Got to alter. You got to evolve
as a pro and
I think more. So now my training
kind of focuses on, you know, what I, what I need to get
better at what my division deficiencies are
where I need to get stronger.
I'll say main thing. I'm focused on this year, my
transmission my knees 100%, but do you think everything to
prove?
Um,
I think every year we got something to prove you
personally, though. I'm just yeah.
Ezekiel. And he definitely has something to prove. Look,
the contract is what saved him. He would not be a member of
the Dallas. No way. Right now, barring a dramatic reduction in
pay. He did the contract the year that he held out and we
advocated. Yes. We did get your money while you can. That's up
to the team to figure it out, on the back end. But
the guarantees vest a year in advance his salary this year is
fully guaranteed invested in 2021.
That's the way you do a contract. You guarantee
the money into a
Here beyond the current one, and it ties the team's hand and
they're stuck, their stock. I tried to ask Stephen Jones
earlier this year,
some something along the lines of
hypothetically or but, you know, he wouldn't take
the cheese, but the bottom line is, he would not be on the team
right now. There's no way. Look at his Rush starts per game,
last year. You can't justify giving him the money. These do
to make if it wasn't already fully guaranteed, for know,
it's, you know, again,
we advocated yes. 4zq out to sit out and pay if you know and
sit there and you know, you deserve to be paid. Paid
now, but we can we also Advocate and say that Dallas
was way too generous and like gave them too good of
a contract. I mean, I I think it's fair to say that
they did not find Middle Ground,
they did not and they are paying him still for what he
did. Early in his career. He's nowhere near in the class of
the top running back conversation in football.
I have so much respect for this guy and I don't like talking
like this about guys like this. I feel bad sometimes running
back to the end. Well,
the freakiest guys on the planet for the first 25, 26
years of their life. And then they play for five years in
the NFL and all the sudden. They're like, man. I don't know if I'm
the freakiest guy in the running back room anymore.
And that's what happens. And that's what I would argue with
with Dallas to me, the contract itself, a Little Bit Hurts
the football team
because they're always trying to justify him playing and him
being in the lineup and him getting carries. He's
the second best running back on their football team. Again,
I don't feel proud saying that,
but they leave yards and plays on the field throughout
the year because they leave Ezekiel Elliott on the field because
they want to justify 15 million dollars a year for him.
He's not as good as Tony Pollard, Pollard's the better
running back on the football team. The stats say that my
I says that the film says that whatever you want to say and
that's where it stinks. But yeah,
that's part of the problem. Why Dallas? This had some salary
cap is used in all of that and it's unfortunate. But yeah,
they're stuck here. Them right now,
you spotted a couple of years ago. Once you get through
the front level, he couldn't turn that, that 15-yard gain into
a 50-yard. Exactly. Right? Exactly.
Too many runs with heat left on the bone to your point is what
we use to. Here's a reality. Yeah, here's what the Cowboys
got themselves into trouble. They thought they were going to
be able to Cozy up the deck. Prescott in Ezekiel Elliott
throwing arm around them, and talk them
into doing some sort of a Team friendly deal.
And they they overplayed their hand with both guys, and it
blew up. Upon them with both guys that Prescott's contract
better than any of the others that have been done, maybe even
better than DeShaun Watson. Is because
it forces the Cowboys, back to the table, after only three
seasons, right at 40 million per year and Watson, especially
under the circumstances, will talk about that coming up, but
Watson's contract, probably better, but I would have taken
Prescott's over my home's Prescott's over Josh, Allen's
Prescott's over anyone's, except maybe dashon Watson's.
And it's all because
they screwed around.
They waited too long and thought they,
Talk him into taking less than
than what he was worth and they ended up paying him even more.
Same thing with Elliot. They forced the hold out. Instead of
just paying him and offer him something that would have
avoided all of that. And once he dug in,
they were stuck. And,
you know, the broader issue to Michael Carter of the jet spoke
about this. Last week. I wrote an item about it, over
the weekend, how running backs are underpaid and Carters
estimation, especially as we see receivers, get more and
more money, but the difference is
receivers aren't getting banged around. They getting By safety
as I can, laugh, right? Running backs are getting hit by
defensive linemen and linebackers. There's only so
much you can take before it all changes. Christian, McCaffrey
after 3 years.
Panthers, give me a huge contract. He's played 10 total
games since then. It's not his fault. It's the position. It's
the position.
It is something that results in injuries and ineffectiveness
and just overall your body, can't do it anymore.
You're older, your body is older than it should be because
it's been beating around so much and that that's why. And
that's why you have to be careful.
It's a tough analysis.
You want to keep that great running back,
but you No, the end is coming and, and for Ezekiel, at
the end
of a of being, a high-end running back. There's already
come and gone. Readwrite agreed. You're right. It does
that mean really ultimately and that? And again, this is part
of the complex problem. He's,
he's the guy you would want to be
oh, this is our second guy. This is our,
this is our backup running back who comes in and gives us
a little juice. And man. Look how hard he runs and this is our
backup and you got a deal with him for a few minutes,
but you know the point you brought up and that the point
I've been trying to make a little Over the last two years,
really is. Yes, you know as far as what he's being paid.
