FRISCO, Texas _ Ezekiel Elliott feels he has something to prove this season.
The point: He's the best running back in the NFL.
"That's exactly it, I want to prove I'm the best back in the game," Elliott said Wednesday as the Cowboys prepare to face Carolina to open the regular season. "That's what my focus this offseason was."
Elliott is an elite back. While he remains in the debate among the NFL's best, he saw the arguments for Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell and Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams strengthen last season while he battled, and eventually succumbed, to a six-game suspension for domestic abuse. He enters the 2018 season with newcomer Saquon Barkley generating the sort of buzz he did two short years ago, when he led the league in rushing as a rookie.
Elliott rushed for 983 yards and seven touchdowns in his 10 games last season and enters his third season with something to prove.
"The chip on my shoulder is just not having a full year last year and not performing the way I believe I could have," Elliott acknowledged. "Yeah."
Elliott said he felt his focus was a little more intense this offseason because he has so much to prove. Asked about how difficult that will be since defenses will load the box to stop him and the Cowboys' ground game, he had a quick answer.
"I mean we've faced eight-, nine-, 10-man fronts every week since I've gotten here," Elliott said. "I don't know how many more guys they can throw in the box.
"I mean, go back and watch the film. Go back and watch the games. Guys don't play two-high (safeties). They play single-high, they bring an extra safety in the box and if they don't bring an extra safety in the box, then you punch them.
"I mean yeah, there's going to be more focus on me, but I don't understand how you can say 'we're going to throw more guys in the box.' There are only 11 guys on the field and they're already putting as many as they can in there."
One last question: Is he the sort of player who runs better with a chip on his shoulder?
"We'll see," he said.
