ZeKe

[UK Cowboy]

The thing about Elliott to me...when we do have to break in a young QB, the ability to hand off to Zeke behind that line will make his life easier. I also think having Morris and DMac will keep a lot of tread on Zeke's tires

 

[PDay8810]

Heard a similar argument last night to what nasty posted. Who has the most impact, a guy that gets 25-30 touches per game or a DB whom a team may not throw at but a couple times per game? Still think id have gone D, but as you say time will tell.

it certainly is a crap shoot....for all I know Ramsey is Mo in 3 years and yes...I'd be shocked, as I've been about Morris

 

[Bmurph]

Emmitt Smith says Ezekiel Elliott is better than Emmitt Smith
By Jared Dubin | Staff Writer

April 29, 2016 3:46 pm ET








The Dallas Cowboys made former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on Thursday night. While the pick was divisive (our own Pete Prisco gave the Cowboys a D grade), the rationale behind it was obvious. Elliott is an elite talent, one of the top running back prospects to enter the draft in the last 10 years. He runs with power and speed, has great vision and a nose for the end zone, and he's an excellent blocker and receiver as well. He is what draftniks call a complete back. Basically: He's good.

How good? Well, that depends on who you ask. One person asked a very famous former Dallas Cowboy, albeit in an indirect way. Here's how it went down.

Emmitt tweeted out a welcome message to Zeke on Friday morning:
Emmitt Smith

✔‎@EmmittSmith22
Welcome to Dallas Zeke

9:43 AM - 29 Apr 2016

One of Emmitt's followers, @jfo1229a, responded:
John ‎@jfo1229a
@EmmittSmith22 let's just hope he's as good as you were. Emmitt.

11:32 AM - 29 Apr 2016
Well, yeah. That's the hope, right? Best case scenario, Elliott turns into the all-time leading rusher in NFL history. That'd be pretty good! Except Emmitt has other ideas:
Emmitt Smith

✔‎@EmmittSmith22
@jfo1229a he's better

1:23 PM - 29 Apr 2016
At least he's not putting any pressure on the kid, right? (Side note: As a Cowboys fan myself, I still think they should have assigned him Emmitt's No. 22 and told him to go live up to it, like they did with Dez Bryant and Michael Irvin's No. 88, but that's neither here nor there.) Elliott already has the distinction of being one of just three running backs (along with Emmitt and Tony Dorsett) the Cowboys have ever drafted in the top 20, and now Emmitt is out there saying the kid is better than Emmitt himself.








Zeke Elliott has a big fan in a former Cowboys running back. (USATSI)

 

[HammerDown]

 

[Manster7588]

Good question, can't go wrong with either, now out of the two who's the safest bet?

 

[jarntt]

So either way we strike gold!!!

 

[cowboycolors]

I

So either way we strike gold!!!

In my best Ed McMahon voice " you are correct Sir! "

 

[Bmurph]

Cowboys defensive coordinator says he's 'elated' by Ezekiel Elliott pick
By Sean Wagner-McGough | Staff Writer

May 4, 2016 12:46 pm ET

























Rod Marinelli was so close to acquiring and coaching Jalen Ramsey. Instead, he'll be forced -- again -- to make the best of a bad situation. By the sound of it, though, the Cowboys' defensive coordinator approves of the team's draft.

On Thursday night, Jerry and Stephen Jones could've given Marinelli some much needed support by drafting the defensive back out of Florida State. Instead, the Cowboys went with the flashy running back prospect in Ezekiel Elliott, drafting a player who should thrive in Dallas immediately, but choosing to ignore the issue of their leaky secondary.

Surprisingly, Marinelli is "elated" by the selection, as he told 105.3 The Fan, a CBS Sports Radio station.

"I'm elated because I think you always look at the big picture. ... We don't play fantasy football. It's not that. A 1-yard, 2-yard run there's fight and physicalness. That's good for your team. It develops toughness," Marinelli said, according to the Dallas Morning News.

"We have to go against that offense every day. We play our offense more than anybody. It develops a hardness to your defense. You've got to play against a great line, a great back, now you've got to match up on an All-Pro receiver, great quarterback. ... It's the physical nature of the game, which at times is being lost in today's football. The physical nature of the game, I believe in that. This young man and the other backs are going to bring that."

