ESPN: Zeke Elliott challenging Eric Dickerson's rookie rushing record

[dbair1967]

Zeke Elliott challenging Eric Dickerson's rookie rushing record


Ezekiel Elliott leads the NFL in rushing yards before and after contact this season ESPN Stats & Information
Jon Kramer & Marty Callinan

After a come-from-behind win against Tampa Bay on Sunday Night, the Dallas Cowboys have moved back into the No. 1 spot in this week's ESPN's NFL Power Rankings.

Most rush yards by a rookie

1983 Eric Dickerson 1,808
1981 George Rogers 1,674
2012 Alfred Morris 1,613
1979 Ottis Anderson 1,605
1999 Edgerrin James 1,553
2016 Ezekiel Elliott 1,551*

*Through 14 games

Ezekiel Elliott did what he's done all season, rushing for 159 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in the victory, and is now averaging 110.8 rushing yards per game this season.

Elliott's 1,551 yards this season ranks him sixth on the all-time rookie rushing list, and within striking distance of Eric Dickerson's rookie record of 1,808 yards set in 1983.

Can Elliott catch Dickerson and set the rookie rushing record? We compared their two seasons:

Elliott is currently averaging 22.1 carries per game, shy of Dickerson's average of 24.4 in 1983. So while Dickerson averaged slightly more rush yards per game (113.0) than Elliott is currently doing, Elliot is averaging more yards per carry (5.0 to 4.6).

Elliott has been behind Dickerson's pace throughout the season, as seen in the graphic below, but is gaining as of late. Dickerson had fewer than 100 yards rushing in each of his final two games.

Elliott faces the Detroit Lions (Monday Night) and Philadelphia Eagles in his final two games this season. He carried 22 times for 96 yards in his team’s OT win over the Eagles in Week 8.

Both opponents rank in the middle of the pack in terms of rush defense; the Lions are allowing 4.2 yards per carry (18th in the NFL) and the Eagles have allowed 4.3 per carry (21st).

The Lions have allowed two 100-yard rushers this season, with the last instance coming in Week 4. The Eagles have only allowed one 100-yard rusher this season. Matt Jones had 135 yards against them in Week 6.

Zeke getting what’s blocked for him and more

Elliott has certainly benefited from having one of the best offensive lines in football. Over the last two seasons, Cowboys running backs have averaged nearly three yards per rush before being contacted by a defender, which ranks second in the league behind the Buffalo Bills in that span.

But Elliott has the rare combination of a strong line, great vision and the ability to break tackles.

Elliott currently leads the league in both rushing yards before and after contact this season. He is on pace to pick up over 1,000 yards on the ground before contact and on pace to gain over 700 yards rushing after contact.

The only players in the last eight seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards before contact and over 700 yards after contact in a season were Adrian Peterson in 2012 for the Minnesota Vikings (won MVP) and DeMarco Murray in 2014 for the Cowboys (won AP Offensive Player of the Year).

A heavy workload

Elliott enters Week 16 with a league-high 341 touches. No other rookie is within 100 touches.

The last rookie with more touches than Elliott through his team’s first 14 games of a season was LaDainian Tomlinson in 2001 for the San Diego Chargers. Tomlinson had three more touches than Elliott entering Week 16 of that season, but Tomlinson had 561 fewer yards and four fewer touchdowns from scrimmage than Elliott.

Dickerson had 390 touches through 14 games in his record-setting rookie season, most by a rookie through 14 team games in the Super Bowl era. Elliott is on pace for 389 touches this season. The last rookie with more than that was Tomlinson, with 398 in 2001.

 

[Midswat]

Only way is if the Giants win this weekend and we lose to Detroit.

Otherwise there's no real reason to give him 20+ carries in a meaningless against Philly, especially considering how good their DL is.

 

[dbair1967]

Otherwise there's no real reason to give him 20+ carries in a meaningless against Philly, especially considering how good their DL is.

We let Emmitt get his carries in 1991 and 1992 in meaningless season finale games to get the league rushing championship.

And 2yrs ago Demarco Murray played with a broken hand vs Washington.

Just fyi.

 

[bbgun]

won't happen. Zeke left a lot of yards on the field because he's not fast enough. remember, he's a hurdler, not a sprinter.

