At the age of only 27, he went from being one of the next faces of the NFL to not even wanted by his own team. Here’s the story of the rise and fall of Ezekiel Elliott. Follow BLITZ Instagram: / blitz Imagery supplied by Getty Images
This is just how a RB’s life goes. I would love if Zeke played in his prime all the time, Zeke’s career so far is just an example of an RB’s life, short. I miss Zeke when he was in his prime.
@@tjdmt297i keep telling all my friends this RBs used to last way longer back in the day. Not even that long ago too how old was lynch and gore when they retired? Leveon bell was only 26 when he left the steelers and fell off
Zeke's decline was due to most great running backs - usage. I believe the decline portion of this video should've been focused on this, but it was missed completely. Zeke has the #1 most rushing attempts out of any active running back and has the #2 most yards. #2 and #1 in those same categories is Derrick Henry (same draft class), who has also seen a drastic decrease in efficiency. Zeke was the rushing leader in 2 separate seasons, a feat only a handful of players have achieved. He played through injuries his last couple of seasons in Dallas where people started calling him washed. Without zeke's brute force running to tire out defenses, Pollard's production has dropped (although this could also be due to a change in play calling and Pollard's injury as well). His pass blocking is definitely being missed this year. I wish him the best in New England.
very tru. people act like they understand every player. not everyone is the same. some people’s bodies get worn and torn faster and zeke was carrying so much his first 3 seasons. i remember even people saying jerry has to stop over carrying him. yes player run in the 30’s and almost to 35-40 but everyone’s different. zeke’s body got worn out and it’s obvious.
If Zeke retired tomorrow, he has nothing to hold his head down about. He had a fantastic career. Over 8k yard rushing and over 60 rushing TDs. He's no hall of famer, but not many backs can say that.
Giving Zeke a 6-year extension was the single dumbest contract move I’ve ever seen. Luckily, it was one of the death nails in the RB market’s coffin. Never again will you see a RB get a massive, long extension at the end of their rookie contract. Zeke was a generational talent, loved that dude, but how could we run him into the dirt and expect that he would maintain his performance for 6-years after his rookie deal? The first year after his contract was signed he was already a shell of the player he once was.
exactly. body got worn out. not every player is the same. people act like they know everyone’s mental and body. imagine getting hit by 250-350 lb players and being ran like crazy his first 3 yrs in. his body gave out and it was clear as day.
What hurts? Zeke is a quitter .. He got the big $$ contract and like a Union worker.. tried to see how little he could do and still get his money. Zeke is not Emmitt Smith or Walter Payton.. who carried the ball much more and didn't quit when they got paid.
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hey I'm a cowboys fan and I'm so frickin happy for him getting picked up by NE and finally getting a tiny bit of success last game! So happy for him, it's gotta be rough being amazing and loved by all, and then having a bad season or 2 and nobody wants you. Glad he can still score touchdowns.
Just wanted to add after watching the full video - Last year we used him specifically for short down 3rd and 1 plays, and punching in a touchdown. So the play calling was extremely different between Pollard and Elliot. Both of them still rock though!
Yeh, man, I agree. It must be so tough to get a 90 million dollar contract to be glorified pass blocker and run the ball only 8-10x per game. Cracks me up when people feel sorry for these overpaid, overhyped, egomaniac athletes.
He is a running back, NFL players have short careers and RBs have very short careers. So he did not fall, he just got old. He had a good career, nothing to cry about.
There's alot of running backs who lasted alot longer back in the day with more carries. His decline was too soon. Right after he got paid his production plummeted
I don't think he fell. He just got old. An old running back in the NFL is a journeyman, at best. He had a good NFL career (with the Cowboys, of course). So he has nothing to be ashamed of.
Zeke demanded a new contract worth more money because RBs have a short shelf-life; the reason Zeke should have never been given that huge contract that crippled the team's ability to spend on other players... RBs have a short shelf-life. Unfortunately once a RB has any kind of ACL or MCL injury, they are never as good as they were before the injury, so I don't think Pollard will be the starting RB beyond this season.
He didn’t get what he wanted cause he wasn’t producing I agree that you have to have an offensive line but when Pollard was doing better than Zeke what do you expect This year they wanted to run more and haven’t When they are able to run you see both running backs doing well When Emmitt was here we needed either 100 plus yards rushing or 20 or touches and we won That was the formula
I think he still has a few miles left, he just needs a really good off-season that gets his mind and body where they both need to be. I hope he is able to make a comeback and close out his career on a high note.
I still miss this man playing for my Cowboys. I enjoyed every piece of his time in Dallas, even though his numbers kept falling. We couldn’t just keep paying him, but I still miss him.
