OT: Is Zeke Elliott a Quitter?
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.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 2:27 PM ^
And here I was just thinking the games were boring as shit.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 4:07 PM ^
and certain baseball games, they are great to take a nap to. When something exciting happens which is about once every 15-30 minutes it's like an alarm going off.
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.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 6:00 PM ^
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 5:53 PM ^
The schedule, draft, and everything else about the NFL is setup for every team to be 8-8.
September 18th, 2017 at 5:53 PM ^
The schedule, draft, and everything else about the NFL is setup for every team to be 8-8.
September 19th, 2017 at 7:03 AM ^
I've axshally recorded 4 games (Lions, Pack, Pats) this year trying to force myself to at least get excited on a delayed / 8X FF basis...and haven't watched more than 10 mins of any game.
September 18th, 2017 at 3:07 PM ^
Mr. Team Player, Zeke Elliott.
What a turd. pic.twitter.com/0bdTxbq6b3— Due# (@JDue51) September 17, 2017
September 18th, 2017 at 4:01 PM ^
Idk who this guy is but he's a great follow
September 18th, 2017 at 6:18 PM ^
I believe he goes by "Read Your Guard" here.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 5:52 PM ^
Leon Lett and Don Beebe are quite aware of this.
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?
September 18th, 2017 at 2:28 PM ^
"Would people be feeling better if he did a fast walk/light jog back into the play?"
Yes, because people are fucking morons.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^
True. You'll get an article about it if you are Zeke Elliott, not if you are Shane Lechler (if he's still in the league) or insert B-player here.
You don't get an article every time you don't sprint your ass off on a play that's all but out of your reach.
September 18th, 2017 at 2:12 PM ^
She really, really needs to have a medical professional look at her left breast. There is something seriously wrong with that thing...
September 18th, 2017 at 2:26 PM ^
It's a horrifying augmentation presentation revelation, ain't it?
September 18th, 2017 at 1:58 PM ^
he did quit at furthering his education after high school.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 2:00 PM ^
Leave Zeke Elliott alone. The Ewoks were pivotal to swinging the Battle of Endor in the Rebel's favor and were unfairly shit on by Star Wars purists.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 3:44 PM ^
Because Dez made no effort on it either.
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
September 18th, 2017 at 2:11 PM ^
If you ask Harbaugh, we also had players who didn't bust their asses on Sp88888 pick sixes.
September 18th, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^
don't reach the the pick 6 and watch black.
September 18th, 2017 at 2:14 PM ^
I thought OT season was over? can we give this guy negative 5 million like I got for my sp8 post?
September 18th, 2017 at 2:23 PM ^
Probably not, you are evidently a repeat offender.
September 18th, 2017 at 3:00 PM ^
I confess, I don't get the rule - "Help with Tech Stuff" is up on the current board - but I'll take my lumps and move on.
I did get some good answers and some funny ones, so this is more helpful than reddit, for what that's worth.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 2:27 PM ^
Meh... he's more like a cuntface than a quitter...
September 18th, 2017 at 2:55 PM ^
I would start a thread about the NFL's degradation from this type of misogyny . . .
September 18th, 2017 at 3:10 PM ^
Curious, what part of this comment is misogynistic? Vulgar for certain but, you're reaching with misogyny. EE is a total cuntface.
September 18th, 2017 at 4:56 PM ^
Woof. I sure did. I'm such a cuntface.
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.
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.
September 18th, 2017 at 5:06 PM ^
I didn't know McElwain posted here!
September 18th, 2017 at 6:23 PM ^
I hate to break your heart but there's no way Harbaugh hasn't done a lot of the things Billy Belichick has done.
You don't make it to the top of any industry without pushing the envelope.
September 19th, 2017 at 12:21 AM ^
So you like Trump then.
September 18th, 2017 at 2:33 PM ^
I mean, it looks like Dez Bryant tried just as hard as Zeke did to stop the returner. More worried about showing his disappointment than actually stopping the guy.