Will Zeke have a bounce back year?

[SteveTheCowboy]

The violence of the strike was unsuspecting. Granted I was using planer boards pretty deep in very rich waters over the wreck of the SS ZEKE'SMAH MAN. I highly recommend the HATE lure enhancer!




yeah, I really do fish !

Hah....I dig!

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

FIFY. Dallas better hold on to Pollard.
Zeke is only 25. Has nothing to do w/getting older. Elliott is paid a lot of money to do his job & to do it well. Thus far, he hasn't held to his end of the deal as of late. (yes he did have 2 rushing titles, DID)

Since being drafted he led the NFL in carries as a rookie (322) & did so again in 2018 (304). Since then, his carries dipped to 244. Many fumbles, less yardage per run. If this is due to a O-line, then why does Pollard have no problems & passed Zeke in yards per carry? Pollard is tied w/Derrick Henry for the best yards after contact average in the league (4.0) & tied w/Nick Chubb for the best broken tackle rate (0.25). That said, Pollard is the Dallas Cowboys most underrated player.

IF Zeke continues his downward spiral, he'll be gone in 2022. After the 2022 term, Dallas could release him & save $8.3 million. A number that goes up to $10 million following the 2023 campaign, per Over the Cap.

Supposed to keep those rushing titles every year, eh?

I wouldn't count on Pollard. He fits the mold of every #2 back that we had. Very talented! Very useful as change of pace/ rest #1. But when they hit the big spot...can't seem to make it happen.

Pollard didn't even start in college (IIRC)....yet you are so quick to give him the load here? Hmmm. Dunt add up.

To make sure I am clear....I really do like Pollard. I don't think we have been using this tandem correctly. I want specific plays like a laser beam...not just when Zeke waves his hand. I actually think our running game as a whole has been poorly designed and operated for at least a couple years now. Last year gets a pass form me. I hope to see a VAST improvement this year.

 

[charron]

Suspensions. Turnovers. Turnovers are a disaster. So I guess You’re right. Not as important to some people

what about the other year he won a rushing tittle? you said he only had 1 good year. Missing 6 games was bad but not a disaster. His fumbleitis was pretty disasterous to start last year but he ran well other than that. saying he only had 1 good year is extremely downplaying his contributions to the team.

 

[beware_d-ware]

The OL can't get more injured than it was last year, so Zeke should have more room to run by default. But his burst is gone, and it doesn't come back for RBs of his mileage.

His lazy streak also kills me... worn out legs don't cause fumbles, and you can see games last year where he tried to break tackles (at Vikings) vs ones where he was just kind of cool with plodding around (vs Washington).

 

[Flamma]

FIFY. Dallas better hold on to Pollard.
Zeke is only 25. Has nothing to do w/getting older. Elliott is paid a lot of money to do his job & to do it well. Thus far, he hasn't held to his end of the deal as of late. (yes he did have 2 rushing titles, DID)

Since being drafted he led the NFL in carries as a rookie (322) & did so again in 2018 (304). Since then, his carries dipped to 244. Many fumbles, less yardage per run. If this is due to a O-line, then why does Pollard have no problems & passed Zeke in yards per carry? Pollard is tied w/Derrick Henry for the best yards after contact average in the league (4.0) & tied w/Nick Chubb for the best broken tackle rate (0.25). That said, Pollard is the Dallas Cowboys most underrated player.

IF Zeke continues his downward spiral, he'll be gone in 2022. After the 2022 term, Dallas could release him & save $8.3 million. A number that goes up to $10 million following the 2023 campaign, per Over the Cap.

Are you debating whether or not our OL is as good as it was in 2016? Or are you debating that it shouldn't matter? Because it isn't, and it most certainly does. As far as his drop in carries, yeah, when you're down by a ton you're not getting the ball a lot. In order to get over 300 carries you have to be in games. Not playing catch up.

 

[Whirlwin]

what about the other year he won a rushing tittle? you said he only had 1 good year. Missing 6 games was bad but not a disaster. His fumbleitis was pretty disasterous to start last year but he ran well other than that. saying he only had 1 good year is extremely downplaying his contributions to the team.

Who cares it’s not what matters. let me rest , lol take all the yards back after he puts the ball on the ground he won nothing .

 

[Flamma]

I just think people stress individual performance too much. They don't consider the situations that may affect them. This isn't baseball. That said, do I think Zeke will ever be the 2016 Zeke again? Not a chance.

 

[Aviano90]

I just think people stress individual performance too much. They don't consider the situations that may affect them. This isn't baseball. That said, do I think Zeke will ever be the 2016 Zeke again? Not a chance.

Sucks when a player peaks as a rookie though.

 

[DuncanIso]

He’s been just average the last two years playing on a similar level to Melvin Gordon.

The OL was trash.

what can you honestly expect to happen?

 

[DuncanIso]

Zeke started out last season BAD...really bad. He got a LOT of criticism and suddenly turned it up for the back half of the season... That he had to be publicly ridiculed for his work ethic and didn't come in prepared speaks volumes.

I hope he has a fantastic year this year, but I'll wait to see how he approaches things. So far so good.

trash OL.

even Emmitt would struggle.

fix the OL.

 

[nobody]

trash OL.

even Emmitt would struggle.

fix the OL.

Yeah, the O-line was responsible for his low-key faded and fumbles. No excuses. He sucked the first half of the season, O-line woes or not.

 

[Redball Express]

He’s been just average the last two years playing on a similar level to Melvin Gordon.

Hard to know..remember our last RB we had that ran for 1800 yrs. Then signed with Philly and did nothing and crashed?

I would rather see Zeke grind out another 1,000 yrs a season over ending his career in a big bang. Something to consider.

 

[Whirlwin]

Hard to know..remember our last RB we had that ran for 1800 yrs. Then signed with Philly and did nothing and crashed?

I would rather see Zeke grind out another 1,000 yrs a season over ending his career in a big bang. Something to consider.

I don’t care if he only got 75 yards a game. Long as they’re positive yards.

 

[75boyz]

I think the early volume of touches/carries sped up his shelf life.

Additionally, I think his desire to be the best at football was altered by the security the second contract gave him.

Some professional athletes do want to be the best at their chosen sport to go along with their money.
Others coast once achieving financial milestones.(second contract)

Unfortunately I believe Zeke's best days are well past based on these reasons.

jmo

 

[Praxit]

...he goes as the OL goes. You need space to run. If OL proves well this year, Zeke will have good season.

 

[DuncanIso]

...he goes as the OL goes. You need space to run. If OL proves well this year, Zeke will have good season.

agree.

if the OL continues to decline, then the running game will struggle.

they are wasting some of Zeke’s best years.