Eziekiel Elliot

[lastcat3]

Is he almost a lock to being rookie of the year if he continues to stay consistent to what he has been doing already this year? One thing is for certain is that he is proving just how important running backs still are in this pass happy league today. Really the biggest difference in this years Cowboys team and all those 8-8 teams they had is simply that they have a solid and dependable running back they can rely on. When Demarco Murray stayed healthy in 2014 they looked pretty similar. Problem with Murray was that he was seldom healthy.

[Rupert Patrick]

I suspect the guy who hands the ball off to him will get a bunch of votes also.

[NWebster]

Is he almost a lock to being rookie of the year if he continues to stay consistent to what he has been doing already this year? One thing is for certain is that he is proving just how important running backs still are in this pass happy league today. Really the biggest difference in this years Cowboys team and all those 8-8 teams they had is simply that they have a solid and dependable running back they can rely on. When Demarco Murray stayed healthy in 2014 they looked pretty similar. Problem with Murray was that he was seldom healthy.

I kinda feel like it shows how important an O Line is in the modern game.

The Cowboys feel to me like the Shanahan Broncos, anybody will do well, an actual good back (which I think Elliot is) will do fantastically, a Jim Brown or Walter Payton with this kind of line would run for 2,500 yards.

[Reaser]

I kinda feel like it shows how important an O Line is in the modern game.

The Cowboys feel to me like the Shanahan Broncos, anybody will do well, an actual good back (which I think Elliot is) will do fantastically, a Jim Brown or Walter Payton with this kind of line would run for 2,500 yards.

Yes and no. I agree with anybody that's competent would do well at RB for Dallas - e.g. if they didn't draft Elliott then Alfred Morris would be having a huge season.

I would change that first line to "it shows how important an O Line is [to the Cowboys success}" instead of "in the modern game".

It works - or more accurate current tense, is working - for them.

Meanwhile the Seahawks cumulatively over the past few years either would rank as the worst O-line in football or near the bottom. Their typical season starts with having the worst OL in the league, by midseason they find "right combination" and go from the worst to maybe 2nd or 3rd worst. By the start of the playoffs the unit had has time to "gel" and being merely just below average enough to where it doesn't hurt the team overall is good enough and they can win with the things they do well (which isn't their terrible pass blocking and average at best run blocking as a unit). The importance of an O Line for them?

Can say the same about the Vikings, their OL is bad to horrible and they lead the NFC North - though their OL might finally be catching up with them (along with their K being a disaster) but they still have the defense and no one would be surprised if they won the division and/or made the playoffs. They made it last year with an average-at-best OL and could have won at least one playoff game (again, kicker).

Can keep going with the Patriots average-at-best OL (definitely not best in the league or even top 1/3rd) but it doesn't keep them from being in the midst of running away with the AFC.