OT: Is Zeke Elliott a Quitter?

Submitted by LSA91 on

For anyone who hasn't seen it, Zeke Elliott is taking some heat for not pursuing a Broncos interception.

Deadspin takes a contrary view - that it was impossible for Zeke to change direction fast enough to catch Chris Harris, so people are really mad that he didn't make an effort to appear to be chasing the ball. (Of course, being Deadspin, they then moralize for a while about what a terrible person Zeke is, IMHO fairly).

http://deadspin.com/ezekiel-elliott-quit-on-a-play-and-some-people-are-…

I'm curious what people think. My instinct is that he should have run back as quicklly as was safe. You never know what kind of play will develop, and for all you know, you'll be in the right place and the right time after Harris goes sideline to sideline a couple times. Maybe it's only a few chances in a hundred, but it's football and crazy stuff happens.

Heywood_Jablome

September 18th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^

This is the NFL in general.  A bunch of millionaires trying not to get hurt while the redneck fans pool what little money they have on the richest guys in the room.

Mr. Yost

September 18th, 2017 at 3:13 PM ^

Every year I say "I'm going to start watching the NFL...I'm going to get into it this season."

I don't know if I'm just exhausted from Saturday or what, but every year I struggle to watch. I like NFL games on in the background while I'm doing stuff around the house. Or sometimes when I just want to have a beer and space out for 30 minutes. But I can't get myself to actually care who wins or loses.

I think the biggest reason is, one game doesn't matter. In college football, every regular season game (for the most part) matters - at least until there's no shot at 6 wins.

I find myself watching the NFL (a little more) later in the year when teams are trying to make the playoffs and fighting for seeds. Even then, I'm not a diehard...it just means I can watch a full 2nd half and I'm not bored to death.

His Dudeness

September 18th, 2017 at 4:32 PM ^

I can't imagine being even remotely interested if I didn't have money or fantasy (money) on the outcome.

The games are just so sterile and slow moving. The pace and environment sucks any amount of fun out of it for me.

And going to a game? That sounds insane to me. Like going to a MMA event. 40,000 drunk "likes to fight" guys all in one place at one time!? Count me as far away from that place as humanly possible please and thank you.

I still think the only reason it is so popular is because it remains one of the only sports you can see 90% of the games on ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX. If 90% of the games were on ESPN or TBS  that sport would fall off big time.

MGlobules

September 18th, 2017 at 11:01 PM ^

exhausted American fills up his life with it because that's what there is to cheaply fill up your life with. And because in the absence of any kind of productive national conversation about. . . just about anything. . . that's what there is to talk about. And because watching some bazillionaires smack the crap out of each other brings a vague satisfaction and allows you to moralize mindlessly about whether they're deserving. 

Blue in Paradise

September 18th, 2017 at 4:38 PM ^

When you are not flamethrowing politics...

You nailed this reply! I am a big NFL fan and I made the exact same comment to my buddy yesterday. What the hell is up with the bland, mediocre football the first two weeks of the season. There are like 5 teams worth watching and everyone else is boring as f&ck. This has been trending for years now but this year has really taken a step down.

SF Wolverine

September 18th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^

you never know how that play is going to go, whether someone had to cutback (probably), drops the ball/has it stripped, etc. -- that's why everyone plays to the whistle.  

uncle leo

September 18th, 2017 at 1:55 PM ^

But this is not one of the things I would throw pitchforks at him about. I would imagine that you can find 2-3 people every time this happens that are doing a "half trot" with their effort. It's so far past the play that the odds of him making something happen are next to nil. In fact, if he came back and got caught in the wash and got hurt, people would be flipping out about him getting hurt with a meaningless effort.

Would people be feeling better if he did a fast walk/light job back into the play? 

 

PopeLando

September 18th, 2017 at 1:57 PM ^

At this point, Zeke should know that perceptions are reality in the NFL.

Plenty of players don't run after an interception they can't catch up with. Doesn't matter, run anyway, or else you'll get an article about it.

bronxblue

September 18th, 2017 at 1:59 PM ^

I think he's an asshole who has issues with a violent temper, but he's not lazy as a football player.  This whole "stiory" is the worst type of dog-whistling, where a player the NFL wants to punish publicly comes under scorn by the yes-men that have emerged around this league.  There is no great value in jogging back a bit to "look" like you're trying to stop a guy sprinting the other direction with the ball.  I wouldn't be surprised if Elliott wound up out of the NFL in a couple of years if his off-the-field issues persist, but "lack of effort" isn't going to sink him.

NittanyFan

September 18th, 2017 at 2:13 PM ^

you can understand a QB --- their importance in the NFL game and all --- bailing on making a tackle.  But he was still trying.

Prescott did the same thing on the Talib pick-6 at the very end.  At that point, it really didn't matter for Prescott/Dallas.  But still some hustle.

Bad look for Ezekiel, for sure.

brad

September 18th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^

The individual NFL player is there to get paid as long as possible, so any avoidable injury risk is too much risk. This is also one reason the NFL is less entertaining than college football

LSA91

September 18th, 2017 at 4:39 PM ^

Thaks for the clue - I found that whippersnapper LSAClassof2000's post on the end of OT season. I hadn't had any idea, which is on me.

http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/meta-end-ot-season-it-has-arrived

I think technically I'm OK, since it's an NFL post on a Monday (see point 5), talking about Sunday's play, but obviously the community doesn't want to talk about it, so I'll take my neg-hammer.

Tuebor

September 18th, 2017 at 2:30 PM ^

I mean all he has to do to avoid the perception of quitting is turn and start following the play not just stand at midfield like that.

 

Haven't cared much for the NFL since they ran Brady's name through the mud with the whole "deflategate" nonsense.  

sharklover

September 18th, 2017 at 4:10 PM ^

Brady has done plenty to drag his own name through the mud with his outspoken political stances  over many years. This has been ongoing as long as he's been in the NFL.

I have great respect for the service that he provided to the University of Michigan. But I don't care for any aspect of his personality.

Furthermore, his coach is a repeat cheater in a whole host of ways, and the team owner is a piece of trash, as well. I don't even bother to watch more than a handful of NFL games each season (and the few that I do tune in are invariably Lions games), but the whole Patriots franchise is rotten from the top down. Brady is a big part of the reason that they deserve every part of their negative reputation.