Yes, there's not it doesn't meet
the, the results on the field. There's, there is too many
places where I go. Oh, six-yard, gain. Damn, that
should have been 25 yards if that was one of the top five or
six running backs. I would have been,
you know, o 12-yard gain. He just had to make that one guy
missing. It would have been 60 yards, doesn't ever do it. That
to me is the difference between the great running backs. And
yeah, Mike. I think you're spot on. I mean, I think we are
you're seeing there's a reason.
You know,
I think teams are starting to get to the point where
it doesn't really matter. Maybe, you know, a running
back. I'll change our thought every now and then, but you
almost got to think about every three years. We got to draft
a running back, and maybe every two years,
if you're really a running football team.
I think you're seeing like the Patriots.
The 49ers are Shanahan.
They're kind of going that way. We're going, we're just going
to drop one every year, you know, because Guy two guys can
get hurt in the same here. We need to keep our running
offense here,
you know, and, and these guys Fall by the wayside every three
or four years, so that's what you have to do it. I think
that's going to continue to
be a trend and I think that is the biggest difference between
what Michael Carter. The Jets is trying to say and you're
saying is
yeah, receivers. They can do
double digits part of their career and we still go damn.
They're really good still. Whoa, that guy's in year 10 and
12. He's really good running backs.
What when does that happen over the time here? Frank Gore?
Adrian Peterson Emmitt Smith, maybe Derek.
H-henry can do it because he's a
freak of nature. But like
we're talking about four or five guys that have gotten to that
second and third contract and still kind of look good at
the running back position. Over the last 20 years. It's very
limited
and Derrick Henry is averaging 12 and a half million dollars
per year. Exactly. So they didn't, they didn't they
didn't, you know, take the cheese to your point there.
Yeah, and and he missed nine games last year. That's right.
That's the problem. It's the
nature of the position
you're going to make.
Investment in players that are more likely to be available to
play and it's not a criticism of the players. It's just
an inherently dangerous position, relative to the other
big-ticket positions on offense. Let's look at
the Cowboys offense. Broadly, highest scoring
team in the league last year.
Where would you Loosely rank? Their current Weaponry?
Obviously, Amari Cooper gone. They already are
touting CD. Lamb is a better number one, receiver than Amari
Cooper was collectively when you Sidorov, Dak Prescott,
Ezekiel, Elliott, Tony Pollard, see deal and Michael Gallup,
James Washington, new arrival via Pittsburgh Dalton shoots at
tight end.
Where would you put them in the leg or they still top third
unit to you? I think they are. I do. I think I look at that
and go. It's so impressive group. There. There's no
question. I mean, yeah, they lost Cedric Wilson and Amari
Cooper.
So what I mean? Gallops gonna be coming back from injury,
I know that, but man, he's as bad as good as number two receivers
you're going to find in football
and I think he could go on teams and some teams and you go
He's our number-one. He's legit.
So that's pretty damn. Good. Dalton Schultz has a hell of
a tight end. He can do it all and even though I know we said what
he said about Ezekiel Elliott,
he's effective and I really like Tony Pollard who's
extremely explosive. I mean, maybe the most explosive guy on
their offense with the ball in his hand. So
offensive line a little overrated but still good. So
I don't know. Mike I'm I still think top third for sure. You
feel that way.
Yeah. I think the offensive line is the key here. That's
where we've kind of. Seen so many issues and we do that all
the time ago, all the time. Yeah, team has great offensive
line.
And if it's like spectacular then we really notice it but
for the most part
the Stars overcome the conversation of well, they got
to prove it offensive line. And when they have a bad offensive
line, the stars are the ones that get the criticism because
they don't have time to operate. They don't have holes
to run through. They don't have
an opportunity to throw the ball, but how that offensive
line performs that they're kind of trying to retool on the Fly.
I think that's going to go a long way toward. And Dak
Prescott and Company to fully unlock,
the potential the offense, but I still think their top third.
Are they top five?
Hmm. It's all going to come down at offensive line. Yeah.
I know. I don't think I could go that way. And I think
the offensive line as we discussed a little bit towards the end of
the the 2021 season
to me was the part that was certainly an issue with their
team,
their offenses good.
I didn't ever looked at it and went, oh my gosh. Wow. It's so
special and creative and to me he's got everything you need
certainly, but the
The running game needs to happen a little bit. That's to
me where it fell off a little bit at times last year, where
there was. No threat. They couldn't really run
consistently, and then they had to become too much of a past
happy football team
and to me, you know, that's just not that creative of
an offense to where he can just go all the way. They're just going
to drop back and throw,
you know, for 48 hundred yards every year and win all
the games that way. No, I don't think they're that, that, that
talented, or that explosive on that side of the ball, to just
win that way.