Cowboys Admission: Ezekiel Elliott Knows He Has 'Something to Prove'
FRISCO - Initially, Ezekiel Elliott dodged the question like the best-of-Zeke has, for much of his six-year NFL career dodged tacklers.
"Do you,'' the Dallas Cowboys running back was asked, "have something to prove?''
“I think every year we’ve got something to prove,” Zeke replied, niftily avoiding the obvious point of the question.
Right, right ... But Zeke, was about you, personally?
“Yeah,” Elliott responded.
And good for him, for is there any point, any purpose, any swallowing of pride, in conceding the obvious?
Elliott is still just 26, and he has two NFL rushing titles under his belt. But his performance has been the subject of contentious conversations between fans for the last few seasons. Once a fan favorite and top-five running back in the league, Elliott's performance and effectiveness have been questioned over the past couple of years.
And with what some feel is a better option behind him in Tony Pollard, Elliott's future with the Cowboys seems in question. That, though, is a matter of future finance. As Elliott also noted this week, “I control what I can control. I focus on what’s in the near future. I’m not really worried about what’s going to be going on after next season unless we’re going on to winning the Super Bowl."
So the "escape hatch'' in his present deal? That's a concern for the 2023 NFL offseason. Now? Elliott rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2021. ... and while that's not as impressive in a 17-game season as it was in previous 14-game and 16-game seasons, it's still something a lot of running backs in the league can't boast.
But it wasn't good enough. And Elliott - despite being severely limited by a knee injury that he fought through - is aware. That does not mean that the injury frustrated him. It does mean the Cowboys' finish, a first-round playoff ouster, did.
"I’d say, if anything, it was the most frustrating just because we had a great year and then we didn’t do what we needed to do once we got to the playoffs,'' Zeke said. "So that was the frustrating part.''
But he's healthy now. So is pal Dak Prescott. Those two factors, Elliott believes, can help Dallas "prove'' what it needs to prove.
"We’ve got to take advantage of this time that we’re allowed to get this year,'' Elliott said, "and make the most of it.''
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