 

[Midswat]

I'm not saying we'd bench him. I'm saying in a meaningless game against a normally stout defense, where yards might be hard to come by, it doesn't make sense to get him 25 carries if he needs 120 yards or something. I'd hope we'd recognize we have bigger fish to fry this coming offseason.

Our luck, he'd come up 5 yards short of the record anyways and with a high ankle sprain.

 

[dbair1967]

won't happen. Zeke left a lot of yards on the field because he's not fast enough. remember, he's a hurdler, not a sprinter.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

WGAS about his individual records. If he got hurt in a meaningless game vs Philly the entire coaching staff and FO should be fired.

Murray set the team rushing record in 2014 and it didn't get us a thing.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

WGAS about his individual records. If he got hurt in a meaningless game vs Philly the entire coaching staff and FO should be fired.

Murray set the team rushing record in 2014 and it didn't get us a thing.

I do. What's your address? Want to fight about it?

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

See you by the bike racks after school, bob

 

[dbair1967]

WGAS about his individual records. If he got hurt in a meaningless game vs Philly the entire coaching staff and FO should be fired.

Murray set the team rushing record in 2014 and it didn't get us a thing.

Would you have fired Jimmy if that had happened to Emmitt in 91 or 92? What about Aikman in 1992? Irvin either year?

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

No but this is Garrett we're talking about

 

[dbair1967]

No but this is Garrett we're talking about

But you understand the point, right?

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

No, I don't.

If you want to suit him up and play him a few plays to keep him in some kind of weekly rhythm, that's one thing.

If he's in there chasing a record late in a meaningless game, that's idiocy. Doesn't matter what the results turn out to be.

 

[dbair1967]

No, I don't.

If you want to suit him up and play him a few plays to keep him in some kind of weekly rhythm, that's one thing.

If he's in there chasing a record late in a meaningless game, that's idiocy. Doesn't matter what the results turn out to be.

So you don't understand the point then.

Jimmy did exactly this, he let Emmitt run up the carries in back to back years to win a rushing title.

I'm not saying I agree with it, but many teams (not just the Jimmy Cowboys) play starters in meaningless games. Personally I think its a conundrum of sorts, because you don't want anyone of importance getting hurt but there is also something to be said for keeping whatever roll you have going and getting reps for young players.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

I do understand the point.

Just because Jimmy did it once and Emmitt didn't get hurt, that doesn't make it the right decision. Sometimes people make bad decisions that turn out to be right. A favorable outcome doesn't indicate a proper decision.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

But Emmitt...

 

[Midswat]

So Jimmy ran Emmitt in meaningless late season games when HFA was already wrapped up, solely for the pursuit of a personal record like a rushing crown?

 

[Doomsday]

We let Emmitt get his carries in 1991 and 1992 in meaningless season finale games to get the league rushing championship.

So Jimmy ran Emmitt in meaningless late season games when HFA was already wrapped up, solely for the pursuit of a personal record like a rushing crown?

That wasn't the reason for Emmitt to play in those games. Jimmy didn't believe in "resting" players to "save" them for the playoffs, never did, and never will. Troy played in those games as well as the rest of the starters. Jimmy wanted the team to be sharp in the playoffs, it wasn't about any records.

 

[dbair1967]

I do understand the point.

Just because Jimmy did it once and Emmitt didn't get hurt, that doesn't make it the right decision. Sometimes people make bad decisions that turn out to be right. A favorable outcome doesn't indicate a proper decision.

View attachment 3736

He actually did it twice though.

I didn't agree with what he did, and wont be happy if Garrett and this staff do it with Zeke now. That said, Jimmy is a lot better coach and smarter about the NFL than Garrett, and if his logic was to do what he did, then it probably isn't 100% fair to bash Garrett if he does the same thing.

 

[dbair1967]

That wasn't the reason for Emmitt to play in those games. Jimmy didn't believe in "resting" players to "save" them for the playoffs, never did, and never will. Troy played in those games as well as the rest of the starters. Jimmy wanted the team to be sharp in the playoffs, it wasn't about any records.

Troy didn't play in the 1991 game, Steve Buerlien did, and the starters did play the entire game.

And in 1992, yeah it pretty much was his logic to let Emmitt get his record and get him out. They got a good lead and the backups began coming in against the Bears.