p1_
DCC 4Life
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2013
- Messages
- 26,562
By Patrik Walker 60 minutes ago
"Feed Me".
Such is the mantra that's been attached to Ezekiel Elliott since before he ever slid on a Dallas Cowboys' jersey in 2016, his world-famous "feed me" gesture dating back to his days of dominance at Ohio State, where he actually borrowed it from former second-round pick and fellow Buckeye legend Carlos Hyde. It's served as a keen reminder that when he leaves the game full, rep-wise, great things happen more often than not for his team. This is something the Cowboys had to learn the hard way, routinely abandoning Elliott at strange times offensively over the course of his first 2.5 seasons in the NFL. When they did, the outcome was most often a loss, the magic number for handoffs seemingly hovering at 20 -- give or take a handoff.
The great news?
Finally committing to keeping Elliott as the motor that drives the offense helped land them a five-game win streak to resuscitate their dying season.
The concerning news??
They've been driving him at redline with reckless abandon, and it's beginning to wear on him noticeably.
You'll hear from Elliott, being the consummate All-Pro and leader he is, that he wants the ball more than he gets it even now -- which happens to be a whole lot. In reality though, that's not the wise move, especially when the Cowboys are seeing him more often signal coaches to be spelled due to fatigue. It happened early in the 23-0 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and when he didn't need a breather, he was seen limping to the sideline to have his ailing ankle looked at by the medical staff. He'd return without incident on both of the latter occasions, displaying the type of grit it takes to be a bell cow back in the NFL, but the Cowboys need to read the traffic signs here -- as opposed to pretending they don't exist en route to possibly driving off of a cliff in the next few weeks.
Before we continue, for those in the back of the class whispering about Elliott's conditioning, it's key to note just how false and laughable that narrative is. Heading into Week 15, no running back in the NFL had more carries of 15 or more yards in 2018, or since Elliott was drafted in 2016.
Now off to detention you go.
In dissecting Elliott's workload over the past few weeks, he's seen his touches morph from justifiable to overdose, and is now on pace to set a career-most 409 on the year. For contrast, his previous high mark was 363 set during his rookie season, a difference of 46 touches from his current mark of 358 through 14 games -- which breaks down to an average of two extra games worth of work over the course of a 16-game season. To put it plainly, at this pace, Elliott will physically have played the equivalent of 18 games before the playoffs ever arrive. It's that eye-opening reality where some very real concern should start to form within the organization, because if the former rushing champ is battered and bruised before the playoffs -- will he be his same dominant self during?
Or will he instead be a physically worn down version doing his best to carry an offense that has rarely been able to help him in return?
Elliott leads the NFL in touches from scrimmage, currently 43 ahead of Todd Gurley, who lands in second place. It's 53 more than third-place Saquon Barkley, 81 more than fourth-place David Johnson and a whopping 93 more touches than fifth-place Christian McCaffrey. He's grabbed the leather 160 times in the last six games alone, including 40 touches in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles, leading to him being awarded a needed rest day going into Sunday's contest in Indy -- sitting out Wednesday's practice altogether.
Hint.
Going back to the aforementioned laughable narrative regarding his supposed lack of conditioning, Elliott is producing with nearly every touch, also leading the league in rushing (1,349) and yards from scrimmage (1,892). When he gets the ball, the defensive play-call is probably "A Wing and a Prayer", because he's having his way with teams -- despite being overloaded. When you also remember he's on the field more than he touches the ball though -- blocking, running decoy routes, etc. -- you rapidly begin to get the complete picture.
He's tired, even if he isn't capable of playing like it or willing to admit it, a very real nod to his alien-like abilities and fortitude (both mentally and physically).
Let's add another wrinkle though, shall we?
