News: What's intriguing about Ezekiel Elliott's deal

[DFWJC]

DeMarco Murray is 28 years old and Ezekiel Elliott is 20 years old...

But let's ignore that and say they're the same.

How are these guys paid sports writers and not get this...

 

[Stash]

So you would not have signed Emmitt to this deal if you knew he was gonna become Emmitt Smith?

Because he did not average that.

During his and the Cowboys' heyday, he most certainly did average that.

Between 1991 and 1995, Smith averaged over 1,600 yards per season, when both he and this team were in their primes, just as Elliott and this Cowboys team are right now.

Emmitt also didn't have 4 1st round talents blocking for him.

And he also didn't cost a #4 overall pick and $25 million guaranteed.

Elliott has cost this team a lot, he had better produce a lot to justify the investment. Otherwise, it wasn't worth it.

 

[zrinkill]

Between 1991 and 1995, Smith averaged over 1,600 yards per season, when both he and this team were in their primes, just as Elliott and this Cowboys team are right now.

Emmitt also didn't have 4 1st round talents blocking for him.

And he also didn't cost a #4 overall pick and $25 million guaranteed.

Elliott has cost this team a lot, he had better produce a lot to justify the investment. Otherwise, it wasn't worth it.

So if he averages 1500 yards for 4 years he was worth it? And you are not counting Emmitts rookie season ..... does Zekes rookie season not count as well?

 

[Hoofbite]

Is it normal to guarantee the whole contract on a rookie deal? It will be interesting to see what Ramsey's deal looks like.

It's pretty much standard for players taken at the top of the round.

Easily the worst thought out article I've seen in a while.

 

[ilykdrama]

DeMarco Murray is 28 years old and Ezekiel Elliott is 20 years old...

But let's ignore that and say they're the same.

Let's also say they're the same back. Demarco has to have a hole a truck can drive through, not be stopped behind the line and running at defenders with no arms to swipe at the ball to have success.

 

[Stash]

So if he averages 1500 yards for 4 years he was worth it?

Sure. At least he will have done his part, no matter how well or poorly the team's record is.

And you are not counting Emmitts rookie season ..... does Zekes rookie season not count as well?

Even if you factor in the rookie year, you're still talking about over 1,400 yards!

Unlike Romo, Aikman was still developing in 1990, as was Michael Irvin, as compared to an already established top receiver in Dez Bryant. The rest of the table is completely set for Elliott for his rookie year.

 

[rockj7]

Murray fumbled too often and was only healthy during his contract year.

That Green bay playoff game where he fumbled I swear had he not he would have scored if not at the very less got us inside the 10

 

[Dorsett33]

I personally think the offense the Eagles ran was not a good fit for Murray. Murray is an above average back. I believe he'll fair much better in Tennessee. He was offered a contract in Dallas. He felt he was worth more. So, he left. Nothing wrong with that. But, coming out of college, I definitely think Zeke is a better back. You really can't compare the money between the two because it's two different situations.

 

[aikemirv]

Murray fumbled too often and was only healthy during his contract year.

This, and didn't he fumble in the playoff game against Green Bay as well?

 

[Alohawg1]

During his and the Cowboys' heyday, he most certainly did average that.

Between 1991 and 1995, Smith averaged over 1,600 yards per season, when both he and this team were in their primes, just as Elliott and this Cowboys team are right now.

Emmitt also didn't have 4 1st round talents blocking for him.

And he also didn't cost a #4 overall pick and $25 million guaranteed.

Elliott has cost this team a lot, he had better produce a lot to justify the investment. Otherwise, it wasn't worth it.

Paid top dollar to fix a nonexistent problem creating a real problem if this guy doesn't become the next Emmitt, brilliant.

 

[percyhoward]

Elliott will be still be on his first contract in 2020, when Romo and Murray are both retired.

 

[aikemirv]

During his and the Cowboys' heyday, he most certainly did average that.

Between 1991 and 1995, Smith averaged over 1,600 yards per season, when both he and this team were in their primes, just as Elliott and this Cowboys team are right now.

Emmitt also didn't have 4 1st round talents blocking for him.

And he also didn't cost a #4 overall pick and $25 million guaranteed.

Elliott has cost this team a lot, he had better produce a lot to justify the investment. Otherwise, it wasn't worth it.

Inflation???

Emmitt resigned for a 4 yr 12 million deal in 1994 right. You got a point with the 4th pick but the $ has no bearing versus 1990 dollars at all!. I think you would probably have to multiply by 4 for football salary inflation since 1990

 

[DC Cowboy]

What's intriguing about Ezekiel Elliott's deal
http://sportsday.***BANNED-URL***/d...l-tells-cowboys-think-demarco-murray-elite-rb

Brandon George: Listen to this. The interesting thing about this, to me, is everybody is going to go back to DeMarco Murray. In 2014, Murray comes off the best season in Cowboys history and then you let him walk in free agency. The thing was, the franchise was unwilling to offer a contract to Murray that averaged more than $6 million a season. The total guarantee that they were willing to offer DeMarco Murray was $12 million. Now you go into 2016 and you draft a guy fourth overall and you're giving him twice as much in guaranteed money at $25 million and the average for him is over $6 million a year...It's interesting that you let Murray walk and then you go and draft a guy in 2016 and pay him all this money. I still they might have made a mistake with DeMarco Murray in 2014. I don't care how you look at it as far as his age and all the things. But he brought a dynamic to this team and that's what they're really trying to get back to. A pound-it-out ground attack and just really running behind this offensive line. They're trying to get back to it. Maybe this is a way to make up for it by bringing in Ezekiel Elliott.