The guy was paid first instead of his QB in Dallas, not going into a full length of his rookie contract before paying the big contract was a mistake, another one of those Jerry's L
As a Cowboys fan it's just sad man seeing one of my favorite players who was once one of the most exciting players to watch, and if you're a Cowboy hater you don't understand man, after his pay day that didn't mean he just automatically gave up, it was just that he put his body on the line for this team, it was just the typical life of a RB, he took so many hard hits in his career, he was a physical back, and he was a tremendous blocker, and I believe all of that is what lead to his decent. But really tho it truly is sad to see a player who has a gift from God to explode and showout in front in the league to later in your career to the point where your body is just telling you it's time. I miss you Zeke 😢
I loved Zeke and I agree that he took a lot of hits. But he was also irresponsible and immature and he didn't take care of himself as he should have. It was a running joke among players from other teams that Zeke was showing up overweight every season after 2017. As little as 5 to 10 lbs can make a huge difference in speed and agility for an athlete at that level. Zeke was a kid having fun who thought the good times would never end. There's a reason why guys like Jerry Rice, Emmitt Smith, and Tom Brady have the long careers they had, and it isn't because they have a lot more ability than other guys. It's because they understand that, at the NFL level, it is more about work and commitment. The guys with loads of natural ability but very little work ethic have always been a flash-in-the-pan in the NFL. Sadly, that defines Zeke. He was great for a few years and then faded into the pack.
Man, its amazing how many great college football players fail to see the importance of attaining that college degree - It's already paid for and you have no idea of any guaranteed success in the NFL . As a lifelong Dallas fan I've always liked Elliot and I wish him well in the future.
Like i always say, if u play for dallas cowboy's, you are going to get more hype than what you perform on the field. Once you leave dallas, that player will get a lot less hype cuz you are not playing for dallas cowboys. Plain and sample
the whole idea of "if you work really hard you can achieve anything" is complete at utter nonsense, players like Zeke are proof that genetics play a much bigger role. There will always be a couple guys that succeed due to hard work but most of them are naturally gifted and its stupid to think otherwise.
There's a good reason they call the NFL the Not For Long league. The average career for an NFL running back is 2.57 years. The amount of physical abuse they take surpasses anybody else on the field. Zeke was an incredible player and about as good as anybody I've seen when he was in his prime. As a lifelong Cowboys fans it was fun to watch him play and it's too bad he's not in his prime right now as they have a team that at least is in the conversation once the playoffs start.
@@Whitegorillaboy No chance. They're just blocking guys which isn't a violent collision. Running backs get hammered and tackled to the ground sometimes over 20 times per game.
@@joeldriver-sp2rg You're wrong. This fact was established and publicized during the autopsy and additional research done on the physical damage suffered by retired Pittsburgh Steeler center Mike Webster. Go read about it in the numerous articles and books published since Webster's death, autopsy, and legal proceedings regarding him.
I don’t think this is really a good and fare estimate of his career for the first 4 years he was the Cowboys offense they literally wore him out and didn’t surround the team with better players to spread out the offense so he’s not taking a 100 carries every game
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He's either lost his ability to injury or poor training habits. If he started declining at 27, he played six years in top form beforehand, which is uncommon for the average NFL running back, who performs under four years. If he doesn't regain his former status, he's still had a successful NFL career.
There’s a decent chance that Zeke will retire with 10,000 rushing yards. With that it mind, the media and many fans have been ruthless in the discussion of Zeke’s capabilities and legacy.
For a RB, he had a great career. The vast majority don’t break 1k yards in a season, much less lead the league…twice. When stacked up again at the all time greats…yeah, he def isn’t even in the room. But the dude had an above average career.
After he had fantastic first season as a rookie, the next year he gets suspended for 6 games on some BS allegations that were never proved true. That was the biggest hurdle in his career IMO. He had all the momentum going into the new season and then the NFL decided to step in and play their game. Very unfortunate
Getting rid of him was stupid, now Tony Pollard is struggling a little, these two were good together a one two punch! We need him this year to a allready high potent offense!
There’s a reason Emmitt Smith was so good. And 90 percent of it was his longevity. Emmitt didn’t get hit if he didn’t need to. Elliot would get hit A LOT.
I think Ezekiel wasn’t focused on football 1st he didn’t have the maturity needed to help him make wise decisions taking to much for granted his personal life was more important than being a good football player 1st
Like every RB your shelf life is limited. Same reason Barry Sanders left when he did. My only beef with Zeke was his inconsistency and when he was needed for bid plays, especially in the PO… but I could say that about the cowboys for the last 20+ years
I believe that zeke was only washed for a certan amount of time but when he came to new england he prooved the nfl that he still got that running juice in him
Average lifespan of a RB is 4 years. NEVER sign a RB to a 2nd contract. Draft them and chew them up. Tony Pollard has proven that he's not a starting RB either.
Him and Dak wanted to be rock stars... They both blew it. Nothing but disappointment as only the Cowboys can do it. Everybody made excuses for them. Dak will get traded this year. As for the cowboys. They are not interested in winning a superbowl. They are interested in selling clothing for a team that holds the promise of dissapointment
This man has made 74 million dollars through his career plus off the field earnings. I see a rise that keeps on rising, if he handles his finances well.