Before we get to the second half of that quote, let's just point out the strange comment in the first part: when Marinelli referenced fantasy football to explain why the Cowboys took a running back (arguably the most important position in fantasy football) over a defensive back (a position that doesn't exist in fantasy football). OK, let's move on.










Rod Marinelli approves of the Cowboys' decision to draft Ezekiel Elliott. (USATSI)








So, there's a running theme when any members of the Cowboys organization talk about the decision to draft Elliott. They all seem to think that Elliott will improve the team's defense. On Tuesday, I took a look at that logic and why it's -- to be blunt -- really problematic.

I do understand, however, what Marinelli is saying about competition at practice and how that can improve a defense. That's absolutely true -- even if the current practice rules limit the effect to an extent. But you know what would've improved the Cowboys' defense more than Elliott? Jalen Ramsey.

That's not a knock on Elliott, who should add another dimension to the Cowboys' offense. It's a knock on the Cowboys' explanation for drafting Elliott. At some point, they should just admit they took Elliott because he's a really good running back -- not because he'll improve their defense.

The Cowboys did take a defensive player in the second round, linebacker Jaylon Smith, who's inarguably a top-five talent. Still, Smith is dealing with a complicated knee issue and could miss the entire season.

Last year, the Cowboys finished 17th in yards allowed and 16th in points allowed. Alarmingly, they only generated 11 turnovers all season, which placed them in dead last.

 

[jarntt]

Typical Marinelli:

"I'm elated because I think you always look at the big picture. ... We don't play fantasy football. It's not that. A 1-yard, 2-yard run there's fight and physicalness. That's good for your team. It develops toughness," Marinelli said,

They should bottle his teaching ability and attitude and give it to every coach at every level. I think you can give him 4 starting Lineman form off the street and he'd still have fun coaching them and get them to play for him. But of course he wanted Ramsey!!!

 

[Bmurph]

No NFL rookie has sold more jerseys so far than Ezekiel Elliott
By Jared Dubin | Staff Writer

May 5, 2016 8:53 pm ET

He's No. 21 in your program, No. 4 in the 2016 NFL Draft and No. 1 among rookies in jersey sales through one week. That's running back Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys, folks.

Is this all that surprising? Not really. There's a reason they call the Cowboys "America's Team." If they don't have the largest fan base of any team in the NFL, it's pretty close. And when a team with a fan base of that size not only has a high draft pick, but uses it on an exciting skill position player, they're going to sell a lot of jerseys. (These are presumably full jerseys and not the kind that cut off just below the shoulder pads so everyone can see your abs.)

Elliott is followed on the rookie jerseys sales list by the No. 2 and then No. 1 picks in the 2016 draft. Division rival Carson Wentz, the future quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, is in second place for his No. 11 jersey. Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick and new QB of the Los Angeles Rams, saw his No. 16 uni sell the third-most among rookies during the first week of his career.

No word on whether Elliott's jersey sales have helped the Cowboys defense in any way.






Owner of the top-selling jersey since draft day. (USATSI)
http://bttrack.com/Click/Native?dat...q7m0EwjiHJwqgU9-2HdRNx7zetBvtsn0-0ln2T0Y16I01

 

[jarntt]

"No word on whether Elliott's jersey sales have helped the Cowboys defense in any way."

Wouldn't be surprised to hear Jerry try to spin that one too...

 

[Bmurph]

"No word on whether Elliott's jersey sales have helped the Cowboys defense in any way."

Wouldn't be surprised to hear Jerry try to spin that one too...

Yeah I got a chuckle out of that one too

 

[Bmurph]

May have to take the over here?

Ezekiel Elliott's over/under for rushing yards in 2016 is absurdly low
By Will Brinson | NFL Writer

May 6, 2016 9:40 am ET

It probably shouldn't be surprising to see that Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott isn't the top favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016. As long as there's a rookie quarterback starting Week 1 (Jared Goff of the Rams) in play, it could be tough.

But our friends out in the desert are badly undervaluing Elliott. According to Bovada, the over/under for Elliott's rushing yards in 2016 is set at 900.

Yes, Bovada expects Zeke to fall short of 1,000 yards.

It's an early prop given less than a week ago, Elliott was barely out of his crop-top tuxedoand hadn't even welcomed Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith as a teammate.

There is some logic in wondering how often he'll touch the ball given the presence of Darren McFadden (holdover) and Alfred Morris (free-agency addition) on the roster.

