Dallas Cowboys' running back Ezekiel Elliott is owning up to his lackadaisical effort in two key plays against the Denver Broncos this weekend.
Elliott, who's undisputedly one of the top running backs in the NFL, was notably called out by a former great running back, LaDainian Tomlinson (among others), for what Tomlinson saw was poor sideline attitude. In fact, the former Chargers' star felt Elliott quit on the Cowboys.
That's harsh criticism from an all-time great, but to his credit, Elliott took the time to respond to the media regarding Tomlinson's thoughts. Here's what he said, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News:
"I definitely heard it,'' said Elliott, who carried nine times for a career-low eight yards in the loss. "I guess you could say it looked like that.
"I would say I was just very frustrated, but that's no excuse for the lack of effort I showed on tape. I just can't do that. Being one of the leaders on the team and being a guy that people count on, I can't put that type of stuff on film.''
Specifically, Elliott addressed Dallas' two interceptions, which were plays that saw him basically give up. One of which, you can see below:
The Dallas running back told reporters that head coach Jason Garrett and he addressed the issue in-house, and when asked what he saw when watching those plays, Elliott told reporters that he saw bad effort from himself:
"It's definitely not me. It's definitely not the type of player I am. It's definitely not who I am for this team.
"I just can't do that. I was frustrated, and I wasn't myself.''
The Broncos stunned the Cowboys in Week 2, winning 42-17. Elliott rushed nine times for only eight yards, averaging an abysmal 0.9 yards per rush.
