Ezekiel Elliott may have been a bit rusty at the start of last year after he held out for a new contract, but the star running back is tired of reporters and analysts claiming he is no longer the explosive player he used to be.
On Thursday, Elliott took to Twitter to rant about people saying he is “not the same back” anymore. He cited his stats from last season and said the media needs to “put some RESPECT on my name.”
There are a lot of great backs in this league but I don’t understand why the media has to talk down on my game just to uplift other backs. We all are talented football players and can ball.
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) July 16, 2020
Check the stats. Since I entered this league I have dominated year in, year out. Put some RESPECT on my name.
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) July 16, 2020
Women lie. Men lie. The stats don’t. Go do your homework.
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) July 16, 2020
Almost 1800 scrimmage yards and 14 TD’s with no training camp and now im not the same back.
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) July 16, 2020
I do appreciate the standard you guys hold me to though lol. But I promise you no one holds me to a higher standard than myself.
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) July 16, 2020
Elliott has a point. The standard he has set for himself since the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in 2016 has created high — even astronomical at times — expectations. There has been some talk about him having a “down year” in 2019, and he still managed to rush for 1,357 yards and score 12 touchdowns. His 4.5 yards per carry were also just barely below his career average of 4.6. Those numbers are elite no matter how you look at them.
The problem (if you want to call it that) is that Elliott’s rookie season was his best. He rushed for 1,631 yards and scored a total of 16 touchdowns while averaging an absurd 5.1 yards per carry. If anything below that stat line is considered Elliott losing a step, he may lose a step every season.
We recently saw one NFL coach greatly exaggerate how much Elliott’s game has fallen off, and that take likely played a role in the 24-year-old’s Twitter rant. If the criticism helps motivate him, Cowboys fans should be pleased Elliott is taking note.
