Where is 21's comfort level for you?

[Diehardblues]

We’re a talent dependent franchise. If we lose one of if not the most talented , our team suffers greatly. Especially since our offense is so reliant on a dominating running game.

We saw what happened when we lost Murray and why we used a 1st round pick on Elliott. I’m not sure why we‘re even having this discussion.

Off field behavior is a factor we must tolerate with Elite talent.

 

[Diehardblues]

And Dallas is voted 2nd most talented this year by websites that aren’t very high on Dak, so it wasn’t because of him.

Right

Take Elliott out of our equation and we drop considerably in talent ratings. We aren’t even a playoff contender anymore.

 

[Diehardblues]

If I remember correctly Emmitt was also coming off a super bowl win and MVP. What has Zeke accomplished lately that doesn't include police involvement or tabloid garbage?

After our defending SB Champions begun the season 0-2 without Emmitt , it was clear who our MVP was. Jerry quickly got him signed ending the holdout. The rest is history.

I imagine if we begin this season without Elliott 0-2 it will leave little doubt who our MVP is.Jerry will probably respond in similar fashion.

 

[Mr_437]

10

 

[dckid]

9. He has no major legal trouble currently slated. The Dallas Cowboys can win with a different QB than Dak Prescott, deep down you all know that.

You’re not going anywhere without Ezekiel Elliot.

That is the problem with this offense. This isn't 1993 where you need a franchise RB to win. The Rams are ready to send Gurley to the bench.
We need to move away from this antiquated offense and antiquated way of thinking. The league has moved away from bell cow RB's and we still holding on for dear life.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

That is the problem with this offense. This isn't 1993 where you need a franchise RB to win. The Rams are ready to send Gurley to the bench.
We need to move away from this antiquated offense and antiquated way of thinking. The league has moved away from bell cow RB's and we still holding on for dear life.

But you’ve drafted for this offense during the entire Garrett experience. You have the highest paid Oline in the whole league for this offense. You haven’t spent a first rounder on qb in 30 years because this offense doesn’t need it. You haven’t even attempted to replace Witten. The depth at all skill positions is impacted by all the 1’s you spent on RB, Oline, DL/LB. All the money you have caught up in those position. You have no positional framework for any other kind of offense.

How excited would you be to see your 4th WR line up in Amari’s spot if he goes down? Dak throwing for over 200 yards in that game? How about Tony Pollard running into 3rd and short 10-15 times a game? He’s not that kind of RB, only Zeke is. Will Blake Jarwin carry you past the Rams, the Eagles, the Saints in a crucial Playoff-determining game? Willing to bet the season on that?

Your entire franchise is built around Zeke. Refusing to pay him is unfathomable. It will take an organizational overhaul to change course if you let him walk.

 

[Blackrain]

I just feel like this young man survives on God given Talent and is more of a party guy than a guy who continually prepares and conditions his body to take the pounding of the NFL .

Like Beware said they can play themselves in to shape in the early 20s but fall off the cliff sooner than later . Would love to see him with a great mentor that would square away his work ethic and make him the HOFer he could be

 

[Diehardblues]

I just feel like this young man survives on God given Talent and is more of a party guy than a guy who continually prepares and conditions his body to take the pounding of the NFL .

Like Beware said they can play themselves in to shape in the early 20s but fall off the cliff sooner than later . Would love to see him with a great mentor that would square away his work ethic and make him the HOFer he could be

I understand that good character guys make great role models but at the end of the day we need talent regardless their character and work ethic. This isn’t a profession where moral character is the leading prerequisite. Lol

 

[Diehardblues]

Bring us your huddled masses with drug addictions, domestic disputes, criminal behavior and questionable moral character. If you have freakish talent we can tolerate. Only lunch pale carriers we can live without high moral character and worth ethic.

 

[dckid]

But you’ve drafted for this offense during the entire Garrett experience. You have the highest paid Oline in the whole league for this offense. You haven’t spent a first rounder on qb in 30 years because this offense doesn’t need it. You haven’t even attempted to replace Witten. The depth at all skill positions is impacted by all the 1’s you spent on RB, Oline, DL/LB. All the money you have caught up in those position. You have no positional framework for any other kind of offense.

How excited would you be to see your 4th WR line up in Amari’s spot if he goes down? Dak throwing for over 200 yards in that game? How about Tony Pollard running into 3rd and short 10-15 times a game? He’s not that kind of RB, only Zeke is. Will Blake Jarwin carry you past the Rams, the Eagles, the Saints in a crucial Playoff-determining game? Willing to bet the season on that?

Your entire franchise is built around Zeke. Refusing to pay him is unfathomable. It will take an organizational overhaul to change course if you let him walk.

You and I are 100% on the same page. I would rather pay Zeke right now than try to resign him two years from now... potentially 700 additional touches from now.
If the FO and coaching staff believe that Dak is the long term solution, build the offense around him. We finally have good Wr's, i wish we had tried to sign a TE. Jared Cook would have been an amazing addition but Jerry had to bail out ESPN & Witten. The Witten discussion is a whole new thread.

 

[McKDaddy]

Foles and Flacco are the same QB. Foles won a SB because he played in the 2nd best system in football with the most talented overall roster in the league.

Had nothing to do with those dimes he dropped?

 

[McKDaddy]

after they completely blowing the Ray Rice issue.

They were trying to cover it up and got caught. had to act strong to fool the sheep

 

[McKDaddy]

You and I are 100% on the same page. I would rather pay Zeke right now than try to resign him two years from now... potentially 700 additional touches from now.

