Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott rookie season stood out — even for a franchise which has produced a number of big-time backs.
But those Cowboys legends also had a word of advice for the eager young back — stop trying to hurdle people.
“He better stop that. He better stop that. He better stop that,” Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett said, via Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “That’s one thing that I don’t like. When you get airborne, you’re at the mercy of the hit, and sometimes you can’t protect yourself. I think as he gets older he may take that out of his repertoire. He needs to stop that. That scares me every time he gets airborne. I’m like oh….”
Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all-time rushing leader, echoed that sentiment, saying he cringes when he sees Elliott up in the air.
“Get on the ground as quickly as possible,” Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith said. “Every time I watch somebody run, I’m looking very closely, very tentatively, seeing how they fall because a lot of things happen when you fall.”
Elliott was a high school hurdler, and it became a bit of a signature move last season. And while the old guys might get a little nervous, they might also worrying about some of their franchise rushing records.
Elliott led the league in rushing (1,631 yards) and scored 15 touchdowns last year, eclipsing the rookie numbers set by Smith (937) and Dorsett (1,007) when they were rookies.
They also never used their leaping ability to jump into a giant Salvation Army kettle at the end of a touchdown run. No matter what any old guy says, Elliott should never stop doing that, because it was awesome, that’s why.