The NFL is hard to adjust to, and Ezekiel Elliott is finding that out firsthand.
The Dallas Cowboys running back said that the tempo and the scrutiny of the NFL have required him to adjust.
“Coming from Ohio State, the tempo was a lot different,” Elliott said, via Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN. “We hit the hole 100 mph, but when you get here in the league it’s not go as fast as you can. You gotta kind of time it up a little more until you see it, then you gotta go.
“It’s something I’ve improved on form the first week. It’s definitely easier said than done.”
Elliott also noted that the extent of the outside scrutiny of his performances was new to him.
“The scrutiny is there for sure. That’s probably the biggest thing,” Elliott said. “The biggest part is mentally blocking it out — not necessarily blocking it out, but focusing on what’s important. The outside noise is not really important to us.
“What’s important is what’s going on in here because we’re the ones out there going to war with each other and we’re the one that have to play with each other. Everything else is trying to get clicks and make stories.”
Elliott is learning quickly that the job isn’t as easy as he might have thought. The NFL is an entirely different animal to the college game, and his slow start is proof of that adjustment period.
