Zeke Elliott expendable?

[ChuckA1]

Imagine Aikman without Emmitt. Zeke will get a 2nd contract. And well draft someone who hopefully is better than Rod Smith.

Aikman would have had better numbers but the team wouldn't have been as successful, period.

Zeke is essential in the success of this team. He runs, blocks and catches passes. He's a keeper.

 

[MojaveJT]

He's perfect for a quarterback that has throwing issues.

Zinggggg!!!!!!

 

[exciter]

Many RBs could fill in nicely . Don't forget the depth at RB for the cowboys was not good , plus the most important aspect , coaching !! if you are dependent on one player to win , then you will not sniff the super bowl with good coaches like belicheck . just ask the rams !!

Uh yeah, if I remember correctly the backup had been a 1000 yard rusher like 3 of the last 5 years. Baltimore won a SB on the back of a premier runner and defense, with a career bus driver bust for a QB. Take away Brady and let's see Bellichecks record. Take out Zeke it's a 6 -10 team with no shot at sniffing a SB!

 

[AbeBeta]

The topic is moot. They are taking his fifth year option, which means he's not part of the 2019 contract negotiations.

This is and will not be an issue until 2020.

No, the 5th year option doesn't mean that at all. Many guys who just had the option picked up will get new deals this off season.

 

[Proof]

Didn't they have the same trash receivers and banged up line the previous week when they destroyed KC and the talking heads proclaimed them the best team in football all week!

Yes, Zeke is a stud. I just meant for as good as he is, no running back in general plus trash receivers is a disaster

 

[basel90]

Belichick ability to continue churning the roster especially on offense without forking over big contracts has predicated mainly around possibly the GOAT at QB who elevates lesser talent around him while signing contracts which are team friendly.

Yes , but have you seen what belichek did with garrapolo and Cassel when Brady was down ? They were still humming . But agree Brady is tops to depend on .

 

[Mr_437]

i really like the way Stephen and JJ are running the salary cap these days . I think they finally realize the importance of a stout defense to win championships, and avoiding monster contracts on one or two super stars. The Patriots blue print basically .
Zeke is a top tier RB , but Stephen is not going to spend silly , Gurley like money, on a RB. It is well documented that the RB position is the easiest to replace and rookie RBs can contribute immediately . Look at the cowboys after Demarco Murray departed.

If i were Stephen i would go after a quality RB in round 3 or 4 . Rodney Anderson from Oklahoma will probably be available. That guy is a beast and would be a steal . Brice Love /Stanford is another .

Arguably the best player on the expendable? Nah.

Your siting Rodney Anderson who is trending on Sean Lee territory of injury prone as a RB...c'mon now. Zeke is durable, dependable and elite... can't have enough of his type on a team.

 

[basel90]

I don't know where this magical mastery of the cap has come from but that is total conjecture at this point. They just spent 21M on a DE and are on the cusp of extending the QB for top 10 money and still have the RB, CB and LB to go.

I think the word "expendable" is a little strong since he is the juice to the offense but at 13-15M for a RB, he can be replaced and I see him as more of a luxury item instead of a necessity.

I do agree with the OP about how the Patriots would play this because if Michel continues to perform, he will not get a 2nd contract from Belichick. However, why single them out? There are no similarities between the way he runs that team and they run this one.

BTW, as long as we're comparing the Cowboys to the Patriots, no way Belichick does that Lawrence deal so start with that. He wouldn't even pay a healthy player almost at the same level less money than Lawrence got.

Before you start praising these people as having learned anything, you should wait for the movie to end because this one's just at the beginning.

You’re right about the Dlawrence deal actually . Beliceck would have probably passed .

 

[mattjames2010]

He's an RB. Unless you're a generational talent on the level of Sanders or Payton, you are expendable. Even more so in the passing league.

 

[mattjames2010]

Yep. Zeke is the straw that stirs the drink. But— if he were in a pass-happy scheme with a throw-first QB that checks out of the run, I don’t think he’d be as effective.

Dak is a good QB chemistry-wise to compliment Zeke. Efficient. Not turnover prone. Good leader. Shares the ball and spreads it around.

