It's a bit cliche, but Ezekiel Elliott is downplaying the importance of breaking the NFL's rookie rushing record—-one that's stood for over 30 years and he's well on pace to break.
The Cowboys rookie running back told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he's tired of hearing about Eric Dickerson's 1983 rookie record (1,808 yards), and that individual accomplishments take a back seat to what the entire team does.
"Because it's not important," Elliott said. "You guys want to write stories about the rookie rushing record, and it's about this team, honestly. It's not about a record. That's not what we're focused on. We're a team, and honestly I don't want any attention being put towards that. It should be about this team, and it should be about these guys. It should be about our relationship. It shouldn't be about records."
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Earlier in the week, teammate Dez Bryant predicted that Elliott would eclipse 2,000 yards rushing this season, a mark he's not averaging enough yardage per game to reach, but possibly could with a few big games thrown in. Elliott's currently averaging 117.2 yards per game, which, with 10 games remaining, would put him at 1,875 for the season. To reach 2,000, he would need to up his average to around 130 yards per outing.
Regardless of what it might take individually, Elliott still touts a team-first mentality. But when asked whether the record would qualify as a team accomplishment, Elliott finally let his guard down.
"It would be, because it takes 11 guy. It would be our record," he said.
