Ezekiel Elliott ready to show appreciation to Cowboys' offensive line

After DeMarco Murray set an NFL record with his seventh straight 100-yard game to open the 2014 season, he bought the Dallas Cowboys offensive linemen $1,300 iMacs, complete with a 21.5-inch screen.

When the season ended and Murray had set a Cowboys record with 1,845 rushing yards, which led the NFL, he bought 22 Orefici watches for his teammates. During the year, he bought meals and other trinkets as well.

It was just a way to say thank you to teammates who helped him, especially the offensive line.

A month into his rookie year, Ezekiel Elliott is leading the NFL with 412 yards on 94 carries. He has three touchdowns as well.

He is getting ready to dip into his rookie signing bonus to show his appreciation.

"We haven't gone to dinner yet, but I think that's something we're planning on doing this week," Elliott said of his linemen.

The relationship between a running back and an offensive line is of the upmost importance in the Cowboys' running game, and it's not just about buying gifts to show appreciation. Last year, Joseph Randle never quite figured it out on or off the field, but Darren McFadden, who ran for 1,089 yards, quickly did.

In the Cowboys' system of running the ball, the back can't freelance. There are certain landmarks they have to hit on specific runs, like the inside hip of a tight end or the outside hip of the guard. It's not so much reading the defense as much as it is reading the blockers.

"The importance of patience in our running game, with all style of runs, it's all coordinated," coach Jason Garrett said. "There's timing to it. There are landmarks to it. And you have to be disciplined to those things as the play starts. And then, once the play develops, you have to go be a football player. And he's pretty good at that."

It took Elliott two games to figure out the timing required.

In the last two games, Elliott has run for 140 yards on 30 carries in a win against the Chicago Bears and 138 yards on 23 carries in last week's win against the San Francisco 49ers. It was just the fourth time in franchise history a Cowboys rookie running back has had back-to-back 100-yard rushing yards. It was just the fifth time in team history a running back has posted back-to-back games with more than 125 yards.

Murray did it on two occasions in 2014.

"In our system, everything is kind of married together," right guard Zack Martin said. "The last couple of weeks, we've been playing well together as a whole offense, so we've got to keep that up."

It's happened with a new left side of the offensive line for the last six quarters.Chaz Green has started at left tackle for an injured Tyron Smith, who missed the last two games with back spasms. Ronald Leary took over for La’el Collins at halftime of the Chicago game after Collins suffered a toe injury that required surgery on Tuesday and landed him on injured reserve Wednesday.

Smith, who went through a limited practice Wednesday, is hopeful to return Sunday.

"They're a gritty group from the top to the bottom," Elliott said. "The starters, the backups, all those guys can play. They can ball. They have a culture in that room that allows them to all come in and play at a high level. I mean, it doesn't matter who's in there, they're going to go in there and do their job. They have pride in the way they take the field and the way they compete."

At Ohio State, Elliott considered himself one of "the slobs," which was the self-appointed nickname of the Buckeyes offensive line. They hung out together. They talked football together. They talked college life together.

Elliott won't go so far as to call his Cowboys linemen slobs. "They work hard on their physiques, so I would never step across that line and call any of them a slob," he joked.

But he will take them to dinner. And he might do more throughout the season, like Murray did two years ago.

"You know, hopefully we don't take advantage of it too much," Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick said. "Offensive linemen, we do like to eat. I don't know if he's ready to see that number yet."

Cardale Jones hopes Ezekiel Elliott smashes Emmitt Smith's Cowboys records for one reason

Cardale Jones is keeping a close eye on his former Ohio State teammate and current Dallas Cowboys rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott. Yes, their ties to the Buckeyes are an obvious reason, but Jones, a rookie QB for the Bills, tweeted that he wants to see Elliott break every Cowboys rushing record to stick it to Emmitt Smith.

Jones is referring to Smith's tweet before the 2015 Sugar Bowl in which the Cowboys icon said that the only two running backs to focus on in that game played for the Crimson Tide — Derrick Henry and T.J. Yeldon. One problem, Elliott's Buckeyes also were playing.

