Why Getting Ezekiel Elliott Was The Right Move

[slick325]

Great pic for the short term and long term. Elliott helps Romo for the next three years or so by controlling clock, moving the chains, allowing better play action and more importantly by scoring points.

What I think is being overlooked is what having a good running game does for young QB's. Dallas will draft Romo's successor (they tried to get Lynch last night) either in this draft or the next. Having Elliott there to ease that QB's transition will be a major plus. When Big Ben entered the League he had The Bus and a stout defense which enabled him to hit the ground running. When Russell Wilson entered the League he had Beast Mode and a stout defense. Colin Kaepernick had Frank Gore and a stout defense. All three were young QB's who were bus drivers only asked to make a few plays during the course of the game. Each went to a SB before they became franchise guys.

Elliott is part one of the equation. The rest of the 2016 draft and most of the 2017 draft should be dedicated to defense. That way, hopefully, the next QB is aided by Elliott and a defense led by (Gregory, Tank, B. Jones, Sean Lee, T. Crawford and young playmakers).

That would be the best case scenario obviously but I believe that is the plan and part of "the process".

 

[aikemirv]

Might be a valid point. Dallas can still have Elliott and a pretty good pass rusher in the 2nd round. They do draft 3rd.

And that is fine too. I really think line is a bigger need than CB

 

[Spectre]

This is a serious RB...
who just put behind a serious O-line...
Naysayers are going to feel really foolish in a few months.

 

[Sydla]

This is a serious RB...
who just put behind a serious O-line...
Naysayers are going to look really foolish in a few months.

Let's define the baseline for foolishness.

How many yards and TDs is Elliott getting in his first season in Dallas?

 

[Jenky]

Let's define the baseline for foolishness.

How many yards and TDs is Elliott getting in his first season in Dallas?

It seriously doesnt matter. We both know the rebuttal will be, "anyone can do it."

 

[percyhoward]

2014 - Dallas was 3rd in TOP at 32 minutes a game with Romo and Murray
2015 - Dallas was 10th in TOP at 31 minutes a game with no Romo and McFadden.

Again, you're understating this, because you're looking at total TOP, which doesn't distinguish between offensive and defensive possessions, so you can't really see the huge role the defense played in our lower ranking in 2015.

Offensively, there was virtually no difference in TOP per drive between the two seasons -- two seconds shorter in 2015.

Time of average possession
2015 offense 3rd
2015 defense 20th

2014 offense 2nd
2014 defense 7th

If true, nice find. That data shocks me.

And that data wasn't even defense-specific. If you have heart problems, don't look at the real numbers.

 

[Sydla]

It seriously doesnt matter. We both know the rebuttal will be, "anyone can do it."

It does matter. If you guys are so sure that Elliott is this immediate stud impact player and that those that didn't think the 4th pick was worth a TB are fools, then you have to set a baseline.

Because it will be total bullspit if he runs for 1,100 yards next year, 4.6 ypc and 8 TDs and you guys all run back here telling us what an awesome pick it was.

 

[Sydla]

Again, you're understating this, because you're looking at total TOP, which doesn't distinguish between offensive and defensive possessions, so you can't really see the huge role the defense played in our lower ranking in 2015.

Offensively, there was virtually no difference in TOP per drive between the two seasons -- two seconds shorter in 2015.

Time of average possession
2015 offense 3rd
2015 defense 20th

2014 offense 2nd
2014 defense 7th

I am confused, because in the end, doesn't your data reach the same conclusion? That the belief that Elliott is somehow going to make the defense fresher than it was in 2015 a myth?

 

[slick325]

Let's define the baseline for foolishness.

How many yards and TDs is Elliott getting in his first season in Dallas?

I'll play...more than 1,089yds and 3TDs. Wait...more than 751yds and 1TD.

So in conclusion...better numbers than McFadden last season and more than what Morris provided last season.

Edit: Twice as many TDs than their combined numbers.

 

[big dog cowboy]

One other thing............ most of the Elliott fans sold us on the fact he's the best pick because he's an immediate impact guy. So we better be talking 1400-1600 yards minimum and 9-10 TDs minimum out of the shoot.

I don't want to see all the Elliott fans patting themselves on the back for a job well done when Elliott runs for 1,000 yards and 7 TDs his rookie year. He was supposed to much better than that, right from the start.