No, he isn't. The O-Line is.

 

[mattjames2010]

Remember one of the years we had the best team in football again and emmitt held out for two games and we lost both games......?

If you have Tom Brady maybe you don’t need a Zeke, but when you have a Dak, JG, and a ton invested in your OL to include 3x PRo bowlers....we have to have a Zeke...

This isn't 1992 anymore.

 

[mattjames2010]

Too many sheeples fell for this utterly ridiculous idea that RB's have no value.

Nobody has said they have no value, the argument being made is that RB isn't valuable enough in today's league to justify putting all your chips in on one RB.

Zeke is not a legendary talent - he's a great back in a league that craps out great backs and then tosses them away like they are nothing. That's the league - it is built around the QBs arm and the trenches. That's it. That's the formula.

 

[Diehardblues]

Yes , but have you seen what belichek did with garrapolo and Cassel when Brady was down ? They were still humming . But agree Brady is tops to depend on .

Yes , they won some games with Cassel and the defending SB Championship team but it was only season they missed the playoffs in Billichick era.

 

[Diehardblues]

Nobody has said they have no value, the argument being made is that RB isn't valuable enough in today's league to justify putting all your chips in on one RB.

Zeke is not a legendary talent - he's a great back in a league that craps out great backs and then tosses them away like they are nothing. That's the league - it is built around the QBs arm and the trenches. That's it. That's the formula.

Unless you don’t have that type of QB.

 

[CouchCoach]

You’re right about the Dlawrence deal actually . Beliceck would have probably passed .

No probably about it to me, Flowers was almost as good and actually made plays that mattered late in the season and Belichick knew he wouldn't pay Collins or Jones what they wanted so he traded them before the deal was up. He refuses to get trapped in cap hell for any player.

Because he learned quite a while back that any team that pays too much to too few is done. I do not get what is so hard about that. And the kicker is that Belichick isn't a drafting guru, he misses a lot. So he knows he has to be careful with not only who he pays a lot of money but for how long. Brady gets his formula and knows in order for them to be successful, he has to be one of the key players not holding up the bank. He also understands that Belichick is among the best at making the right FA acquisitions at the right time. The science works so he buys in.

 

[mattjames2010]

Unless you don’t have that type of QB.

Then you do your best to find that QB or build a defense that can win you a Super Bowl.

 

[glimmerman]

i really like the way Stephen and JJ are running the salary cap these days . I think they finally realize the importance of a stout defense to win championships, and avoiding monster contracts on one or two super stars. The Patriots blue print basically .
Zeke is a top tier RB , but Stephen is not going to spend silly , Gurley like money, on a RB. It is well documented that the RB position is the easiest to replace and rookie RBs can contribute immediately . Look at the cowboys after Demarco Murray departed.

If i were Stephen i would go after a quality RB in round 3 or 4 . Rodney Anderson from Oklahoma will probably be available. That guy is a beast and would be a steal . Brice Love /Stanford is another .

SJ already said he was going to pay him a large contract at some point. He is either saying so gets Elliot plays out his contract without holding out or he is gonna pay him.

 

[CouchCoach]

Then you do your best to find that QB or build a defense that can win you a Super Bowl.

Preferably AND not OR, like the Pats have done. But they're the only one that has ANDed that. PIT, NO, GB, LAC, KC and we'll see if the Rams can do it but so far, no. And while the 00Ravens and 03Bucs could pull off the D side of that, they could not sustain it.

In today's NFL, it is not easy to build a championship D but to keep one together seems impossible. And keeping that QB healthy is a lot easier than 11 guys on D.

 

[Hawkeye19]

No, he isn't. The O-Line is.

How did Rod Smith look running behind that same OL?

 

[jnday]

Which is why a team shouldn’t even consider a RB that high in the draft. The injury risk is too high to pay them that kind of money and it’s too easy to find replacements that can give you equal or close production. We all love Zeke but given an off-season and draft, the team would be fine without him. Losing him in season after not securing a viable backup, not so much.

Oh yeah, replacing the best RB in the league would be very easy. There are 100s if Zekes out there. Was E.Smith easily replaced? W. Payton? A.Peterson?