Elliott emerged as the real star, rushing for 230 yards and two touchdowns in Ohio State's 42-35 victory.

Breaking Smith's records would be a tall task to say the least. He holds team records for career rushing yards (17,162), rushing attempts (4,052) and rushing touchdowns (153).

Smith has publicly backed Elliott since the Cowboys selected him No. 4 overall in this year's draft. In May, Smith said Elliott is better than he was.

Cowboys fans can hope Smith is right on that one.

Here's how rare it would be for rookie Ezekiel Elliott to get 300 carries

The Dallas Cowboys surprised a lot of people by taking a running back (former Ohio State star Ezekiel Elliott) with the fourth pick in this year's NFL Draft. Running backs have fallen out of vogue lately, largely due to the fact that teams now know they have an extremely short shelf life. They've been getting selected later and later in the draft as a result. The Cowboys, though, bucked that trend.

Dallas wants to return to the run-focused offense that led to the best season of Tony Romo's career in 2014, and presumably wants to use Elliott to do it. It's unlikely they'd have drafted him in the top five if they were just planning to give Darren McFadden or Alfred Morris a ton of carries. So it should come as not much of a surprise that DallasCowboys.com writer David Helman said in an answer to a mailbag question on Tuesday that he expects Elliott to "finish with roughly 280-300 carries."

Could Elliott rack up 300 carries in his rookie year? USATSI

That's probably the consensus expectation for most observers, but here's the thing: it would be incredibly rare. Since the AFL/NFL merger in 1970, there have been only 30 rookie running backs that carried the ball 280-plus times, per Pro-Football-Refernece. There have been only 17 backs to tote it 300-plus times.

The sample of players to receive that many carries, of course, is biased toward high draft picks. Of the 17 players to carry 300-plus times, 10 were selected in the first 10 picks of the draft and nine were selected in the top five. Of the 280-plus carry rookies, 14 were top-10 picks and 12 were top-five selections.

Even those players, though, were the exception, rather than the rule. There have been 57 running backs selected in the first 10 picks of the draft since the merger, and 33 selected in the top five. That means only 24.6 percent of top-10 picks got 280-plus carries during their rookie season, and just 21.0 percent received 300-plus.

Narrowing the sample down to top-five ball-carriers raises the percentages a bit, but still to pretty low numbers. Just 36.4 percent of top-five running backs received 280-plus carries during the rookie season, and 27.3 percent received 300-plus.

Elliott, then, would have to strongly buck tradition if he were to actually receive that many carries. The Cowboys will likely set the goal of getting him there, but he's going to have to remain both healthy and effective enough in order to actually do it.

Poll: Which Cowboys Rookie Not Named Ezekiel Elliott Will Have The Best Season?

When you invest your fourth overall pick in a running back and pair him with one of the best O-lines in the league, I think the expectation is that you've drafting a guy who'll have a pretty big impact on the team. And not just down the line, but immediately.

In fact, my personal expectation is that given his draft pedigree, Ezekiel Elliott should at least be in contention for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Having said that, my expectations for the remaining Cowboys draft picks are somewhat lower, but I am excited by their potential nevertheless.

Jaylon Smith probably won't take any snaps this year given his injury status, and Dak Prescott definitley shouldn't take any snaps this year, because that would mean another season down the crapper. But there are six other draft picks that could all play a role this year.

Can Maliek Collins step up at three-technique this year despite missing time with a broken foot; can Charles Tapper live up to his athletic potential and establish himself as part of the rotation at defensive end; will Anthony Brown be able to translate his speed into a spot on the roster; is Kavon Frazier able to challenge for a spot at safety; will Darius Jackson impress enough to allow the Cowboys to trade ; does Roco Gathers have enough time to learn how to be part of red zone packages; and could "eighth draft pick" Rodney Coe make an immediate impact on the D-line?

Let us know which rookies you think will have the most success this year.

