Dallas Cowboys could win more by using Ezekiel Elliott less
This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys should realize that running back Ezekiel Elliott is a huge piece of a winning puzzle, but he shouldn’t be 36% of it.
A big question on the minds of Cowboy Nation is: Where do the Dallas Cowboys go from here? The painful answer is – down. Is it possible to repeat as NFC East division champions – Yes. However, it’s just not likely to happen. The Philadelphia Eagles had a four season run as division champions from 2001 – 2004. Since 2005, there has not been a repeating champion in the NFC East.
If only the Cowboys had the luxury of playing in a dysfunctional conference like the AFC East. The Buffalo Bills haven’t had a season with more than 10 wins since 1999. The New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have marginally better results. That conference makes it easier for a well structured organization like the New England Patriots to be the cream that rises to the top.
The NFC East is constantly churning. Even the Washington Redskins can be right twice a day like a broken clock and reach the top. However, there are other reasons the Cowboys may not repeat as division champions.
The Cowboys offense is unsustainable and unrealistic in today’s modern NFL. The NFL is a passing league which means having the NFL’s leading rusher is a meaningless statistic. Only four Super Bowl winning teams have featured the NFL’s leading rusher.
Former Dallas Cowboys running back and Hall of Fame member Emmitt Smith did it in 1992, 1993 and 1995. Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis was the last to do this in 1998. I’m in favor of an effective rushing attack but the Cowboys have placed too much emphasis on running the football.
Speaking of the ground game – it’s a safe assumption that we all love Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott. This season, Elliott had 304 rushing attempts in 15 games and led the league in rushing with 1,434 rushing yards. Alarmingly, Elliott also led the team in passing targets (95) and receptions (77). This means that three players touched the football on every play: center Joe Looney, quarterback Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.
For the historians, I immediately thought of running back Marshall Faulk of the St. Louis Rams. To my surprise, it was in 1998 as a member of the Indianapolis Colts that Faulk had 324 rushing attempts, 1319 rushing yards and 86 receptions on 106 targets with 908 receiving yards. Faulk is now a member of the NFL’s Hall of Fame, so I’m totally convinced that Elliott is a special type of player.
Looking back at Faulk’s great statistical season in 1998. His teammates included future hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning in his rookie year and Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison. It’s startling to discover that even with those numbers from Faulk, the Colts finished with a record of 3 – 13.
In 1999, without Faulk, the Colts featured a new running back – Edgerrin James. James had 369 rushing attempts for 1553 yards and 13 touchdowns. In the passing game, James had 62 receptions from 82 targets for 586 yards. Those are impressive numbers, but the entire Colts offense didn’t lean on James.
Marvin Harrison finished the Colts 1999 season with 115 receptions on 184 targets for 1,663 yards and 12 touchdowns. Manning finished with 4,135 passing yards with 26 touchdowns. The Colts finished with a record of 13 – 3.
This example would be too perfect if the Colts won the Super Bowl, but they didn’t. The Colts fell to another 13 – 3 team in the playoffs that did reach the Super Bowl – the Tennessee Titans. The Titans were led by legendary quarterback Steve McNair and former Cowboys running back Eddie George.
Sorry for the detour, it’s my hope that this off-season, the Cowboys realize that Elliott is a piece of the puzzle, but he shouldn’t be 36% of it. Of course, I’m a nerd – here’s my math.
Elliott had 2001 total yards from scrimmage. The Cowboys offense had 5501 total yards while future Hall of Fame safety Jeff Heath was on a train to Canton, OH at 75 miles per hour. Quick math shows Elliott provided 36% of the Cowboys offensive yards.
Next. 5 changes the Dallas Cowboys must make this offseason. dark
After the Cowboys dominance in the 1990’s, every team copied the “Triplets” formula. With better quarterback play, I hope the Cowboys finish next season with two 1,000 yard receivers (Amari Cooper and Michael Gallop) in addition to another great year by Elliott.
After analyzing the numbers, I believe that the Cowboys could do more next season by featuring Elliott less.
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