Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl Front Runners with Ezekiel Elliott
By Dan Salem
The Dallas Cowboys vaulted themselves into the Super Bowl conversation by adding Ezekiel Elliott with the 4th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. The Cowboys are officially front runners and America’s team is back.
Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
The first round of the 2016 NFL Draft was full of excitement and intrigue from start to finish. Well, almost from the start. The top two picks were pretty set after the trades that had gone down earlier in the process. But starting at pick number three, no one knew exactly how things were going to play out.
San Diego selecting Joey Bosa at number three then led to my biggest surprise and question mark of the first round: the Dallas Cowboys taking running back Ezekiel Elliot at fourth overall.
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Elliot is great; everyone loves him as a player. He was far and away the best player at his position in this draft. But my problem with Dallas’ selection has nothing really to do with Elliot himself, but rather the fact that he does play running back. It seems like a glaring mistake to take that type of player this high in the first round.
During the Cowboys’ portion of the draft coverage, all the ESPN analysts kept harping on the desire to bring back the days of Emmitt Smith. I have to assume someone tipped them off to the selection that was going to be made. After the fact, they even had word from Smith himself on the pick. And Smith didn’t like it! Even he admitted the Cowboys probably should have gone with a defensive piece.
These aren’t the days of Smith and Troy Aikman. In those days, Aikman never even threw for 3,500 yards in any season of his 12-year career. You know Tony Romo never threw for fewer than 3,400 yards in any season where he played at least 13 games? Smith was tremendous. But even he would have little impact on a winning football team in 2016.
And that’s the point. Even if Elliot is great, what’s his upside? What is his absolute ceiling? That he becomes as great a talent and prospect as Todd Gurley? That would surely be awesome for Dallas and its fans. Well, you know how impactful Gurley was last year for the Rams? They finished with the worst offense in football and felt the need to jettison their entire future for a chance at a questionable rookie quarterback. Gurley is great; he’s probably the best running back asset in the sport, and it hardly matters. Why would Elliot be any different?
I know Dallas has that awesome offensive line, which should greatly help Elliot, but this all comes down to Romo, his health, Dez Bryant and the defense, among other things. Elliot is not even fourth on the list of important parts on this team next season, which doesn’t seem in line with making him the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft.
DAN:
Slow your roll. The Cowboys fell hard last season for two reasons. Tony Romo was injured and the running game was incomplete. It lacked a featured option, a Mr. Reliable, a big time talent that instantly makes defenses adjust and teams fear the run.
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The year prior Dallas had this presence in their backfield. Romo was healthy, the running game was outstanding, and the Cowboys were in the Super Bowl discussion for good reason. This is what Ezekiel Elliott does for Dallas in 2016. The Cowboys are easily front runners to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Have you forgotten that the draft isn’t over yet? Defense can be had in the later rounds, but a player like Elliott is a rare opportunity to have.
The Cowboys have the best offensive line in football, but without a running game that forces a defense to stack the box, the passing game will never get going. Play action doesn’t work if no one fears the run. The deep ball is always double covered if the safety doesn’t have to play up near the line to stop the run. Elliott is extremely dynamic, and with a star on his helmet he will be the force that Todd Gurley never could have been last season. The Rams are not as complete of a team as the Cowboys. They don’t have a star quarterback or the best offensive line in the game. Dallas has both. Now they have a legitimate number one at running back, giving them a true threat in the backfield on every play. Dez Bryant must be throwing a party right about now.
Bryant struggled last season, but all of those issues now go away. The Cowboys’ offense is easily the best in the NFC East right now. Speaking of that division, what other team actually scares anyone? Dallas and its re-vamped offense does. We know that teams can’t simply outscore opponents and hope to win it all. Defense ultimately wins championships, but the less that unit is on the field, the better it will be.
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A solid rushing attack with Elliott keeps the Dallas defense fresh and hungry. Passing on him was asking the Giants or Redskins to snatch him up. That would have been infinitely worse. Look for the Cowboys to add a few key pieces on defense before things get done and the roster for 2016 is complete. Yet a star like Elliott on offense makes this team a NFC powerhouse once again. America’s team is officially back.