit]

Attacking the blitzer is what makes this guy special. He will bring a fearless and selfless attitude to an already feisty bunch. They need to put a hurting on folks.

 

[Aven8]

How anyone can put Zeke not playing yet on him is beyond me. If we had a game tomorrow he would play. This is all on the coaches and FO. They are babying the investment.

Zeke will shine. He is too good and our Oline is too good not to.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

At this point, as others have alluded to, Elliott is just a thought experiment until he proves himself consistently on the field.

 

[Nova]

He's young. He's very intelligent. And he's a very, very complete back.

Everyone wants the next Adrian Peterson (Gurley, Fournette), I want the next Marshall Faulk.

In today's league, I think that's more valuable.

 

[Nova]

Also.

Depth.

You have extreme depth at a position / group that has proven to win for us.

 

[DandyDon1722]

He has been held out of two preseason games, where most starters only would play a few snaps... He isn't even actually injured, he was just being held out for precautionary reasons. If it were week 1 right now, he would have been good to go.

Yep - the old "tweaked hamstring" miraculously appeared in the dog days of camp and just as miraculously healed in time for the dress rehearsal game of pre-season.

They did exactly what they were supposed to do with him.

 

[DFWJC]

I contend this offensive line would open the holes they do and Julius Jones would still find a way to run into the back of one of the guards for a half a yard loss.

 

[Cowboy06]

I would say that the biggest difference between what he can do with us in 2016 and what DeMarco Murray did in 2014, is that he won't leave anything on the bone. One of the phrases you might hear the most with him this year is, "Elliott found a crease."

Preach sir...and don't get mad if I steal your quotes and ideas..they are spot on.

 

[Cowboy06]

I think the simple answer is, he was the best player on the board.

The more detailed answer is that Elliot does everything from seeing and exploiting holes to stoning blitzers like an OG and catching passes downfield like a wide receiver. He makes LBs look silly in the hole and then trucks DBs on his way to the zone. At 6-0 and 225, he is cat quick, which I think for a RB is more important than pure speed. I don't think I've ever seen a RB come out of college more ready to perform in a zone blocking scheme yet still eminently able to play smash mouth behind five studs manning up. You hear a lot about balanced offenses making defenses focus on the run and pass equally, but I think Elliot makes defenses take that to an extreme. Not only will Zeke punish you with the ball in his hands or scorch you deep if you try to cover him with a LB, but he also makes it impossible for the front-7 to sit on the stretch play and in/out zone runs, and that is a unique nightmare for any defense. Morris has some of this in him, but no defensive coordinator fears Morris busting it to the house on every play like they will with Elliot. Bottom line, I think EE will be one of the few RBs in the league that teams have to specifically game plan for, and I don't think you can put a value on that.

Just my $0.02.

Invest that 2 cents. You're gonna make a million.

 

[Screw The Hall]

His blocking coming out of college is unparalleled so you can play him right away with an aging, injury-prone, franchise QB without holding your breath. He has excellent vision, is instinctive in the hole, and explodes out of his cuts ... losing no speed. He has fantastic hands and is smooth in his routes giving you the ability to split him out wide to expose favorable matchups. In short, he is a complete back. I love Alfred Morris and am so happy that he is on this football team. But I think it is going to be readily apparent day 1 why Zeke is going to be the bell cow here sooner rather than later. By midseason I'd be willing to bet he is the focal point of the offense and adds a versatility that makes this already impressive group a terror for opposing defenses.

 

[plasticman]

Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett averaged 17 carries and 2 receptions a game for his career. He was the rocket engine, the home run hitter.

Another 10 to 12 carries went to guys like Robert Newhouse, Ron Springs, and Timmy Newsome.

There will be enough carries for two quality RB's.

McFadden has a right to be nervous right now.

As for Zeke, you only have to see how some of the vets are treating him to realize, they have seen things they really like.

 

[cowboyschmps3]

I agree with basically everything you said. But I don't know about Zeke having the best vision just yet. We need to see it on the field first and foremost. Also don't cut Alfred Morris short he's shown he's getting back into form. Not to mention He also has great vision. Could be a great duo if all goes right.

Great duo and great mentor for the young back. Alfred is doing some work out there and happy he's on our team as we can keep both RB's fresh.

 

[Hardline]

Offensive rookie of the year.

 

[NeonNinja]

At this point, nothing makes him special. If he is special, he will need to get on the field in games and show it. Until then, he's just another running back to me. I'm not down on him, but after many years of many injuries to many players, who hold a lot of promise, but never stay healthy enough to show it, I am of the mindset now that a player is just another player until he shows it on the field and in multiple games.

Hopefully, we will get to see Elliot soon and hopefully, he will turn out to be as special as most people expect him to be. In the meantime, I have been impressed with Morris, the guy that's actually playing and showing his abilities in games.

Valid point(s). On the other hand, research some crow recipes.

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

At this point, as others have alluded to, Elliott is just a thought experiment until he proves himself consistently on the field.

Thanks Mr. TX. What happened to your star?

 

[ghst187]

I would say that the biggest difference between what he can do with us in 2016 and what DeMarco Murray did in 2014, is that he won't leave anything on the bone. One of the phrases you might hear the most with him this year is, "Elliott found a crease."

and he wont fumble games away like demarco did

 

[Pokes12]

Why did we draft a running back 4th overall? Especially when we already had Alfred Morris who I mentioned in a previous post is probably still a top 15 running back in the league, probably jumps up to top 10 behind this line.

Well, there are a few things that make Elliott special. I think he would be a successful running back on any team in the league. On the Giants, he is still a home run, but for the Cowboys he is a grand slam. Conversely, I think our offensive line could make most average running backs good, and most good running backs great. There are some traits however, that Elliott possesses in such quantity that makes him the best running back we could have on our team.

Vision, patience, decisiveness, quick reaction times, and his ability to quickly change direction on a dime.

Why are these so valuable? Because in our zone scheme if a runner is patient and they have the ability to see the best hole and quickly make the decision to hit it regardless of the position they are in, they can take full advantage of what this offensive line has to offer.

There are running backs who are stronger and faster than Elliott. Fournette or Gurley. Maybe even ones that have flashier moves than Elliott, but none of them have better vision and decisiveness than him. I saw someone ask what if Morris is better than Elliott... He isn't. You watch what Elliott does and think about what he could do with this line and the types of holes they create... You realize he is the perfect fit for this offense. His well roundedness is just icing on the cake. My guess is he will be offensive MVP this year.

He has not run one play, even in the pre-season. So how do you know all this???