Dane Brugler breaks down Ezekiel Elliott as a Cowboy; mid-to-late round possibilities for Dallas

CBS Sports and NFLDraftScout analyst Dane Brugler recently released his annual NFL Draft Guide. Click here to download the package that profiles and grades of over 400 prospects.

Brugler spent some time Tuesday answering Dallas Cowboys related draft questions. Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott and UCLA linebacker Myles Jack were among the first-round picks he discussed. 

Brugler also shared his thoughts on some mid-to-late round possibilities for Dallas.

What are your thoughts on the Cowboys potentially picking Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4?

Brugler: "I would love to see Ezekiel Elliott with the Cowboys, just because of the things he could do behind that offensive line, the way he would impact the offense. I just don't think this team will do that. I don't think they'll see the value in taking a running back at No. 4. But I hope I'm wrong because I would love to see Elliott with the Cowboys. They've built so much into this offensive line that I think they feel like they can get a running back in the second, third or fourth round. They don't need to use a top five resource at the position. Hopefully I'm wrong."

Of this group of Cowboys pre-draft visitors (Jacoby Brissett, Connor McGovern, Cory James, Deon King, Isaac Seumalo), which intrigues you most?

Brugler: "There's something intriguing about each, but Seumalo is really intriguing to me because I see a future NFL starter at center. He was at center most of his career. He got hurt towards the end of his sophomore season. So he missed all of his junior year and then he returned in 2015 and the new coaching staff moved him to guard and he even played some left tackle. Everything was just a little different than what we saw in his early trajectory as a prospect. I think he can get back to playing center, he can provide value as a potential guard. If you can get him even as late as the fourth round, that to me is a steal. He's a top 100 talent and a future NFL starter.

"The other name you mentioned that is intriguing to me is Brissett. I'm not as high on Brissett as others. The big reason is just I don't see the downfield confidence as a passer. Traditionally that's not something that's easy to fix with a player, but I'm eager to find out if a team can develop his downfield passing ability. He has the arm to do it. He's built well, almost 6-4, 230 pounds. He has a lot of things you look for, but he just an inconsistent downfield passer. I think a lot of it has to do with his confidence, trusting what he's seeing, anticipating passing windows. I want to see him develop that downfield passing game. Can a team really work on that and develop that part of his game? I have my doubts, but if a team is able to do that, they could have a really intriguing passer."

What are you hearing about Myles Jack and his possibilities of being a fit for the Cowboys at No. 4?

Brugler: "We haven't seen his name as one of their top 30 visits, which is a little surprising, but maybe he can be a late addition based on what the medical re-checks say. Talking to some teams, they're optimistic. Talking to other teams, they're a little pessimistic about Jack's knee. It's a little more than just a meniscus tear, so some teams are worried about long-term health and how that could affect it. Unless the doctors come back and give you two thumbs up and say, 'We have no concerns. His knee is progressing well. He should be at full health before training camp, and we shouldn't have any long-term issues,' then Myles Jack is a top seven, top eight player. That's where he's going to go. But if the doctors come back with any doubt, I'm not sure how you can take him that early. That's what teams are worried about, just a little bit of doubt. Because at the combine, the doctors found a little bit of doubt with that knee, so what the re-checks say will really be the key variable that's missing right now for Jack's stock."

If the Cowboys don't get a pass rusher in the first round and they are looking for one at No. 34, who could be a good fit there?

Brugler: "Kevin Dodd, the Clemson defensive end, would make some sense. To me, he's not as talented as his teammate Shaq Lawson, but there is stuff to like about Kevin Dodd. He's 6-5, 277 pounds. He really took advantage of his opportunity to start in 2015. His numbers were kind of overlooked because they were second on the team to Shaq Lawson, but he still had 23.5 tackles for loss, 12 sacks. You could tell as the season went on, that light bulb started to illuminate more and more as he started to figure things out and he became more comfortable. With more and more playing time he became more and more comfortable on the field. You saw that on tape throughout the second half of the year. I think that will continue once he gets into training camp and is given a chance to develop in the NFL. He can be a solid starting defensive end and I think he would fit the Cowboys scheme fairly well."

