Cowboys Should Trade Ezekiel Elliott to Ravens, Says RG3
In NFL Week 1, the world watched as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reduced two-time rushing champion Ezekiel Elliott into the role of pass-protection blocker. Zeke recorded just 11 carries for 33 yards in the Dallas Cowboys' 31-29 loss.
There are plenty of reasonable explanations for how that unfolded. The Cowboys coaching staff actually sent in 28 running plays in that game, but QB Dak Prescott - as he is supposed to do, given the look the opponent's defense is in - checked out of about half of those.
The result was Prescott being asked to throw 58 times ... and Elliott being asked to perform a non-glamorous version of a running back's job.
READ MORE: 'Feed Zeke'? 'I Do My Job,' Says Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott
"If you know football, if you're in this building, you can tell someone had a solid game without having the best statistics," Zeke said. "If you don't understand that, you should probably study football a little more.”
One of those people who arguably comes across as ignorant? Robert Griffin III.
It was at halftime of what would become a loss - a point at which time Zeke had received just four carries in the first two quarters - when RG3 used Twitter to pop off.
"They might as well go ahead and trade Ezekiel Elliot (sic) to the Ravens,'' Griffin wrote, misspelling the star running back's last name.
Griffin’s suggestion was, we assume, sarcastic - though the Baltimore Ravens, who happen to have been the retired QB's last employer - could actually use a running back like Elliott, given that over the past two weeks, the Ravens have lost their top three running backs to season-ending injuries. J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards both sustained torn ACLs while Justice Hill sustained a torn Achilles.
READ MORE: Will 'America's Team' Cowboys Feel at Home at Chargers?
The Cowboys insist they did the right thing in the way they utilized Ezekiel Elliott. But also right: a $12 million running back, at some point, needs to run with the football. Maybe that will happen in Week 2 as Elliott and the 0-1 Cowboys play at the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
READ MORE: Can Dallas Defense Contain QB Justin Herbert? GAMEDAY