Jon Machota: I feel like the organization -- whether it's the scouts, coaching staff, whatever -- felt like Ezekiel Elliott is an elite running back. And at the end of the day, they did not feel like DeMarco Murray was an elite running back. Whether they're right or wrong, that's another thing. He obviously set the single-season rushing record for the franchise. [Drafting Elliott] tells you right there that they did not think that [Murray] was some back that you could not replace, because if he was one of those elite backs, they would have not let him go. Not even a year later them making a move like [drafting Elliott], that tells you a lot about what they thought about DeMarco Murray. I'm not saying it's everybody. The whole organization has to agree on a decision like this. I'm sure there are plenty of people in the organization who are like, 'Well we could have just gotten Murray back.' I think as a group, this tells you exactly what they felt about DeMarco Murray. You did touch on going back to 2014, the ground and pound and building off the run, taking the pressure off the defense and obviously that's what the team has talked about so far when we've been around the guys...

I don't totally agree with this, I think they just under valued Murray, then realized what a good/great RB could do for this team, and then happened to be in a position to draft Elliot.

 

[zrinkill]

Unlike Romo, Aikman was still developing in 1990, as was Michael Irvin, as compared to an already established top receiver in Dez Bryant. The rest of the table is completely set for Elliott for his rookie year.

I will give you that...... but Romo wont last another 4 years so Zeke will have to deal with a rookie or at least very young QB pretty soon.

 

[Chuck 54]

1. Elliott is far superior as a RB than Murray dreamed of being....period.
2. The team clearly wasn't married to Murray even during 2014--they ran his wheels off because they had no intention of bringing him back unless it was really on the cheap.
3. They see Elliott as a much superior player and have made a long-term commitment to him, which should be a warning to those who think he's going to lead the league in rushing or surpass Murray's record, etc. in his rookie year. The fact that they think he's so special and have a financial commitment to him is the very reason he won't be getting anywhere near that many carries. As a rookie, they will guard his carries, etc. to some extent and get to know him even better.

Landry knew what he had in Tony Dorsett, and he protected him physically with a moderate number of carries even back when teams were still running more than passing. Yes, Elliott can do it all, but why should he? I think we'll see plenty of DMac blocking in passing situations and plenty of Morris on short yardage carries as long as they can get the job done.

 

[Stash]

Inflation???

Emmitt resigned for a 4 yr 12 million deal in 1994 right. You got a point with the 4th pick but the $ has no bearing versus 1990 dollars at all!. I think you would probably have to multiply by 4 for football salary inflation since 1990

And the Cowboys got three years of Emmitt running for 1,400 yards plus for less than $500,000 a season. "Multiply by four" all day and it's still less than half of what Elliott has coming guaranteed.

Again, the table is better set for him than any running back entering the league has ever had it. The results should be huge.

 

[Stash]

I will give you that...... but Romo wont last another 4 years so Zeke will have to deal with a rookie or at least very young QB pretty soon.

That's true too. Hopefully by that point, he is this current team's version of Emmitt Smith. We'll need him to be.

 

[aikemirv]

And the Cowboys got three years of Emmitt running for 1,400 yards plus for less than $500,000 a season. "Multiply by four" all day and it's still less than half of what Elliott has coming guaranteed.

Again, the table is better set for him than any running back entering the league has ever had it. The results should be huge.

You really have no point comparing him to Emmitt. Emmitt was grossly underdrafted and grossly underpaid. The only thing you can compare him with is such as in the article which is a valid argument and I have thought about before this article came out. The opportunity cost of not keeping Demarco cost you a top level CB or DT/DE. Was that opportunity cost worth it in the long run. I think that can never be truly determined because we will never know what Demarco could have done these four years but we will know how Ramsey turns out.

 

[Denim Chicken]

2. The team clearly wasn't married to Murray even during 2014--they ran his wheels off because they had no intention of bringing him back unless it was really on the cheap.
.

This is inaccurate, unless you consider the reported $5 mil offer we had on the table for him cheap. They ran Murray bc it was working, not bc we were trying to devalue him.

 

[USMarineVet]

When we drafted Dorsett in the 1st, the Cowboys went on to multiple Super Bowls. When we drafted Emmitt in the 1st, the Cowboys went on to multiple Super Bowls. History remains to be written with Zeke, but the writing is on the wall.

And let's not forget that with the Romo window closing, the eventual transition to a young QB will only benefit from having a RB like Zeke in his prime to smooth the transition.