FRISCO – Ezekiel Elliott was out this off-season to talk about the off-season. The cowboys running back didn’t need to speak. The videos and his teammates spoke for him. Videos of Elliott training at SMU with private running backs trainer Josh Hicks dipping and dodging trash cans disguised as defenders showed he can be elusive. Elliott’s footwork through Kegel showed sideways movements and that he is still fast. The beard and hair, still long and thick, remain the same. But is the game the same? Last year Elliott hit a career low of 979 yards. He averaged 65.3 yards per game and gained just 1.9 yards from contact, the lowest in three seasons. Elliott also lost a career high five fumble. He struggled with calf and thigh injuries and missed a game due to injury for the first time in his career. Football Outsiders, which provides advanced statistics on NFL players, measured Elliott’s Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) in 2020. The number is a value per game above the average running back in game situations. Elliott was -1.0%. His backup, Tony Pollard, was up 13%. Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, who led the league in rushing at 2,027 yards, had 15.5% and Dalvin Cook of Minnesota, runner-up in the league in rushing at 1,557 yards, got 15.6%. Whether it was basic stats or advanced, Elliott’s season was below standard. There are now doubts as to whether Elliott will continue as the main runningback with the Cowboys. Talk to the people at The Star and they will tell you otherwise. He’s still someone to rely on. “Zeke looks great,” said quarterback Dak Prescott. “He is in the best shape of his life. Search quickly. Everyone has seen the clips training independently with their running back coach. Its cuts how explosive it is. I’m looking forward to spending a full year with him again and keeping him healthy throughout the season. “ Last year was so different. Elliott struggled with gnawing injuries, running behind an offensive line with eight different starting lineups, including losing both tackles and a right guard. There was Prescott himself, who was gone after five weeks when he sustained an ankle injury at the end of the season. So much was against Elliott just to play games. He was never an excuse maker, just a man who continues to practice his craft with a smile. Still, Elliott led the Cowboys with 82 first downs won and fifth in the league in Carrys (244). “If Zeke is healthy and Zeke does his thing, he’s the best running back in the league,” said Prescott. “It’s just exciting to see him in the best shape of his life, or the best shape he’s seen in the NFL. That will be something special for us in the future. “ The 2021 cowboys need Elliott. Not because Pollard couldn’t produce, but he’s not Zeke Elliott. Elliott is part of an offensive attack that has weapons on the wide receiver with Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb. Sometimes Elliott can be forgotten and what a crime he can provide. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore appeared to have done so in close range games in 2020. Perhaps the injuries that had an inferior offensive line on matchdays gave Moore a break to use Elliott in such games. If the offensive staff of the Cowboys is healthy, especially the offensive line, then Elliott is a breeze on short distances. It’s also important that Elliott set the tone for the offense, especially on the first down. It is not known if Elliott knows what his numbers look like. His workouts at SMU and during offseason drills, seen by the media on The Star, would suggest a determined player. “He’s definitely locked up,” said Pollard, who trained privately with Elliott this off-season. “I can say that this off-season he took the right step forward, adjusted his diet correctly and got it in shape. Me and him, you know, we used to train a lot in the off-season. So we are both locked in this off-season and are preparing for it. “ The Cowboys’ injury list grew over the course of the 2020 season. There was no real chance for coach Mike McCarthy to bring the franchise forward from former coach Jason Garrett. It’s part of the business sometimes. And if you look at the players looking for redemption in 2021, Elliott is among the players at the top of the list. “I think we all feel the same,” said McCarthy. “We were 6-10 years old last year, no matter how we got there, it happened. The motivation is very high in our building. I think you saw it from everyone involved. “ More cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News can be found here. Via https://dailyhealthynews.ca/dak-prescott-cowboys-excited-for-healthier-and-more-explosive-ezekiel-elliott/
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