As Cowboys rely increasingly on Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott might be more important than you think

OXNARD, Calif. — The Cowboys’ defense was back at it with the double A-gap pressures.

Linebacker Eric Kendricks inched toward one of the gaps between the center and guard, a safety creeping up from the backfield to attack the other.

Edge rusher Micah Parsons stood behind them, ready to threaten.

The Cowboys’ offense hadn’t discussed this.

“What any team’s gonna wanna do [is] block Micah,” quarterback Dak Prescott told Yahoo Sports. “But for him being off the ball and in that look, it made it complicated for us.”

So Prescott asked three offensive linemen to keep an eye out for five potential rushers. His offensive linemen weren’t the only ones to answer the call. Leave it to running back Ezekiel Elliott to chip Parsons.

“Really what makes it work is Zeke being a pro,” Prescott said. “His guy leaves, [he] follows and he’s able to track Micah. Boom, I step up, throw the in-cut backside to Brandin Cooks at the time.”

Success.

Executing a training camp play hardly guarantees success in the regular season. But on that double A-gap pressure — a look Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has increasingly challenged the offense with throughout camp — Elliott performed a job his quarterback was still praising a week and a half later, despite its complete absence in the stat line.

The 2016 fourth overall draft pick wasn’t hurdling defenders as he did in his early years. Elliott wasn’t finding a crease to penetrate as he did as recently as two seasons ago, when he scored 12 touchdowns even as his efficiency dipped.

But Elliott’s block allowed Prescott the extra seconds he needed to complete the pass. Elliott’s deep understanding of draft classmate Prescott’s nuances, and of the game in which he’s entering Year 9 as a pro, translated to arriving at the right place at the right time.

Dallas expects more of that as the season approaches.

So while skepticism about Elliott’s explosiveness and perhaps his gross production is warranted, the Cowboys…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/as-cowboys-rely-increasingly-on-dak-prescott-ezekiel-elliott-might-be-more-important-than-you-think-233421701.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-08-16 23:34:21

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