I don't disagree with the theory but clubs have to be careful with setting precedents about giving contracts whenever a player wants one.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Here's the thing. Emmitt's last truly great season came when he was 26. After that, he was a uniquely durable and reliable RB and a great pass-blocker, but he didn't offer anything as a receiver and he was more of a grinder. A good solid back, but I'm not paying for that. Now, I would have been wrong in one regard--I would have expected him to fade away much faster like most RBs do--but he was unique. I'm not going to bet my money that any RB will age as gracefully as Emmitt did. Zeke reminds me of Emmitt in a lot of ways, including the workload he's had. I'd much rather let him go a year too early than overpay him for his decline.

And I'm scratching my head about the "Zeke is a generational talent" thing. He doesn't break long runs and he's not a special receiving back. The things he does well, he does very well--he's durable, he gets positive yardage and he's a good pass-protector--but I just don't think he's obviously head and shoulders ahead of the other RBs in the league, which is what I'd expect from a "generational talent."

Bottom line is that you have to save somewhere. You cant just pay all these guys to be the highest paid guys. When you look at the Roster, RB HAS to be the place where you save money. Especially if you are paying all these lineman. You SHOULDNT need a top 5 back to have a great run game.

 

[McKDaddy]

If I had to put it into a number: about a 7 or 8

Pros
-Stupidly productive through 3 seasons.
-Most durable RB in the league. Has led the league in carries per game 3 consecutive years, and the only thing that's cost him games is the commish. Feature-backed for two 270+ carry seasons at Ohio State and remained healthy there, so he is now at 5 straight years with no injury.
-Elite endurance. Runs even better in the 4th quarter than in the 1st. Rushes on fresh legs in December. Can handle an extremely high workload and remain productive.
-Has produced behind top notch OLs and more average ones. Not dependent on the line to perform. Could produce in any offense.
-Has underutilized receiving chops. Caught 77 balls last season, which proves that he at least he at least has good hands. Has only run one route deeper than 10 yards in his entire NFL career, and that play wasn't even called by his OC. Still has unexplored receiving potential.
-Excellent pass blocker. Combined with his receiving skills, he is totally functional in the passing game.
-Running style is built around strength and vision, and is not based on elite athleticism. He could lose a step to age or injury and still remain productive.

Cons
-Has not been injured yet, but plays a high-injury position. The risk is lower with Zeke than most other backs, but it's always there.
-"Wild child" who's had problems off the field since his Ohio State days, and hasn't showed signs of learning yet. He's not playing through a 4 year contract without getting in trouble, I guarantee you that.
-His attitude towards conditioning has been lackluster, notice how he always plays a step slow in September. He can play his way into shape in his early 20s, but it's going to become more of a problem as he ages. The cliff can come fast for players who don't stay in shape: see Darrelle Revis.
-Plays heavy to soak up hits, which costs him speed. We'd have to dial back his workload for him to play at a more natural weight, but then that becomes the question of are you getting your money's worth from him.

To sum it up, I'd say I am much more worried about Zeke off the field than I am on it. On it, he's a top 3 RB who can be fed until he's sick and efficiently converts that into monster stats. Off it, he's reckless and kind of lazy. I have minimal concerns about his game on the field, but I think his habits off the field will eventually catch up with him.

So for the short term - say 2019 and 2020 - I have great confidence that we could get every dime worth out of him. Longer term is when things become more cloudy.

pretty thorough summary. As much as I like him on the field and would like to see him here for a long career, I would not over commit. And always keep my mind open to options.

 

[Altestic]

Bottom line is that you have to save somewhere. You cant just pay all these guys to be the highest paid guys. When you look at the Roster, RB HAS to be the place where you save money. Especially if you are paying all these lineman. You SHOULDNT need a top 5 back to have a great run game.

Save on QB unless you have a truly top 5-10 guy

 

[PhillyCowboysFan]

TEN! I have nothing more to say as I have learned to live accept today’s athletes, media and social reaction.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Well some think we can win with anybody running behind that line so I guess it doesn't matter what he does.

 

[Arkyvarminter]

But you’ve drafted for this offense during the entire Garrett experience. You have the highest paid Oline in the whole league for this offense. You haven’t spent a first rounder on qb in 30 years because this offense doesn’t need it. You haven’t even attempted to replace Witten. The depth at all skill positions is impacted by all the 1’s you spent on RB, Oline, DL/LB. All the money you have caught up in those position. You have no positional framework for any other kind of offense.

How excited would you be to see your 4th WR line up in Amari’s spot if he goes down? Dak throwing for over 200 yards in that game? How about Tony Pollard running into 3rd and short 10-15 times a game? He’s not that kind of RB, only Zeke is. Will Blake Jarwin carry you past the Rams, the Eagles, the Saints in a crucial Playoff-determining game? Willing to bet the season on that?

Your entire franchise is built around Zeke. Refusing to pay him is unfathomable. It will take an organizational overhaul to change course if you let him walk.

No, you just draft another RB...DMAC had 1000 behind our line. I love Zeke but Dak is getting his first. IF Zeke wants to hold out let him......its not his time to get paid anyway.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

No, you just draft another RB...DMAC had 1000 behind our line. I love Zeke but Dak is getting his first. IF Zeke wants to hold out let him......its not his time to get paid anyway.

There’s a difference between edging out 1000 yards and intimidating a defense. You weren’t very good when he gained 1000 yards, and a lot of them weren’t meaningful yards. 80% of Zeke’s 1500 yards are meaningful. He guts good D’s.