The Ezekiel Elliott Show will get plenty of running time during the Patriots' visit to Dallas today.
That's what happens when a player who rushed for over 8,000 yards in seven years for the team that drafted him fourth overall in the 2016 draft returns for the first time.
"It’s what he did for the team," owner Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan this week. "Frankly, I thought he was very influential in the image of the Cowboys. And I mean that positively. Away from the field or as to the field as it was perceived with our fans. Just the entertainment of the Cowboys. To me, I look to that when I think about the Ring of Honor. Not only, what he did with stats on the field, not only what he did as a punishing runner, but also what he did to lift the franchise . . . Zeke lifted the whole franchise.”
Bill Belichick surely will do his part. He's always had a soft spot for largely washed-up players who used to be stars but whose names still carried heft throughout the league. He goes out of his way to ensure they get their proper attention, and hopefully they think kindly of Belchick going forward.
If Chad Ochocinco had a different name, he wouldn't have lasted four games with the Patriots in 2011 with his inability to pick up the playbook. He improbably played 15 ... and never played in the NFL again.
Cam Newton should have been benched for Jarrett Stidham near the end of the lost 2020 season, but was not. He washed out of the league after five games as an emergency add for the Panthers the next season.
And now the Patriots have Elliott. He certainly has a bit more in the tank than Ochocinco and Newton — behind the scenes he has impressed teammates and coaches with his work ethic and team buy-in, and he's played well to this point — but Belichick continues to fall into his predictable trap of overdoing it for a former star he should have no allegiances to.
Only this time there's a real victim that is hurting the team's bottom line: Rhamondre Stevenson.
Zeke is a nice role player and I'm sure he's going to have a nice viral moment or two against his former team, but let's be serious: outside of an injury situation, Elliott means nothing to the prospects for the 2023 Patriots. If this team is to go anywhere this season, Stevenson has to be centrally involved.
And this Zeke thing isn't helping to this point.
There's no question Elliott was brought here with a central role in mind: keep Stevenson fresh for the second half of games, and the second half of the season.
Yeah, that's great and all in theory ... but what happens when you don't hold a lead until the third game of the season, or you're not in the playoffs at the end of the season? Kind of makes the plan kind of pointless, no?
There are people in the building who will scoff at this (and have behind the scenes), and point out that Stevenson actually is being used more than ever this season. Technically they are correct in terms of total usage:
2021 34 percent
2022 66.4 percent
2023 70.4 percent
But as Belichick once famously said, "Stats are for losers."
And they lie.
Because the Patriots have trailed so much and they lack a true third-down back, Stevenson has had to fill in there and boost his snaps. The real issue has been on running downs. Stevenson has played on 46 running plays, and Elliott 28. That's a 64 percent share for Stevenson — more in line with a time-sharing situation, than one lead back and one that contributes in relief.
This is how the carries have been distributed leading off the first three games:
Eagles
Stevenson
Montgomery
Elliott
Stevenson
Stevenson
Elliott
Dolphins
Stevenson
Stevenson
Stevenson
Elliott
Elliott
Elliott
Elliott
Jets
Stevenson
Stevenson
Elliott
Elliott
Total to lead off games:
Stevenson: 8
Elliott: 8
This is the wrong way to go about it. Stevenson needs an understudy, not an equal.
I'm on board with the Save Stevenson campaign, but not at the expense of making sure Stevenson gets in a rhythm and generates a feel for the game and opposing defense early. The season could be over by the time you see the benefits. With most other running back duos in New England, the backup only got every third series. If Stevenson is your best — and he clearly is, no matter the stats — then you have to establish him early. Even Stevenson had some choice words on the subject this week.
"I think that's safe to say for any running back," he said when asked about early touches. "Getting those reps under your belt in games, getting behind that offensive line, seeing how that defense is moving around, and just wearing the defense down. Getting those reps back to back and getting warm is a big deal."
Enjoy the Zeke Show today. I'm sure it will be must-see-TV, and Belichick will delight giving him that opportunity.
Meanwhile, the Patriots' best offensive player could be standing off to the side again, wondering what's going on and where he fits in.
That would not be in the best interest of the 2023 Patriots.
NICKEL PACKAGE
1. Cole Strange joined Jonathan Jones in being ruled out on Saturday. I'm sure it will just be termed a health situation — and I'm sure that it's an issue — but let's call this was it really is: a benching. The film clearly showed that rookie fifth-round pick Atonio Mafi outplayed the 2022 first-round pick against the Jets and it time to see what that looks like.
And just because Mafi is likely to start doesn't mean he's suddenly a great pick four games into his career. He's simply the best option they have, and that's obscuring the biggest issue: the overdrafted first-round pick is off to a tough start in his career.
2. CB Jack Jones, WR Tyquan Thornton and OL Riley Reiff are all eligible to resume practicing with the team after Sunday and could be activated off IR at any time.
3. Hoping another Patriots first-round pick, Chandler Jones, has people around him to get him the help he obviously needs after a rough couple of weeks that ended in his arrest and then release from the Raiders. He rebounded from the shirtless Foxborough PD incident earlier in his career, so here's hoping he can do it again.
4. Please stop asking about trading for Davante Adams. He's not going anywhere and since when do the Patriots add elite offensive weapons that aren't damaged goods (Antonio Brown, Randy Moss) or decidedly average (Mohamed Sanu)? Trade deadline is Oct. 31.
5. Good to see safeties coach Brian Belichick in virtual media interviews this week. He sustained "a pretty serious knee injury at the beginning of the summer" but recently returned to the facility in the last month.
“I had three surgeries and a long recovery to get back to being functional," Belichick said. "Towards the start of the regular season, end of preseason, I was more functional to move around, more mobile and could come back into the building and be with the guys again. So that was obviously a huge boost for me mentally after a long summer, but I’ve been really fortunate and lucky to work with a lot of great doctors that work with the team, a lot of great physical therapy people who work with the team, and that’s a great blessing to be in this situation and have those resources to help me.
“I’m happy to be more normal and just trying to win games for the team now.”