Moore: Why Alfred Morris deserves to enter the season as the Cowboys' starting RB

Cotton

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Why Alfred Morris deserves to enter the season as the Cowboys' starting RB, no matter how briefly

By David Moore , Staff Writer

FRISCO -- Ezekiel Elliott should take the NFL by storm.

There's an assumption he'll be a fantasy football dynamo behind the Cowboys' offensive line. Expectations are justifiably high.

That doesn't mean he has an inalienable right to open the regular season as the starter.

Elliott makes his debut later Thursday night when the Cowboys face Seattle. Many will tell you he's a lock to be in the starting backfield when the team opens the regular season against the New York Giants on Sept. 11.

Why? Because he was the fourth player taken in the draft and that's how things are done? Do you adopt a stance of why delay the inevitable and refuse to budge?

If the Cowboys didn't have a viable option, those arguments would fly. But Alfred Morris has been more than a viable option. He's had an outstanding camp.

Elliott was slowed by a sore hamstring back on Aug. 2 and just worked his way back into practice this week. Morris has been there day in and day out, carrying the bulk of the load on the ground while working hard to improve as a receiver and carve out a niche on special teams.

Morris exemplifies the approach head coach Jason Garrett wants in his players. The veteran deserves a chance to start to open the season, no matter how briefly he keeps the job.

That discussion shouldn't be dismissed because there's more excitement and upside with Elliott.

None of this is an indictment of Elliott's approach. He was running with the starters before the injury and has remained engaged in meetings and walk-throughs even while his injury kept him out of padded practices. This idea isn't meant to punish the rookie.

It's meant to recognize what Morris has done.

"Nobody plays this game or any game wanting to be the backup,'' said Morris, who made two Pro Bowl appearances in his four seasons with Washington. "We all play to be that guy. But if it doesn't happen, oh well. It goes back to making the most of every opportunity you do get, and the rest will take care of itself.

"Who's going to be the starter is out of our control; that's up to the coaches. And we're going to make it hard on them, going out there every day and competing and having fun.''

Morris has made it hard. He struggled at times during organized team activities but has begun to grasp the subtleties of this offense. He's caught on to the concepts and schemes. The difference in his performance from May to now is, by his admission, night and day.

The back's performance against Miami, when he carried the ball 13 times for 85 yards and a touchdown, reinforces his value to his new team.

"I never go out as if I have to prove anything,'' Morris said. "This is my fifth year. I've had success on the ground and, I mean, been fortunate to have success early on in my career and been able to keep that up. I don't go out and prove anything, but it is an opportunity to say, look, I've done this, I still can do this despite what happened last year to me.

"I'm still the same guy I was in 2012 that I am in 2016.''

Morris has impressed coaches and players in this camp. That includes Elliott.

"He's a guy that does everything right,'' Elliott said. "You watch him run, he's always in the right spot at the right time. Just being around a pro like him, seeing how hard he works, it's a good person to watch.''

Offensive linemen will tell you they block the same regardless of who runs behind them. Their job is to execute their assignment and let the back do his job.

Now let's reverse the scenario. Does a back need to play behind a line for a while to gain a feel for how those players block?

"I don't know about that,'' Garrett said. "Certainly experience behind an offensive line helps you. You gather some feel for the different runs against the different looks with these guys. But I don't know that you itemize that.

"I think the more they play together, the better chance you have. But the approach that everybody needs to take is simply to do their job and be great communicators who are all on the same page. The more you do it, obviously, the better that is for you.''

Elliott said Tuesday he doesn't feel like he's missed a beat during the practices he missed. But he did concede it could take a couple of games to get things down the way he wants.

"I think it's just a chemistry thing,'' Elliott said.

Morris believes Elliott will be fine. He doesn't believe the time off will hurt him during the season and adds that "he's way ahead of where I was as a rookie.''

True. Elliott is ahead of Morris now as a receiving threat out of the backfield. But that doesn't mean he should be ahead of him on the depth chart.

All of this could be moot. If Elliott goes out and has a spectacular performance against Seattle and builds on that in practice heading into the regular season, he deserves to start against the Giants.

But at the moment, based on what's taken place to this stage of camp, Alfred Morris deserves to be the starter.

No matter how briefly.
 

Texas Ace

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Agreed.

Not only does Morris deserve it, but it's about setting the right culture and tone within the locker room that nothing is just handed to you.

However, because of how Jerry Jones operates, that sense of entitlement has already been established and it may not matter at this point. Still, it would be nice to make the rookie earn it since he hasn't even played a single minute of in-game football.
 

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Agreed.

Not only does Morris deserve it, but it's about setting the right culture and tone within the locker room that nothing is just handed to you.

However, because of how Jerry Jones operates, that sense of entitlement has already been established and it may not matter at this point. Still, it would be nice to make the rookie earn it since he hasn't even played a single minute of in-game football.
Jerry's attitude was made even more apparent when he said he didn't think Zeke should even have to play in the game on Thursday. He is already crowned the starter in his eyes and has yet to play a live down at this level. Idiot.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Agreed.

Not only does Morris deserve it, but it's about setting the right culture and tone within the locker room that nothing is just handed to you.

However, because of how Jerry Jones operates, that sense of entitlement has already been established and it may not matter at this point. Still, it would be nice to make the rookie earn it since he hasn't even played a single minute of in-game football.
No kidding, one person has been working his ass off at practice getting better. He has taken the field in these preseason games and showed just how much talent he has left. While Zeke has sat nursing a sore hammy. And that isn't me trying to say Zeke should have tried to play with the injury. It's important to get him right physically before the season but then let him work his way off the bench in my opinion.

And McFadden? Well that shit hurt his arm in some drunk accident and hasn't played a down. That guy can go sit and spin.
 

