Zeke or not, the 2019 season starts for Dallas Cowboys this week

Editor’s Note: The Dallas Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott agreed to terms on Wednesday morning.

By Dwain Price, NDG Sports

FRISCO – As each day passes, no one knows for sure if the Dallas Cowboys will open the regular season without running back Ezekiel Elliott.

The Cowboys’ regular-season opener is Sunday at 3:25 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington against the New York Giants.

Elliott and the Cowboys have reached an impasse on a contract extension for the Pro Bowl running back. So much so the Cowboys could very well face the Giants with rookie Tony Pollard and veteran Alfred Morris as the two guys carrying the load in the backfield in Elliott’s absence.

“Everybody knows who’s not here, but we’ve still got to keep playing,” wide receiver Michael Gallup said. “If somebody goes down on the team or whatever, you’re going to have to finish out the game.

“We’re hoping to get (Elliott) back. That’s not in our control. We control what we can control – to go out and play football.”

If he signs, is Zeke ready to play Sunday?

There have been conflicting reports over the last few days on whether or not Elliott and the Cowboys were on the verge of finalizing a deal to get the game’s best running back a lucrative long-term contract. 

Some reports even had Elliott leaving Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – where he spent the vast amount of time training during the past month – and back in Dallas where he could possibly sign a contract in time to participate in Wednesday’s practice session.

But will practicing the rest of the week with his teammates afford Elliott ample time to be ready for the Giants?

“Zeke is as capable as anybody I know,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s an experienced player, he’s been a really good player for us. He knows our system of football.

“I don’t think there will be a lot of learning there. He’s a smart guy, he’s an instinctive guy. But again, we’ll practice as well as we can to prepare the right way to play the Giants. Once he gets back here, we’ll try to get him as integrated as quickly as possible.”

Elliott led the National Football League in rushing as a rookie in 2016 with 1,631 yards and last year with 1,434 yards. The Cowboys are one of the few teams in the pass-happy NFL who gear their offense around the running game, so Elliott is essential in their offensive scheme.

“Obviously we love to have him here, but we’ve got to go with the guys in the locker room,” offensive guard Zack Martin said. “We have a huge game this week, and we’ve got to prepare for it.

“(Tony Pollard) has looked great in the preseason. It’s nice to have a guy in Alfred here. He runs that wide zone scheme as good as anyone, so we’ve got a good thing going with those two guys.”

What are the Boys chances in 2019?

Let’s be real about the likelihood of the Cowboys reaching the Super Bowl with Pollard and Morris toting the football instead of Elliott is about as likely as a snowball surviving a raging wildfire. 

The Cowboys are coming off a season where they won the NFC East with a 10-6 record. Dallas was just 3-5 at the midway point of the season, then rallied to win seven of its final eight games before defeating Seattle in the wild card game (24-22) then losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the playoffs (30-22).

But this year’s Cowboy squad is so loaded from top to bottom that several football aficionados have them not only reaching the Super Bowl but coming home with the NFL’s top prize for the first time since the 1995 season.

“The goal for this football team is to compete for a Super Bowl championship, and if that’s not your goal you shouldn’t be involved in this,” Garrett said. “But that’s something that we put in the back of our minds, and what we try to do is focus on what we need to do each day to become better players, better coaches and a better football team. 

“And that’s really what’s on the forefront of our mind – improve every day, try to get better every day with the opportunities that we have. That’s really what our goal is more than anything else, and hopefully, that’ll allow us to achieve the other goals that we have as we go.”

The Cowboy players themselves know they’re on the cusp of achieving greatness.

“I definitely feel something special,” wide receiver Tavon Austin said. “Win, lose, or draw, this is still a special team.

“I feel as if we proved that last year with our backs against the wall and how we came back. So this year it’s more of a different approach. We know what we’re capable of doing. It’s all about all of us keeping up with our positions.”

Gallup added that the Cowboys are very energized to tackle the task at hand.

“We went to the playoffs last year, you know, got upset pretty bad,” Gallup said. “But we’ve got a little chip on our shoulders, so we should be ready to play.”

And ready to take on the Giants. Even if Elliott is unable to play. 

Has Elliott’s absence caused any uneasiness on the Cowboys’ part?

“It’s not strange, just because we understand the situation,” wide receiver Amari Cooper said. “We’re adults and understand this business.”

In other words, the Cowboys genuinely understand that for them to reach their ultimate goal, they must have Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield as soon as possible.