Who is a middle-to-late round player that would be a good fit for the Cowboys at quarterback, running back, defensive end or cornerback?

Brugler: "Kenyan Drake from Alabama is interesting. He's six-foot and a half, 210 pounds. He's almost a running back trapped in a wide receiver's body with the way he plays the game. But he brings a little bit of juice to the backfield. He has the versatility to help on special teams. So if you can harness his athleticism and let him help out in the passing game as a receiver, I think Kenyan Drake can be an interesting guy. Similar to the way the Lions use Theo Riddick (2015 stats: 43 carries, 80 receptions), I think Drake could be that type of player for the Cowboys. If you could get him in the fourth or fifth round, he would kind of round out that running back backfield."

Urban Meyer has high praise for Ezekiel Elliott

Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer stopped by the NFL Network broadcast booth Saturday morning during the first quarterback and wide receiver workout at the Scouting Combine. Meyer spoke on several subjects, but he really lit up when the conversation turned to former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott.

“He’s the best player I’ve ever coached without the ball in his hands,” Meyer said of Elliott. “Think about that for a minute.

“He’s the best as far as blocking, pass protection and effort down the field.”

Elliott told reporters at the Combine this week that his versatility and ability be a three-down back separate him from the rest of the running back class.

There are 14 Ohio State players at the Combine, and nine of them gave up their remaining college eligibility to enter the NFL. Meyer said because it would have been “impossible” to give every NFL scout who inquired sufficient time to talk individually about those players, he hosted an informational session earlier this month and said he believes every NFL team was represented.

“We’ve never done that before,” Meyer said. “It was a special day.”

Urban Meyer Discusses Ezekiel Elliott's Skill Set, Michigan State Comments

With running back Ezekiel Elliott looking to land in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft, Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer commented on the 2015 College Football Playoff Championship Offensive MVP Saturday.

Meyer has coached countless excellent players during his time as the head coach at Bowling Green, Utah, Florida and OSU, which is why it is certainly significant whenever he gives someone the designation of being "the best" in a particular area. 

He did precisely that with regard to Elliott, but it was a compliment most probably wouldn't have expected, as provided by Will Brinson of CBS Sports:

Elliott topped 1,800 yards rushing in both 2014 and 2015, and he scored a remarkable 41 touchdowns in those two seasons combined, which speaks to how dynamic he is with the ball in his hands.

The fact that the St. Louis native can do the little things aside from picking up yardage bodes well for his chances of coming off the board early.

Perhaps the one negative during Elliott's tenure with the Buckeyes came following their loss to Michigan State this past season, which saw him criticize the play-calling after rushing for just 33 yards on 12 carries, per ESPN.com's Austin Ward:

What happened today, it was kind of like a bad, bad dream. Offense had a rough day, and I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed in the play calling, I'm disappointed in the situations we were put in, and I wish it all played out differently.

(...)

It's very disappointing. The one drive that we had where we kind of had some momentum when we scored after the strip sack, the plays we ran, we ran a lot of gap schemes and we were gashing them. You guys saw that on that drive, and we had a lot of momentum. Honestly, we didn't see those plays at all for the rest of the game. Those plays weren't called anymore. I asked for those plays to be called, and they weren't. It just hurts. It hurts a lot.

While Meyer didn't disagree with the comments when asked about them Saturday, he made it clear that bringing them up in the media wasn't the right way for Elliott to go about expressing his frustration, according to Tim Moody of Scout.com:

Elliott made a mistake that many young players can relate to, and it is one that won't do him any favors in NFL locker rooms if he repeats it at the next level.

The dynamic rusher is extremely confident in his ability, though, and he needs that edge in order to succeed at the NFL level.

Every great player wants the ball and feels as though they can put the team on their back in difficult situations, and Elliott did that more often than not during his time at OSU.

He has all the makings of being a superstar player, and it's clear that Meyer sees that type of potential in him regardless of any disagreements they may have had.