There is a fine line in life that pretty much divides everything. Such is the case when it comes to someone being pure stubborn or just one that sticks to what one believes. This is the case with Dallas Cowboys, who have now returned their lost treasure called Ezekiel Elliott and can peacefully return to the previous formula that did so much good to them.
According to the Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, the team actually suffered a lot without Zeke, and that is something he decided to share now that Elliott is back, and it was also something that his coaches weren’t too happy to admit when their star RB started serving his suspension. Prescott stated “I think we went, and like you said, took it for granted, tried to just run the same offense as if Zeke was in the game or on the team, and he wasn’t and things were different. It wasn’t the same aggressiveness, it wasn’t the same tempo, and what is the word I’m looking for, demeanor, I guess. And then we figured out what works best for us. We got it going there.” Some of you might think that this a criticism of Alfred Morris or Rod Smith, but it actually isn’t. This is, whether you believe it or not, a pure truth.
No one can replace Zeke, who is one of the best running backs in the NFL. Morris and Smith tried to fill his shoes, failed, then decided to take things at their own tempo and way, and it actually got them a solid success during Elliott’s absence. They managed to keep Cowboys running game alive, and averaged 121 yards per game, but unfortunately, it wasn’t that dynamic to be ranked in the top 10 in the league. When you loose dynamic in your running game, naturally your passing game suffers as well. Thanks to that fact, without Elliott, Dak managed to throw for more than 212 yards in only one game. Pro Bowl right guard Zack Martin kind of defended the situation here by stating that “I think the guys who have been running have done an awesome job, but it’s in the back of your mind when 21 is in the backfield. I know defenses are thinking about that. I know he’s excited to get out there and play, and we’re excited to see him.”
That the things are shaping up for Dallas was also confirmed by Prescott who stated that Wednesday’s practice had, according to him, “a lot of juice.” Prescott added “I’m not going to say it was exuding from Zeke or it wasn’t because of Zeke, but it was a good vibe. I don’t know if it’s the wins in a row, or it’s that plus Zeke back, or we’re just excited for the position we’re in or not, but we’re happy, and this team is happy, and we have a good attitude moving forward.”
The Cowboys can take a breath now since Elliott is back, but they are still on thin ice, and they still need to win the next two games if they want to have any chance of making it to the playoffs. On this topic, Prescott stated “It just makes our offense that much better, that much more powerful. It’s hard to scheme and play us. You can load the box if you want. The way we’ve been going in pass game, we’ll beat you that way. If you want to lighten the box up and let him go, we’ll do that too. It just makes this offense that much more powerful.” You can bet your life that on Sunday against the Seahawks the field will be buzzing and the fans will be shouting out Zeke’s name in chorus. This guy is back for sure, and we all expect to see his “feed me” gesture, then his touchdown celebration and we are certain that the Seahawks defense will go through a lot of pain because of him.
Don’t get us wrong Morris and Smith are also intimidating for any defense, but there is a certain way by which Elliott deals his blows, and it was confirmed by Prescott who, for the end, shared “That’s something that can’t be mimicked. I think I’ve talked about that when he was gone, how an Alfred run, an 8-yard run is different from a Zeke 8-yard run. It’s something we feed off of, it’s something the crowd feeds off of, and I think the team feeds off the way the crowd gets excited over Zeke’s 8-yard run because it’s physical. You think it’s a 3-yard or maybe a no gain and the next thing you know he’s bullied his way to 5 extra yards. It’s a tempo-setter. It’s almost a bully type of mindset as an offense [that] you can do whatever you want as that type of runner. It’s contagious.”
