After a disastrous run game against the Lions, a majority of Cowboys fans seem to miss their former RB, Ezekiel Elliot. They also believe that they owe him a big apology for how the franchise treated him.
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In their Sunday bout, CeeDee Lamb had a career day for both receptions and receiving yards, but it wasn’t the same for the rusher, Tony Pollard. America’s team managed to rush for only 61 yards throughout the game, and Pollard was stopped at just 49 receiving yards in 16 carries.
After spending 7 seasons in Dallas and rushing for over 8000 yards, Zeke and the team mutually decided to part ways back in March. He was then signed by the Pats for a one-year contract worth $6 million through incentives. But he has struggled to maintain his footing in the new environment. In 16 games, he has tallied less than 600 yards and only three touchdowns, as per ESPN.
Meanwhile, Pollard has accumulated less than 1000 rushing yards this season despite playing for a better team. And fans feel it is HC McCarthy’s system that is a hindrance to their run game. They expressed their admiration for Zeke for putting up good numbers in the not-so-run-friendly system.
The Cowboys were lucky to escape with a win because of a controversial referee flag that denied the Lions their game-changing 2-point conversion. Star OL Taylor Decker apparently failed to report to the referee, which eventually resulted in an illegal touching penalty. However, later footage revealed that Decker indeed reported to the ref. This has since sparked an intense backlash from the NFL world.
Fans Had a Change of Heart for Ezekiel Elliot
In the midst of all this, Cowboys fans argue that their former RB, who has now moved on to the Patriots, could have single-handedly solved their non-existent run game against the Lions. They also feel that Pollard is suffering due to McCarthy’s system. They expressed their admiration for Zeke’s work ethic and past performance. However, there were also a few who felt it was wise to trade him as the RB was asking for way too much.
One of them wrote, “I was saying that Tony wasn’t better, just more youthful, more liable to break a big run but struggles to find gaps at times. Zeke was going to cost but he finds gaps easy and can occasionally break 10+ yard runs. They were a perfect 1-2 punch tbh.”
This fan felt that the Cowboys would surely get him back this year by writing, “Zeke will be a Cowboy again in 2024”
Another said, “We have a scheme problem, not a personnel problem.”
This fan stated, “Nah you don’t speak for me because I was in the camp that knew it was a mistake to let him leave.”
This one remarked, “I don’t. I was pissed the moment they let him go. They couldn’t put it together that Zeke was actually that workhorse and TP was lightning. The proof is in the pudding this season. Run blocking ain’t shit this year.”
A sorry fan wrote, “Big apology.”
Yet another noted, “After his performance last year in the divisional game against the Niners I don’t think any of us owe him an apology.”
Another chimed in, “He just wasn’t producing after many chances. No hard feelings no apology.”
Lastly, this fan wrote,
Whether Ezekiel returns to Dallas the next season or not will remain a mystery for the next few months. However, it’s worth discussing how running backs have failed to ink any good contracts this season. We are aware that they are the most prone to injury in an offensive lineup, but when an explosive weapon, like Zeke, is sent away, the entire team suffers. And that’s exactly what happened against the Lions.
