Ezekiel Elliott says Mike McCarthy and Co. know how important running the ball is for the Cowboys

One of the most-discussed things between now and September is undoubtedly going to be how much the Dallas Cowboys plan to run the ball under new head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy talked about his analytics awakening during the media rounds he made plugging The McCarthy Project, but he stepped over those words a bit during some media sessions after officially landing the Cowboys job as he referenced things like running the ball setting up play-action. Those words had some people worried, but until there are tangible results, worry can get the best of us.

While Mike McCarthy has said a lot, his players are starting to say things during their own media rounds. The Pro Bowl has been going on all week and wraps up today and Ezekiel Elliott is one of the players taking part in it. On Saturday he appeared on the NFL Network to discuss the new man in charge of his team.

Question: What are they saying about the run game right now? And how important that’s going to be to this offense?

Ezekiel Elliott: They know that’s very important to our offense. It’s our focal point. That’s how we want to start football games.

Elliott also mentioned that Dak Precott is the team’s leader (stop if you’ve heard that before), but overall this hardly seems like anything to get worked up over. Zeke is just talking about the philosophies of the Cowboys and who they’ve been, what they will be under Mike McCarthy truly remains to be seen.

With Kellen Moore staying on as offensive coordinator - and specifically calling plays - it stands to reason that we won’t exactly see a polar opposite Cowboys offense. While there are a lot of people championing the idea of throwing more the run game can certainly be successful if utilized properly. Hopefully there is the proper formula moving forward.