But Elliott isn't your typical rookie running back. He was taken No. 4 overall by the Dallas Cowboys, a team very fond of using its shiny new toys as often as possible.

The Cowboys believe they can take Elliott and turn him into a better version of DeMarco Murray in 2014, when the Titans running back led the league in rushing and the Cowboys created an offense that was dominant and portable.

Sportsbook.ag actually installed Elliott as the favorite to win ROY honors, which is more in line with my own personal thinking.

The former standout averaged 6.7 yards per carry in his career at Ohio State. Dallas doesn't want to unduly burden him with a crazy load in 2016, but they're clearly going to find a way to get him somewhere in the range of 250 to 300 total touches.

Let's go with the floor there, assume 30 of them are receptions and give him 220 rushing attempts. If Elliott averages 4.1 yards per carry behind the best offensive line in football, he'll top 900 yards with just 220 carries.

There's plenty of backs who topple the number as rookies too, so it's not an absurd number to ask for -- since 2010 there are nine different rookies who rushed for more than 900 yards in their first season.

Todd Gurley did it in 2015 despite missing multiple games to start the season and not having a quarterback. Two teams -- the Rams and Buccaneers -- have multiple players on the list. Gurley and Zac Stacey pulled off the feat for the Rams, while Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount did it for the Bucs.






Zeke for more than 900 yards next year? Yes, please. (USATSI)




The lesson there? If you have a team committed to running the ball, you can easily eclipse such a low hurdle.

Trent Richardson even made the list! Oddly enough, the only rookie running back who didn't top 900 yards when given 220 touches since 2010? Le'Veon Bell.

Much trickier to figure out? The over/under for Derrick Henry at 600 yards. The Alabama product should break that number, except he's got to battle Murray for touches.

 

[jarntt]

If you take the over you probably are betting on the Cowboys cutting someone. Sure does seem the over is the smart bet here though...

 

[Bmurph]

If you take the over you probably are betting on the Cowboys cutting someone. Sure does seem the over is the smart bet here though...

Thats what I was thinking, i don't think there is much point in keeping Dmac, Alf and EE, when you drafted Elliott at 4 to be your lead back I would think

 

[tylerTX88]

Thats what I was thinking, i don't think there is much point in keeping Dmac, Alf and EE, when you drafted Elliott at 4 to be your lead back I would think

See what new kid in the sixth has and how Dunbar does. But more than likely someone goes or gets traded or ir.

 

[Manster7588]

I definitely see McFadden or Morris being gone, may be to the first team who loses a back. I can see Zeke, McF, and Morris on the opening roster, Dunbar on the PUP and the other rook on the PS, if/when a trade is made Dunbar or the other rook makes the active roster.

 

[cowboycolors]

im gong to find a sports book and take the over for $ 100

 

[Bmurph]

Cowboys
The Cowboys are making first-round RB Ezekiel Elliott earn the starting job, rather than hand it to him based on his draft status.

As of now, Elliott is operating as the team’s No. 2 running back during OTA practice behind veteran Darren McFadden.

“He’s going to compete,” RBs coach Gary Brown said, via Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram. “Zeke has to earn it. I think that’s the best thing for our team and for those guys going forward.”

Elliott, himself, admitted that it’s for the best to have a competition at running back.

“It’s definitely better to have the competition,” Elliott said. “It keeps you on your toes and makes sure you get your work done. The competition makes you better.”

 

[Bmurph]

Cowboys coach: Ezekiel Elliott is most complete rookie back ever

There are high expectations when it comes to Ezekiel Elliott's performance in his rookie season.

The former Ohio State star was selected at number four overall by "America's Team", the Dallas Cowboys, meaning the lights are shining a little brighter on him than with most of his peers in this year's draft class.

Add to that the rave reviews Elliott has gotten from teammates in camp thus far, not to mention the fact he's already taking first team reps, and the hype for this rookie may be bigger than ever before.

You can now add a little more heat in the kitchen for Elliott to perform in year one for Dallas, as his running backs coach, Gary Brown, had very high praise for his new pupil in an article done on Zeke by the Washington Post.

In the article, the reporter asked Brown if Elliott was the most complete rookie running back he had ever seen, to which Brown responded, "Clearly he's that. Clearly. Run, catch, block---he does it all."

At 6-foot, 225-pounds, Elliott ran for over 1,800 yards in back-to-back seasons at Ohio State, averaging over 6 yards per attempt in both seasons.