Not defending the pick by any means. Tony Dorsett rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns and won the Rookie of the Year honors. Emmitt Smith went for 937 yards and 11 TD's.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

You guys realize, we probably only have about two seasons of this player grouping before we no longer have all the same talent on the OL right? This "Grow Together for 10 years" stuff is not going to happen. After 5 seasons (assuming Elliot is what folks hope he is), we are not going to be able to afford to extend him IMO. I think he walks like AD did. At that point, we are going to be at a stage, hopefully, where we have a QB who is ready to step in and be a good starter. If we don't, then that's even worse but lets hope for the best here. Said QB will likely be in his 3rd or 4th year of his contract and if we have done our jobs, then he will be coming up on his second deal and that's not going to be cheap. I just don't see a lot of ways where Elliot will be on this club much longer then his initial contract, without crappy ramifications for the cap or our team.

JMO

 

[percyhoward]

I am confused, because in the end, doesn't your data reach the same conclusion? That the belief that Elliott is somehow going to make the defense fresher than it was in 2015 a myth?

Right, I'm not arguing with you, just giving you the actual stat that proves your point.

 

[Sydla]

Not defending the pick by any means. Tony Dorsett rushed for 1,007 yards and 12 touchdowns and won the Rookie of the Year honors. Emmitt Smith went for 937 yards and 11 TD's.

Oh I agree. But my point is that in the lead up to the draft, many of the Elliott fans were spouting off about how he's an immediate impact guy, an elite TB right from the get go. I saw some predictions of 1600 yards easily, double digit TDs.

So let's lock down what these people expect out him. You are already seeing some people starting to walk it back. We can't use him too much in 2016, gotta keep him fresh, yada, yada, yada.

 

[Smith22]

Why risk losing a rb?

Because they are fungible. They are easily replaced.

Really?

Troy Hambrick replaced Emmitt.
Hambrick ran for 972 yards and five touchdowns. The Cowboys waived him at the end of the season.

Julius Jones
4 years in Dallas, broke 1,000 yards once, running for 1,084 yards and FOUR touchdowns in 2006. BTW, we passed on S. Jackson....

Marion Barber
Drafted 2005, starter in 2008. In 6 years, his best season came in '07 when he ran for 975 yards. NEVER hit 1,000 yards rushing in a season.

Felix Jones
drafted in '08. Best year saw him run for 800 yards.

History says you are wrong. Very wrong.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Really?

Troy Hambrick replaced Emmitt.
Hambrick ran for 972 yards and five touchdowns. The Cowboys waived him at the end of the season.

Julius Jones
4 years in Dallas, broke 1,000 yards once, running for 1,084 yards and FOUR touchdowns in 2006. BTW, we passed on S. Jackson....

Marion Barber
Drafted 2005, starter in 2008. In 6 years, his best season came in '07 when he ran for 975 yards. NEVER hit 1,000 yards rushing in a season.

Felix Jones
drafted in '08. Best year saw him run for 800 yards.

History says you are wrong. Very wrong.

History says that RBs aren't easily replaced? We just had a 3rd rounder set like every single season Cowboy record. We just took a broken down Dmac and had him rush for 1100 yards in 11 games. 25 of 32 starting rbs in the NFL are not 1st rounders (yet alone the 4th overall pick).

Just stop.

 

[Smith22]

History says that RBs aren't easily replaced? We just had a 3rd rounder set like every single season Cowboy record. We just took a broken down Dmac and had him rush for 1100 yards in 11 games. 25 of 32 starting rbs in the NFL are not 1st rounders (yet alone the 4th overall pick).

Just stop.

It took about 10 years to hit on Murray. Continue on.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

It took about 10 years to hit on Murray. Continue on.

If you want to stand on a hill and say that RB isn't the easiest position to replace on an NFL roster....well you're on that island all by yourself.

 

[Howboutdemcowboys31]

There is no way Zeke was in a tier by himself.

And it still doesn't make sense from the perspective of why not fill rb later or in fa instead of throwing the 4th pick in the draft at it?

I think they just view him as the full package. Ramsey was my personal second favorite player in the draft after Zeke, but I think we got basically a lesser version of Ramsey last year in Byron. A hybrid DB

 

[Smith22]

If you want to stand on a hill and say that RB isn't the easiest position to replace on an NFL roster....well you're on that island all by yourself.

So that 9-10 year period was just bad luck I guess.......

 

[Toruk_Makto]

So that 9-10 year period was just bad luck I guess.......

No bad line. And some of that yes bad players. Look around the NFL man.