The Facts: No longer carrying the weight of an NFL investigation and subsequent suspension hanging over his head, Elliott has enjoyed a quiet offseason and has him heading to camp lighter mentally and physically than he was a year ago. “You go at this time last year, he’s very stressed out,” RBs coach Gary Brown said. “Wasn’t himself. Looked big. Now he looks happy and jubilant and lean and just going out there and having some fun. So it’s a completely different Zeke than it was last year.”
Diehards Line:
Elliott is still listed at 6-foot, 228 pounds in the Cowboys media guide. But everyone saw the pudge on his waistline in training camp last year. It just wasn’t talked about. Considering what was on the line, his coming to camp in less than the best shape was understandable. It was hard to concentrate working out when your livelihood and reputation were in someone else’s hands. This year is different. “When you look at him physically and see where he has leaned up then you see the way he runs out here," Brown said. "You can tell he is in a different place right now. He is in much better shape mentally too. He doesn’t have all that stuff on his mind. He has a clear vision on what he wants to do and what he wants to be. He has a clear mind. He wants to be the best." Elliott doesn’t elaborate much on the details last season’s travails, which included the investigation, the official suspension in training camp and then a battle in federal court through the first eight games of the season before he ended up serving his penance. But the fact he's heading in focused and in shape is great news.