OXNARD, Calif. _ It's been said that being a running back is natural.
The great ones come out of the womb with the instincts to make people miss and run to daylight.
It's the reason running backs are able to contribute early as freshman in college and make immediate impacts as rookies in the NFL.
But the key is being able to sustain it when everyone is counting on you and everything is seemingly stacked against you in the form of eight and nine man fronts.
And that's what Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is preparing for in 2018.
It's well chronicled how important he is to the Cowboys offense and how the team plans to lean on him even more as a runner and receiver. So it's no surprise he will see limited action in the preseason to stay healthy and out of harm's way.
He said Sunday that he will likely only play a series in the third preseason game, similar to what his load was last season.
Elliott is in better mental and physical shape than he was last season when was weighed down by a six-game suspension from the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy and subsequent eight-week court battle that impacted all aspects of his life and game.
With his focus solely on football, his growth as a student of the game should pay dividends in 2018 as well.
He is admittedly more patient runner than he was even in 2016 when he led the league in rushing as a rookie with 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns.
"Yeah, it was definitely something I had to grow into coming into the league," Elliott said. "The scheme I came from in college at Ohio State, plays hit a lot harder, I mean a lot faster. Honestly when you move to this next level you're playing against a lot better players, a lot smarter payers, a lot stronger players so those double teams are going to take longer to develop. They're going to develop and you're going to have to set up your blockers better. That's just something I've been working on definitely trying to ingrain it in the minds of those younger running backs we have just so they can get better and succeed at this level."
The old adage is slow to the hole, fast through hole.
Elliott said it's not just about taking a handoff and running. You have to understand premise, philosophy and design of the play.
"You got to know your schemes," Elliott said. "You got to know your landmarks and you got to know where your double teams are and you got to know where their targets are and you got to make sure you give the linemen a chance to double up to the linebackers. Like I said, players are smarter, players are better at this level, so it's just tough. It just takes repetition. It takes working at it and you'll get it."
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has raved about Elliott's performance and approach since the beginning of training camp. Elliott has always been instinctive with a great feel for the game, per Garrett.
But his growing maturity, following a deliberately quiet offseason, has stood out in his third camp with the team.
"Zeke is a very talented guy and he's a very smart guy. He's an instinctive football player. Right from the get-go, it didn't take him long to pick things up," Garrett said. "He's just one of those guys who gets it intellectually _ but he also gets it out on the field very quickly. Like all our players, like all our coaches, like everybody in life, you continue to mature as you go through things. Certainly, this is his third training camp now, so he's gone through it a couple times. He's more experienced, he knows what to expect. I think he's handling things really well. He had a good offseason and worked very hard and came in here ready to go."
Elliott is also ready to take on an expanded role in the passing game as the Cowboys attempt to get him the ball as much possible.
In addition to the screens and swing passes out of the backfield, he has been split out wide, catching slants like a receiver. There is also a gadget where he is lined up in a slot and comes back to catch a shovel pass from quarterback Dak Prescott.
Elliott identified Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk as a running back whom he has looked up to and watched for his ability to make plays in the passing game.
"They're asking me to do a little more, a couple of different things," Elliott said. "But it's just kind of developing myself more as a route runner. In the past, I really wasn't asked to run as many complex routes but now I have a couple of more routes to add to my route tree.
"I think it's just an opportunity to elevate my game, an opportunity to show that I can do more. I'm excited ... it's definitely a lot easier to get the ball in space, there are more opportunities for explosive plays."