There's no reason for Elliott to be on the field in a game that's utterly out of reach, as witnessed against the Colts. With the Cowboys down 20-0 and 6:57 left to play, the Colts kicked a field goal to nail the coffin shut on the Cowboys, pushing the score to 23-0. Elliott was still on the field though, and not simply as a decoy. The Cowboys handed him the ball with 5:30 remaining in the game, and again on the next play at the 5:01 marker. That's two consecutive handoffs with a four-possession deficit, but they weren't done working him after that and despite the game obviously being beyond out of reach. After forcing and recovering a fumble, the Cowboys' offense trotted back onto the field and there was Elliott, taking another handoff with 3:28 on the clock.
There's a lot to be said for coaching the team to not give up, and that's as admirable as it is justified, but ignoring every other variable and potential outcome of pushing the envelope is far from those two things. If not for an interception thrown by quarterback Dak Prescott to end the game with 3:09 remaining, you can bet Elliott would've touched the ball again, and unnecessarily.
The largest uptick in his workload has come by way of being a receiving threat, something the Cowboys ignored for far too long, embarrassingly so. Elliott reeled in 32 receptions in 2016 (we'll omit 2017 for the purposes of keeping the comparisons even keel, due to the six-game suspension) but already has 72 in 2018 on 89 targets, putting him on pace for an 89% increase over his rookie season. This is both a credit to the skill set of Elliott to take over a game in two facets, while also being a stern and disappointing glare to the receiving corps, sans Amari Cooper -- who didn't step on the field for the Cowboys until Week 9.
If the team doesn't figure out how to get others consistently involved at a rate that both keeps Elliott touching the ball more than he used to, but not to the point he's being run into the ground, they're going to have an issue if they can't clinch in Week 16 and are forced to ride him heavily for the remainder of December. With no bye week in tow, that could spell trouble for the best RB in football, and not because Elliott isn't capable -- a comedic thought in and of itself -- but because there's only so long even the most well-conditioned athlete can operate at such a pace while playing the most bruising position in professional football.
The Cowboys need to get him some needed rest before a potential playoff run, and just as important will be the need to learn when he's full during games. Feeding him often must continue to be the plan, after starving him at several points in the past, but don't force him into gastric bypass surgery.
Instead, force others besides Cooper to pull up a chair and take a bite, too.
"Feed Me".
Such is the mantra that's been attached to Ezekiel Elliott since before he ever slid on a Dallas Cowboys' jersey in 2016, his world-famous "feed me" gesture dating back to his days of dominance at Ohio State, where he actually borrowed it from former second-round pick and fellow Buckeye legend Carlos Hyde. It's served as a keen reminder that when he leaves the game full, rep-wise, great things happen more often than not for his team. This is something the Cowboys had to learn the hard way, routinely abandoning Elliott at strange times offensively over the course of his first 2.5 seasons in the NFL. When they did, the outcome was most often a loss, the magic number for handoffs seemingly hovering at 20 -- give or take a handoff.
The great news?
Finally committing to keeping Elliott as the motor that drives the offense helped land them a five-game win streak to resuscitate their dying season.
The concerning news??
They've been driving him at redline with reckless abandon, and it's beginning to wear on him noticeably.
You'll hear from Elliott, being the consummate All-Pro and leader he is, that he wants the ball more than he gets it even now -- which happens to be a whole lot. In reality though, that's not the wise move, especially when the Cowboys are seeing him more often signal coaches to be spelled due to fatigue. It happened early in the 23-0 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and when he didn't need a breather, he was seen limping to the sideline to have his ailing ankle looked at by the medical staff. He'd return without incident on both of the latter occasions, displaying the type of grit it takes to be a bell cow back in the NFL, but the Cowboys need to read the traffic signs here -- as opposed to pretending they don't exist en route to possibly driving off of a cliff in the next few weeks.
Before we continue, for those in the back of the class whispering about Elliott's conditioning, it's key to note just how false and laughable that narrative is. Heading into Week 15, no running back in the NFL had more carries of 15 or more yards in 2018, or since Elliott was drafted in 2016.
Now off to detention you go.
