An excerpt from a Mike Lombardi article at the Athletic, titled...
Time to pay (and deploy) Ezekiel Elliott like the game-changer he is, and other thoughts on NFL holdouts
Over the past few days, I have traveled to Australia to spend time with and offer some help to the Essendon Club, a member of the Australian Football League. Nearly everywhere I’ve traveled in this beautiful country, people have asked “what would you do with Cowboys running back Zeke Elliott?” or “what do you think of Chargers running back Melvin Gordon?” or “what about the holdout of Washington’s left tackle Trent Williams?” Australians love their own game, but they also love ours.
To answer those questions, we’ll start with Elliott. Elliott is not a running back; he is a game-changer. Even though he had 77 catches last year, more than he had together in his first two seasons, the Cowboys have failed to maximize his full potential in the passing game. Elliott should have 10 touchdowns a year in the passing game, not just six in his overall career. Elliott needs to catch 80 balls and average more than 10 yards per attempt.
Jerry Jones may have said out loud that “
you don’t have to have a rushing champion to win a Super Bowl,” but he certainly knows that the Cowboys needed one to win their championships of the past, namely Emmitt Smith. Elliott is crucial to the Cowboys’ success, and he will be pivotal if Dallas wants to win another title.
If the Cowboys are smart, they’ll add another big runner who can run the ball from a one-back set, can block adequately enough and can function in the fullback position, in the deep I and flex away from the formation. This player does not have to be a star in any area; he
only has to be able to perform in that role. When the Cowboys go to a two-back formation with Elliott and this other back, opposing defensive coordinators will be forced to play their base defense — and this will allow the Cowboys to shift their personnel group without having to substitute, which is the key to being a great offense. If they like Elliott on the linebacker, then make Elliott the slot receiver and he becomes Julian Edelman. If they spread the formation extending everyone away from the line and keep Elliott as the lone back, then the defense is limited in its calls and adjustments to which the Cowboys offense can dictate. Elliott’s talents are limitless, and he makes everyone better, including the head coach Jason Garrett (aka, The Clapper) and quarterback Dak Prescott.
My solution for the Cowboys is simple: Start with Prescott. Tell him, “Look, we love you, and you will make a boatload of money over the length of your career, but this contract ain’t the world-beater. This contract must be ‘team-friendly’ so we can pay Elliott what we need and you can continue to improve as we win games together. This does not mean you won’t get a great payday; it only means you are not crossing the $25 million-per-year threshold. In three years, if we do this right, you will be paid in the top five. The longevity of earning power is in your favor. When you and Zeke are sitting on a porch in 20 years after winning multiple Super Bowls together, your bank account will be bigger, this I promise you.”
Now, pitching the riches of the future may be a tough sell in the present, but if anyone can sell it, Jerry Jones can. As Bill Parcells once said about Jerry: “He can talk a cat off a fish truck.” Jerry needs to convince Dak that Elliott’s compensation is vital today, and that three years from now, his own compensation will become more vital.
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The article goes on, but not about Elliott.