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RB Alfred Morris runs 'like a train'; Cowboys know how hard he is to tackle
4:40 PM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer

FRISCO, Texas -- Sean Lee saw Alfred Morris bounce off a tackler and step through another during a 15-yard touchdown run against the Miami Dolphins last week, and he knew what was coming.

Morris has perfected the home run swing for his touchdown celebration.

“I’m happy to be on the other side, on the right side of that bat celebration, because I used to hate it,” the Dallas Cowboys linebacker said. “Now I’m going to love it.”

While Lee played in only two of a possible eight regular-season games when Morris was with the Washington Redskins, the running back reached the end zone seven times against the Cowboys. He had three games with more than 100 yards and three more with more than 70.

The Redskins did not make much of an attempt to keep Morris, and he joined the Cowboys on a modest two-year deal, which happened before the Cowboys drafted Ezekiel Elliott in the first round.

Morris carried 13 times for 85 yards and that score in the Cowboys’ 41-14 preseason win against the Dolphins. It was hardly flashy, but it was effective.

The two-time Pro Bowler rushed for over 1,000 yards in each of his first three seasons with the Redskins, including 1,613 yards and 13 TDs for a 4.8-yard average his rookie season in 2012. His numbers slid last season, when he rushed for a career-low 757 yards with just one touchdown and a 3.7-yard average.

At 5-foot-10, 222 pounds, Morris isn’t the biggest or fastest running back. But the Cowboys have seen up close in practice what they knew from afar: He is difficult to tackle.

“He’s got a great ability to cut and make you miss,” Lee said. “He’s got unbelievable vision, and he runs tough. I mean, he’s the complete package and a true professional in how he approaches practice every day. We’ve been seeing this all camp by how tough he runs.”

Said cornerback Morris Claiborne: “He’s like a train coming through there. He runs so hard and so low. It makes it tough to get him down.”

What Morris showed Friday is what the Cowboys saw from 2012 to 2015.

“That was him when he was with the Redskins and that’s him now,” Claiborne said. “He’s still that same player, that same guy who's been to the Pro Bowl and rushed for over 1,000 yards.”
 

ravidubey

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Until he learns how to fricking catch the ball I have a problem with Morris as our lead back.
 

Cowboysrock55

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Until he learns how to fricking catch the ball I have a problem with Morris as our lead back.
He caught balls in both preseason games. His hands will never be great but it's not like he drops everything tossed his direction either.
 

Cotton

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Until he learns how to fricking catch the ball I have a problem with Morris as our lead back.
Man, you have been off the deep end lately. He is good enough at catching the ball to be fine as the lead back.
 

DLK150

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I think Morris should start the first two or three games at least since Elliott is just now starting to practice. I can see the rationale that a top five pick should be able to start from day one but not one that has missed most of training camp and it's clear that Morris is already comfortable running behind the OL. Also, a top five pick is an investment and I wouldn't want to see him thrown into the fire until he's truly 100%. The reps will come.
 

Rev

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Man, you have been off the deep end lately. He is good enough at catching the ball to be fine as the lead back.
He can't run all the routes. Would take snaps from Dunbar. Too slow and Too big.
 

NoDak

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He can't run all the routes. Would take snaps from Dunbar. Too slow and Too big.
Wait, he's big? How big? Maybe he could be a DE. Size is where it's at, baby.
 

Cowboysrock55

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I think Morris should start the first two or three games at least since Elliott is just now starting to practice. I can see the rationale that a top five pick should be able to start from day one but not one that has missed most of training camp and it's clear that Morris is already comfortable running behind the OL. Also, a top five pick is an investment and I wouldn't want to see him thrown into the fire until he's truly 100%. The reps will come.
We also have the luxury of having a former probowl RB who appears to be playing at his former probowl form. It's not like we are hurting ourselves by bringing Elliott along a little slower. Plus having Elliott fresh for the playoffs if we get there would be huge.
 

L.T. Fan

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We also have the luxury of having a former probowl RB who appears to be playing at his former probowl form. It's not like we are hurting ourselves by bringing Elliott along a little slower. Plus having Elliott fresh for the playoffs if we get there would be huge.
I agree. There is no need to shove Elliot into the lineup immediately. There are good resources to use while he is getting his feet wet.
 

Joe Fan

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It's completely idiotic. If the face of the franchise can play a few series coming then there's no damn reason Zeke can't play a few.

Make him earn the star, not just give it to it. Let him get some reps, and ease him into the starting position. If he's as talented as we think he is it's not as if it'll take long for him to get there anyway.
 

L.T. Fan

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It's completely idiotic. If the face of the franchise can play a few series coming then there's no damn reason Zeke can't play a few.

Make him earn the star, not just give it to it. Let him get some reps, and ease him into the starting position. If he's as talented as we think he is it's not as if it'll take long for him to get there anyway.
I think you will make him hungrier if you don't start him or give him much at the onset of the season. Right now he strikes me as feeling entitled and that needs to be removed from him. Cutoff jerseys are a sense of being too comfortable and non conforming. I think he needs some humility training then he will play harder.
 

ravidubey

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Man, you have been off the deep end lately. He is good enough at catching the ball to be fine as the lead back.
He sucks at it. Targeted a massive 13 times last year for 5.5 YPC. It makes a difference when defenses have to factor a back as a receiver and not just a blocker.

He may be passable as a pass blocker, but Morris is not the guy you want getting a majority of snaps in an offense whose #1 goal is to represent a balanced attack.

I fully expect Morris to get a lot of carries this year, but not the majority. That's stupid, and why we drafted Zeke 4th overall.

The first game is just as important as the 16th game. No need for playing rookie head games. Zeke starts.
 
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