Zeke Advanced Efficiency Stats

[Aviano90]

C'mon Aviano90.....just c'mon! Zeke is weekly.

Sean Lee can’t be weekly because he can’t stay on the field.

Witten was pretty much weekly when he started to go down hill. I was damn near a Witten hater. Couldn’t stand when Mr. 1 yard short was labeled a chain mover when most of his receptions didn’t result in a first down, especially compared to other tight ends. He also struggled finding the end zone. Also hated we would dump it off on 3rd and long.

 

[Cmac]

Sean Lee can’t be weekly because he can’t stay on the field.

Witten was pretty much weekly when he started to go down hill. I was damn near a Witten hater. Couldn’t stand when Mr. 1 yard short was labeled a chain mover when most of his receptions didn’t result in a first down, especially compared to other tight ends. He also struggled finding the end zone. Also hated we would dump it off on 3rd and long.

Not questioning your take....but we'll read overwhelming support, admiration, leadership skill, and dismissal related to helping the team on the field, when questioning SLee (durability/accountability) or JWitt (skill regression/playing time). Hmmm.

 

[Sydla]

it is a team game, it all needs to work together, but some don’t understand the team sports concept. So they complain a put contracts.

This is such a naive take in a league with cap limitations. If there was no cap, sure, pay your QB, WR, entire OL, RB, TE all top money. If one fails to live up to the expected production it's not big deal because you aren't eating up cap space that could be used to improve elsewhere. When you spend a lot of cap space on a player, you don't have the luxury of that player then failing to perform because it ends up hurting you across the board. Take Philly for example. They are going to be in real trouble if Wentz doesn't turn it around, because they are eating up huge chunks of cap space the next couple of years with him.

But we all know the Cowboys don't operate in that free spending world. Paying top dollar for a TB just isn't a very wise strategy. It just isn't because TB is a fungible position that is dependent on so many other factors on offense to be effective. Plus the wear and tear on guys tends to hinder the position more than any other position on the field. We may be seeing that with Zeke now in the sense that no one who is truly honest with themselves thinks he's the same explosive back he was as a rookie.

Zeke is a good player who is being grossly overpaid at a position that many teams have shown they can win without spending top dollar. Just another mistake in a long line of poor organizational decisions from the Jones boys.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

ok we're bots not real people.

Listen we remember Michael Wiley who had seasons of 7.2 avg per carry and 7.6 then didnt make the team the next year and never played football again. But the guff you are getting isnt so much pro Pollard as it is anti Zeke. We all see his play getting worse each year. At this point he is a liability. You don't see that?

You aren't reading my comments if you are asking me that. Not sure how to go back and requote every single ANTI ZEKE comment I have made but it's there if you care enough.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Zeke is a good player who is being grossly overpaid at a position that many teams have shown they can win without spending top dollar. Just another mistake in a long line of poor organizational decisions from the Jones boys.

So your solution is to sit here and tear him to shreds about it on the internet. Good call.

You say "poor organization by Jones" in the same breath as "any other RB will get us wins".

Wow...just wow. Very tight solid logic there.

 

[Established1971]

So your solution is to sit here and tear him to shreds about it on the internet. Good call.

you should have left it with your first response to my comment, but this second one here just is needlessly sarcastic and emotional

 

[blueblood70]

So your solution is to sit here and tear him to shreds about it on the internet. Good call.

You say "poor organization by Jones" in the same breath as "any other RB will get us wins".

Wow...just wow. Very tight solid logic there.

I can not believe this is still going on LOL
IM glad i handed the baton off to you and Ron earlier in the day Sydia wont stop,,hes over the top and is near a ignore for me..wont let chit go..

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

you should have left it with your first response to my comment, but this second one here just is needlessly sarcastic and emotional

You are the one emotional. .

Your logic is totally flawed and you refuse to see it. If the organization is SO poor.....why wouldn't it ruin any other RB too? How does plug and play positioning make the organization NOT poor?

If what you say is true...both of those statements cannot possibly be true. I...am not the one emotional about it,.

 

[Sydla]

So your solution is to sit here and tear him to shreds about it on the internet. Good call.

You say "poor organization by Jones" in the same breath as "any other RB will get us wins".

Wow...just wow. Very tight solid logic there.

