“It maybe took me a month or two to get to feeling 100-percent,” Elliott mentioned. “I was hurt last year, but that’s football. After week one no one can be healthy.”
It was a yr the place Elliott, 26, realized about himself, his toughness, but additionally his limitations when enjoying one of many highest-contact positions within the sport. A season that reshaped his view on how his profession will look any more.
“I knew I was tough, and that I could play through injuries. It was definitely tough, but it’s my job,” Elliott mentioned. “You’ve got to alter and evolve as a pro. My training now focuses on what I need to get better at, what my deficiencies are, where I need to get stronger.”
While he would not go into what precisely the deficiencies had been that he continues to work on, Elliott talked about that one of many greatest priorities this offseason is staying wholesome. Prior to his damage, he averaged 85.5 yards per recreation and completed with simply 49.4 yards per recreation afterwards.
Additionally, he is hyper-focused on the staff’s common success and the way in yr seven of his NFL profession, he has a big position to play within the management of the staff.
“We’ve got to be more consistent; I think that some parts of last year we played some really good football and other parts not so good football,” Elliott mentioned. “We’ve got to find a way to eliminate those peaks and valleys.”
As a core member of the offense since getting into the league in 2016, nobody would know find out how to get rid of these ups and downs greater than Elliott. And confirmed by instance in 2021, he believes toughness is a option to discover stability.
“Toughness to me means, regardless of circumstances and regardless of what you’re up against, going out there and giving it your all.”
Along with the replace on his well being, he additionally addressed an earlier report that he was clocked at 22 mph throughout an offseason exercise. This time, he was a bit extra modest.
“Might be a little wind-aided.”
Either approach, feels like for Zeke and his teammates, the 2022 season cannot get right here quick sufficient.