Rested Ezekiel Elliott ready for the playoffs

Cowboysrock55

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Rested Ezekiel Elliott ready for the playoffs
3:03 PM CT
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer

FRISCO, Texas -- Understand, Ezekiel Elliott wanted to play Sunday against Philadelphia.

And the rookie running back wanted more than 12 carries against Detroit the previous week.

But after an intense practice Thursday at The Star, the club's state-of-the-art training facility, Elliott understood why the Dallas Cowboys gave him a breather after leading the league with 1,631 yards this season.


Ezekiel Elliott said he understands the opportunity the Cowboys have in front of them as the No. 1 seed. Benny Sieu/USA TODAY Sports
"I got fresh legs, fresh body,” Elliott said. “I feel like I haven't played a down of football this season. I’m excited."

How dangerous is that for the Cowboys' playoff opponent?

"You tell me," Elliott said, laughing.

Coach Jason Garrett and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan tried not to overwork Elliott this season, even though he had 23 more carries than any other NFL running back.

Twice, he carried the ball more than 25 times. None occurred in the last eight games of the regular season.

No guarantees exist about how many carries Elliott will receive in the playoffs.

“Zeke has done an outstanding job with every opportunity we’ve given him right from the start,” Garrett said. “He prepares the right way. He practices the right way.

“Whatever we ask him to do in a game, he does everything he can [to] do it as well as he can, whether it’s running it, catching it or blocking.

“He’s got a great competitive spirit. He loves to play, and he loves this football team.”

Elliott needed 178 yards to break former Los Angeles Rams star Eric Dickerson’s 1983 rookie rushing record of 1,808 yards.

Had Elliott received his usual carries against Detroit and Philadelphia, he might have broken the record. As you would expect, the Hall of Fame running back let Elliott know about it.

He said his usual, “Many have tried, all have failed,” Elliott said.

Elliott said he wanted to break Dickerson’s record, but a bigger goal took precedence.

"We're having a great season. It would have been nice to get, but that's really not what I'm focused on this season,” Elliott said. “We have a very special team.

"We're in a unique opportunity that doesn't happen a lot in this league. There's a lot of guys who this is their first playoff. We got a first-round bye. We're the No. 1 seed. We have a special team. We have a special bond. We have an opportunity to do something special.

"Winning the Super Bowl would be way more special than the rookie rushing record."

And a Super Bowl ring is something Dickerson doesn’t own.
 

Simpleton

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This guy is a big game player, I think he'll ramp it up to another level here in the playoffs.
 

dallen

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:feedzeke


Zeke's getting hungry
 

Cowboysrock55

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This guy is a big game player, I think he'll ramp it up to another level here in the playoffs.
I'm thrilled that unlike 2014 we have a RB that should be totally rested. Even in the last game of the season Murray was running the ball 20 times. There is really something to be said about a back having fresh legs and I'm thrilled that Elliott feels so good. Now we can hopefully ride him to a few wins in a row.
 

Simpleton

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We are going to have to saddle up and ride him like a horse through the playoffs.
That should've been the plan all along.

No need to give him carries in the 4th quarter up 17 against the Bears in Week 3, save him when you can and then when the games are critical, give him 25-30 touches.
 

boozeman

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That should've been the plan all along.

No need to give him carries in the 4th quarter up 17 against the Bears in Week 3, save him when you can and then when the games are critical, give him 25-30 touches.
I don't think they have overused him by a bunch. Resting him last week was smart.
 

Cotton

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We are going to have to saddle up and ride him like a horse through the playoffs.
Gotta hope that was the idea with resting him last week and limiting him the week before.
 

ravidubey

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That should've been the plan all along.

No need to give him carries in the 4th quarter up 17 against the Bears in Week 3, save him when you can and then when the games are critical, give him 25-30 touches.
Exactly. I mean WTF did we sign Morris for?

Also we should not underestimate the impact McFadden will make. The guy has fresher legs than anyone.
 

fortsbest

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I truly love his attitude. here's my question. Assume he averages the same stats throughout his rookie contract and seems just as special toward the end; is he a throw away back you draft a replacement for and cut loose, or a special once in a generation guy you resign and keep going with?
 

Cotton

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I truly love his attitude. here's my question. Assume he averages the same stats throughout his rookie contract and seems just as special toward the end; is he a throw away back you draft a replacement for and cut loose, or a special once in a generation guy you resign and keep going with?
I resign him.
 

Simpleton

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I truly love his attitude. here's my question. Assume he averages the same stats throughout his rookie contract and seems just as special toward the end; is he a throw away back you draft a replacement for and cut loose, or a special once in a generation guy you resign and keep going with?
Re-sign him and try to limit the contract to 4 years.

I'm hoping we can bring in a legit backup in the next year or two so that we can limit his carries to around 290-310.
 

Smitty

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Adrian Peterson got a second contract, why would there be any question about Zeke getting one?
 

BipolarFuk

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Re-sign him and try to limit the contract to 4 years.

I'm hoping we can bring in a legit backup in the next year or two so that we can limit his carries to around 290-310.
We probably had one, but let him go to Cleveland so we could keep McFadden.
 

NoDak

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We probably had one, but let him go to Cleveland so we could keep McFadden.
All Jackson had was speed and not a whole lot else. You can find RBs like him every year at the end of the draft or in UDFA. Not a big loss.
 

L.T. Fan

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Has the RB mindset changed at the organizational level? I has been run the back until you wear them out and then find a new one.
 
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