With his bruiser mentality and downhill running style, Ezekiel Elliott reminded many Dallas Cowboys fans of DeMarco Murray this season. Should the fans be thanking Murray himself for the rookie’s incredible season?
Not entirely, but a seemingly small piece of advice Murray gave Elliott before the season went a long way. At the Pro Bowl on Thursday, Murray told Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News that he advised Elliott in April to “watch No. 82.” That would be veteran tight end Jason Witten.
“Every and anything. Anything he’s doing, working-wise, working out-wise, film-wise, using the bathroom, whatever it takes, watch 82,” Murray says he told Elliott. “He’ll lead the way and show you how to do things the right way.”
Elliott took the advice to heart, and it obviously worked.
“Witten was my guy,” the former Ohio State star said. “I stayed in Wit’s hip pocket and did everything I could to learn from him, learn how to be a pro.”
Murray also encouraged Elliott to do something that the big guys in the trenches will appreciate, and Zeke took that to heart as well. When Murray was en route to setting the Cowboys’ single-season rushing record with 1,845 yards in 2014, he bought every member of his offensive line a new computer. Elliott went even bigger with gifts for his linemen this season.
It’s no coincidence that Witten is viewed as the best mentor in his locker room. The guy hasn’t missed a single game since his rookie season, and he has been playing at a high level for the last 14 years. You couldn’t ask for a better person to latch onto in your first NFL season.