I didn't tear him to shreds. I've said multiple times he's a "good" TB. Unfortunately, he's not a great TB anymore and we are paying him to be great. He's become a between the tackles grinder, which isn't a bad thing. But you are paying him to be a game breaker, a difference maker at the TB position and he's just not that type at this point.

And yes, you can win with TBs that you aren't paying a lot of money too or didn't spend a Top 5 pick on. Why? Because you can use those resources to plow into other, more important positions. So yeah, the logic is sound. But you guys are such Zeke fans you aren't seeing it.

Jerry made a poor decision in handing a big contract to Zeke.

 

[jwooten15]

Absolutely NOT.

Great argument.

 

[GMO415]

He's been more of a disappointment.

 

[jwooten15]

Any RB with out a quality QB (Dak being injured), and missing 3/5 or 4/5 of his starting line (all season long) will not have their same success.

Zeke haters need to stop looking for crap to make it seem like it is all him.

When did I say it was all him? I’ll be waiting while you look.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

I didn't tear him to shreds. I've said multiple times he's a "good" TB. Unfortunately, he's not a great TB anymore and we are paying him to be great. He's become a between the tackles grinder, which isn't a bad thing. But you are paying him to be a game breaker, a difference maker at the TB position and he's just not that type at this point.

But the logic is that we can win with any RB like other teams do...EXCEPT you also said our team has poor organizational skills. Executive management. This other teams MUST have pretty good management if they are winning with whatever RB they have.

I don't see how that can be true. The money is just an easy excuse. Wouldn't we still be ...HERE....whether we paid a dollar or a billion? How is that zeke's fault?

 

[jwooten15]

Who says he’s facing all these stacked boxes this year, particularly when Dallas is down by like thirty by the second quarter? Again, anybody that knows Zeke, understands his greatness is in consistently feeding him throughout the game.

Zeke has been bad this year, but what do you expect when they’ve turned this offense into the Dak air-attack and Moore is pretty much throwing every time on first down out of shotgun?

Defenses figured out Moore like halfway through last season.

Further, Zeke RUNNING AGAINST STACKED BOXES is not the same as defenses PLAYING STACKED BOXES EVEN WHEN WE PASS. WHAT IS TRUE TODAY AS IT WAS YESTERDAY IS THIS OFFENSE IS PREDICATED COMPLETELY OFF PLAY-ACTION, MEANING THE THREAT OF ZEKE.

Is not Zeke’s fault we got “Boy Wonder” and this “Dak attack” garbage-time stats offense.

I expect him to be a $90 million difference maker. Because we didn’t pay him to be good only under optimum circumstances. Pretty simple

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Great argument.

I apologize. I was trying to respond in a clear and SHORT manner. I can see how you could have taken it wrong.

You asked this:

Should we give him a pass for underperforming and not being the best version of himself only because other players are underperforming also?

and I wanted to reply...absolutely NOT! He deserves every bit of fair critiquing as anyone else....I tend to put the money aside (don't care if it's one dollar or a billion) and go for performance.

Zeke is underperforming...about like ALMOST everyone else on the team.

I hope I have cleared it up for you.

 

[jwooten15]

Wrong JWooten….It's never personal. Got no investment in my take on Zeke. I just wonder why my eyes seem to be catch or address the underlying issues, roots to the issues, or obvious contributions to the issues....that tend to end at Zeke....and solely at Zeke, with the offense, or about the current fate of the team. And no one is clearing Zeke of short-comings and miscues (fumbles). I can't defend that part. I don't have a problem with his money that he got, based on when he got it.

And you're right....there are posts that criticize other members...…..some just as frequent, but we also have the protective orders, dismissals, or immunity, if those names happen to be SLee or the beloved JWitt. We read the words of leadership and future coaches, then. Just sayin'.

You make fair points, man. My original post wasn’t meant to place the blame of organizational failure purely on Zeke. Not at all.

There are a ton of reasons and contributing factors that go into Zeke’s decline. Some fall directly on him, others are outside of his control.

If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like about 1/3 of the players on the 2020 roster lol

 

[Sydla]

So your solution is to sit here and tear him to shreds about it on the internet. Good call.

You say "poor organization by Jones" in the same breath as "any other RB will get us wins".

Wow...just wow. Very tight solid logic there.

