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Three Reasons Why a Zeke Suspension Might Not Be a Bad Idea

Zeke has done it again with his off the field antics. How should the NFL respond?

By Kenneth WilsonPublished 7 years ago 5 min read
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Sporting News

As you may have heard by now, Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys is making headlines yet again. This time, it is for allegedly breaking someone’s nose in a bar fight at a Dallas area sports bar. This incident isn’t the first incident that the Cowboys’ young star has been involved in; he was spotted in a marijuana dispensary on the west coast during last season, involved a domestic situation prior to that, and most recently the guilty party in revealing a woman’s breast publicly during a parade.

Fortunately for Elliot, police reports don’t indicate that he had anything to do with the incident. But per so-called “witnesses” and friends of the victim, it was the “Cowboys running back who punched a guy.” There have been many takes on the situation and most of them come down to this: he should be disciplined at this point because he has been involved in too much, too early in his career. Perhaps this isn’t the best approach, or perhaps it is? The league appears to be looking into the situation further, and in all likelihood, something will come of it due to the bad publicity it has caused. As the only precedents here are no suspension to a suspension of the 4-game variety, that would most likely be the result. With those options and Zeke’s track record in mind, here are 3 reasons why a suspension needs to happen.

1. Zeke Needs to Be Scared Straight

Scout.com

Ezekiel Elliott came into the NFL as one of the most high profile players of the draft. He had already become a star under Urban Meyer at Ohio State, and set social media ablaze with his “crop top” dress shirt at the draft. On top of all the media buzz he had accrued, he was drafted early in the draft by the Cowboys, and went on to set the league on fire as a rookie. With over 1600 yards and 15 touchdowns, Elliot clearly earned his status on the field. With the on the field status, however, came the off the field stardom as well, and Zeke has struggled to live in that limelight. From all the previous incidents to the latest at Clutch bar in Dallas, Elliot has clearly shown a lack of discipline in his first year and a half in the NFL. Mistakes happen, but you cannot continuously do the same thing, or at least go about it the same way, and something has to be done to show him this. Scaring Zeke straight like in the show Beyond Scared Straight (a television show based on prisoners intimidating young juveniles on a bad path to persuade them not to be in prison) may not scare him into changing his habits, but the games and money lost will certainly make an impact.

2. Morris/Mcfadden Marketing for Trades

Blogging The Boys

As the old saying goes, “I would rather have too much and not need it, as opposed to needing something and not having enough.” Well that seems to be the case with the Cowboys and the running back position, as some current depth charts list as many as 5 on Dallas’ roster. That could change as we near the season, since there are two others in particular that are worth their weight to the ‘Boys, and maybe someone else. Alfred Morris was once a top back in the league, and has not fallen off due to lack of performance, but rather lack of opportunity. This will change if Elliot is indeed suspended to start the 2017 season. Darren McFadden has shown over the last season or so that he still has something left in the tank, and before Zeke burst onto the scene last year, McFadden was set to be the lead dog in the backfield. With Elliot potentially pined for a few games, this gives the duo a chance to showcase their skillset. This new opportunity for Morris and McFadden could be utilized as trade chips for the Cowboys (in the event the opportunity presents itself), or it could be further reasoning and auditioning for the Cowboys to keep both around. Who knows, but the added experience at RB will only be good for all parties involved.

3. Saving/Protecting Zeke

247sports

At Ohio State, Zeke was a workhorse. Yes, college and NFL levels of play are different, but Elliot still tore it up at the highest level in college. In his rookie season, Zeke carried 322 times for over 1600 yards and 15 touchdowns. Let’s not forget his ability as a pass catcher, where he caught 32/40 targets for almost 400 yards out of the backfield. With around 2000 all-purpose yards on his legs and body already after his rookie season, combined with what he had already endured throughout his hefty career as a football star in college, there is some mileage on those legs. Not only is there mileage, but there have been hits, bumps, and thumps to the vehicle that is Zeke’s legs. Any rest he can accrue while the Cowboys maintain can always be viewed as a plus. Also, being suspended is saving his legs for the latter parts of the season and down the stretch, where he will be needed the most.

There is of course chemistry and consistency issues with the team to be concerned with here, but there are a few factors that make me worry less than other possible situations. When looking at Dak and Zeke, they were both rookies, new to each other, the system, and the NFL last year, and still had elevated levels of success. Also they probably have been working together up until this point, and will continue to do so in regular amounts up until/if there is punishment handed down to Zeke. When/if there is, they will still work together in limited amounts as well, so those factors cushion the consistency quarrels with this pairing. Other than that, however, those are the reasons why an Ezekiel Elliot suspension might not be such a bad idea.

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About the Creator

Kenneth Wilson

SPORTS...food...culture...music! VA raised me. Can't handle the real..........you might want to make like a tree....10-4?!

Follow me on twitter @Ksaidwhat

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