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FRISCO, Texas -- The Dallas Cowboys will be banking on their ground game making the difference Sunday when they go on the road to face the Washington Redskins in a battle of 0-1 teams. There is hope considering that Washington was run over and run down to the tune of 147 yards on the ground in a 38-16 loss to Pittsburgh last week. Steelers running back DeAngelo Williams produced 143 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
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The Cowboys are hoping for a similar outing from rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott. The fourth overall pick in this year's draft had an admittedly average game at best in Dallas' season-opening, 20-19 loss to the New York Giants, producing just 51 yards on 20 carries.
"I got a lot of things I can work on to get better," Elliott said. "I've got to work on my patience as a runner, I've got to be more disciplined, I've got to focus in on the little things.
"I didn't start where I wanted to start, but you've got to start somewhere. All I can do is, I can't worry about how I played the last game, all I can do is focus on getting better every week and going out there and performing this weekend."
Elliott wasn't helped by a Dallas offensive line that shockingly didn't get much movement up front. He had 14 carries of 3 yards or less and had a long of 8.
However, he also acknowledges that the time he missed in training camp and the preseason because of a hamstring strain set him back in his ability gain chemistry with the linemen. He now believes he didn't do much well at all in the game.
"I think I got to work on pressing my landmarks and being more patient," Elliott said. "I think I got a little bit impatient. I just got to realize that some games, you're only going to get those 2-, 3-, 4-dirty-yard, dirty runs, and you're not always going to get those big, big hitters. So just focusing on being patient, being consistent, consistently hitting those landmarks, consistently doing what I'm supposed to do instead of getting a little bit impatient."
Coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys must get more of push of front against the Redskins than they did against the Giants. Regardless, they are committed to the ground game.
"You continue to focus on doing the things you need to do to run the ball better individually and collectively," Garrett said. "It's a technical thing, it's a physical thing, it's the offensive linemen, it's the tight end, it's the receivers, it's the runners. That's the challenge you have every week running the football in the NFL. We did some good things in the game, we can build on some of those things, and obviously we have to get better in a lot of different areas."
--Cowboys owner Jerry Jones still has no timetable for the return of quarterback Tony Romo from a fractured bone in his back. The team hopes to get Romo back after six games, if not sooner. But Jones acknowledged, "Nobody but the man upstairs knows when."
"And that hasn't changed," Jones said. "But he certainly is getting better. He'll have progress by any tangible judgment. He'll have progress this week. He'll have progress next week. What has always been the case is, is it going to be six (weeks), is it going to be 10, is it going to be eight? That's always out there. That hasn't changed."
--Defensive end Randy Gregory is out of rehab and back with the team, though he remains on a four-game suspension.
Gregory is also facing an additional 10-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. That penalty is currently under appeal.
"I've had some brief conversations with him," Garrett said. "He's doing a lot better.
When asked what he talks to Gregory about, Garrett said, "Talk about everything. You try to get to know your players as people, and then certainly we're football coaches, so we always talk about football and how they're doing physically and what their role's going to be going forward."
Garrett said he absolutely envisions a role for Gregory on the team this season if the 23-year-old is cleared to play.
NOTES: DE Charles Tapper continues to miss practice due to a fractured bone in his back. He could be cleared to play next week. ... CB Orlando Scandrick said he is healthy and ready to go against the Redskins. He left the Giants game briefly with a strained hamstring, but the injury has not been a problem this week.