In dissecting Elliott's workload over the past few weeks, he's seen his touches morph from justifiable to overdose, and is now on pace to set a career-most 409 on the year. For contrast, his previous high mark was 363 set during his rookie season, a difference of 46 touches from his current mark of 358 through 14 games -- which breaks down to an average of two extra games worth of work over the course of a 16-game season. To put it plainly, at this pace, Elliott will physically have played the equivalent of 18 games before the playoffs ever arrive. It's that eye-opening reality where some very real concern should start to form within the organization, because if the former rushing champ is battered and bruised before the playoffs -- will he be his same dominant self during?
Or will he instead be a physically worn down version doing his best to carry an offense that has rarely been able to help him in return?
Elliott leads the NFL in touches from scrimmage, currently 43 ahead of Todd Gurley, who lands in second place. It's 53 more than third-place Saquon Barkley, 81 more than fourth-place David Johnson and a whopping 93 more touches than fifth-place Christian McCaffrey. He's grabbed the leather 160 times in the last six games alone, including 40 touches in Week 14 against the Philadelphia Eagles, leading to him being awarded a needed rest day going into Sunday's contest in Indy -- sitting out Wednesday's practice altogether.
Hint.
Going back to the aforementioned laughable narrative regarding his supposed lack of conditioning, Elliott is producing with nearly every touch, also leading the league in rushing (1,349) and yards from scrimmage (1,892). When he gets the ball, the defensive play-call is probably "A Wing and a Prayer", because he's having his way with teams -- despite being overloaded. When you also remember he's on the field more than he touches the ball though -- blocking, running decoy routes, etc. -- you rapidly begin to get the complete picture.
He's tired, even if he isn't capable of playing like it or willing to admit it, a very real nod to his alien-like abilities and fortitude (both mentally and physically).
Let's add another wrinkle though, shall we?
There's no reason for Elliott to be on the field in a game that's utterly out of reach, as witnessed against the Colts. With the Cowboys down 20-0 and 6:57 left to play, the Colts kicked a field goal to nail the coffin shut on the Cowboys, pushing the score to 23-0. Elliott was still on the field though, and not simply as a decoy. The Cowboys handed him the ball with 5:30 remaining in the game, and again on the next play at the 5:01 marker. That's two consecutive handoffs with a four-possession deficit, but they weren't done working him after that and despite the game obviously being beyond out of reach. After forcing and recovering a fumble, the Cowboys' offense trotted back onto the field and there was Elliott, taking another handoff with 3:28 on the clock.
There's a lot to be said for coaching the team to not give up, and that's as admirable as it is justified, but ignoring every other variable and potential outcome of pushing the envelope is far from those two things. If not for an interception thrown by quarterback Dak Prescott to end the game with 3:09 remaining, you can bet Elliott would've touched the ball again, and unnecessarily.
The largest uptick in his workload has come by way of being a receiving threat, something the Cowboys ignored for far too long, embarrassingly so. Elliott reeled in 32 receptions in 2016 (we'll omit 2017 for the purposes of keeping the comparisons even keel, due to the six-game suspension) but already has 72 in 2018 on 89 targets, putting him on pace for an 89% increase over his rookie season. This is both a credit to the skill set of Elliott to take over a game in two facets, while also being a stern and disappointing glare to the receiving corps, sans Amari Cooper -- who didn't step on the field for the Cowboys until Week 9.
If the team doesn't figure out how to get others consistently involved at a rate that both keeps Elliott touching the ball more than he used to, but not to the point he's being run into the ground, they're going to have an issue if they can't clinch in Week 16 and are forced to ride him heavily for the remainder of December. With no bye week in tow, that could spell trouble for the best RB in football, and not because Elliott isn't capable -- a comedic thought in and of itself -- but because there's only so long even the most well-conditioned athlete can operate at such a pace while playing the most bruising position in professional football.
The Cowboys need to get him some needed rest before a potential playoff run, and just as important will be the need to learn when he's full during games. Feeding him often must continue to be the plan, after starving him at several points in the past, but don't force him into gastric bypass surgery.
Instead, force others besides Cooper to pull up a chair and take a bite, too.
