Ezekiel Elliott might be on pace to break the rookie record for rushing yards, but the Dallas Cowboys running back is already sick and tired of all the questions about Eric Dickerson’s three-decade old mark.
“You guys want to write stories about the rookie rushing record, and it’s about this team, honestly,” Elliott said, via Charean Williams of the Star Telegram. “It’s not about a record. That’s not what we’re focused on.”
Elliott’s incredible start has made the record a week-to-week topic in Dallas.
After six games, Elliott has rushed for a league-high 703 yards—putting him on pace for 1,875 in 2016. Dickerson set the rookie rushing record with 1,803 yards during the 1983 season.
Elliott insists the focus should be on the Cowboys, who are 5-1 and leading the NFC East.
“We’re a team, and honestly I don’t want any attention being put towards (the record),” Elliott said. “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.”
But Elliott keeps setting records.
The fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft became the first rookie running back to produce four straight games with at least 130 rushing yards. His 703 rushing yards are the second most by a rookie after six games, behind only Dickerson.
Elliott can rest easy, at least temporarily. With the Cowboys on a bye, Elliott can’t get any closer to Dickerson’s record this week. But if he returns to the field in Week 8 and continues producing at his current levels, the questions about the rookie rushing record aren’t going to go away.
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