Let's dive into this a bit more. Yes, the logic holds that you don't need an elite TB to win and that if done wisely, you can find acceptable backs while using the money saved to fill in other positions.

- The Chiefs won the SB In 2019-20 with a guy they signed in FA - McCoy, and a UDFA in Damien Williams. They met the 49ers in the SB whose strength was running the ball. Their RB depth chart consisted of a FA in Tevin Coleman, and two UDFAs in Breida and Mostert.

- In 2018, the Pats won with a trio of TBs in Michel (last first round pick), Burkhead and White. The Rams running game was Gurley, who yes, was a top pick and the Rams paid a ton for, but they went on their late season run and playoff run with him splitting carries with a guy they picked up off the street in CJ Anderson. And Anderson was actually the guy getting key carries in their playoff games.

- In 2017, the Eagles beat the Pats. The Eagles run game was arguably one of the best in the league. Their run game consisted of a guy they picked up in FA in Blount. They had two UDFAs/late picks in Clement and Smallwood and then midseason, they traded like a 4th rounder for Jay Ajayi. They beat the Pats whose run game consisted of a hodge podge of guys like Burkhead, White, Lewis, etc.

- In 2016, the Pats beat the Falcons. Pats had Blount and White and Lewis. The Falcons had Freeman and Coleman, a fourth and third round pick.

And when you keep going back you see way more teams have success without investing a ton in the TB position than you do teams that spent on a ton on the TB position. Seattle is one with Marshawn Lynch.

 

[jwooten15]

I apologize. I was trying to respond in a clear and SHORT manner. I can see how you could have taken it wrong.

You asked this:

Should we give him a pass for underperforming and not being the best version of himself only because other players are underperforming also?

and I wanted to reply...absolutely NOT! He deserves every bit of fair critiquing as anyone else....I tend to put the money aside (don't care if it's one dollar or a billion) and go for performance.

Zeke is underperforming...about like ALMOST everyone else on the team.

I hope I have cleared it up for you.

Sure did. I appreciate the explanation man. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing (Cowboys success). I don’t think any of us expected 2020 to turn out the way it has. But like Cubs’ fans used to say, there’s always next year

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

You make fair points, man. My original post wasn’t meant to place the blame of organizational failure purely on Zeke. Not at all.

There are a ton of reasons and contributing factors that go into Zeke’s decline. Some fall directly on him, others are outside of his control.

If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like about 1/3 of the players on the 2020 roster lol

I dig this. I don't like holding the money over his head. But....he is most assuredly NOT having a good year on things HE can control.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Let's dive into this a bit more. Yes, the logic holds that you don't need an elite TB to win and that if done wisely, you can find acceptable backs while using the money saved to fill in other positions.

- The Chiefs won the SB In 2019-20 with a guy they signed in FA - McCoy, and a UDFA in Damien Williams. They met the 49ers in the SB whose strength was running the ball. Their RB depth chart consisted of a FA in Tevin Coleman, and two UDFAs in Breida and Mostert.

- In 2018, the Pats won with a trio of TBs in Michel (last first round pick), Burkhead and White. The Rams running game was Gurley, who yes, was a top pick and the Rams paid a ton for, but they went on their late season run and playoff run with him splitting carries with a guy they picked up off the street in CJ Anderson. And Anderson was actually the guy getting key carries in their playoff games.

- In 2017, the Eagles beat the Pats. The Eagles run game was arguably one of the best in the league. Their run game consisted of a guy they picked up in FA in Blount. They had two UDFAs/late picks in Clement and Smallwood and then midseason, they traded like a 4th rounder for Jay Ajayi. They beat the Pats whose run game consisted of a hodge podge of guys like Burkhead, White, Lewis, etc.

- In 2016, the Pats beat the Falcons. Pats had Blount and White and Lewis. The Falcons had Freeman and Coleman, a fourth and third round pick.

And when you keep going back you see way more teams have success without investing a ton in the TB position than you do teams that spent on a ton on the TB position. Seattle is one with Marshawn Lynch.

The problem ...that you seem to KEEP missing...is that....we have Jerry. You insist that we are as GOOD of an organization as the Pats? Chiefs?

I don't get it..."We" spend half the time bashing Jerry, Stephen,. Moore and countless other coaches and execs. Why wouldn't this organization screw up any other running back?

I guess I can't seem to make myself clear about what people actually SAY HERE.