Little more than a week separates the Dallas Cowboys from kicking off the 2019 season and Jerry Jones is looking to win a marathon -- not a sprint -- with or without running back Ezekiel Elliott.
In his latest words regarding the absent Elliott, who's in a holdout for a contract extension, Jones said plenty as per usual, but indicated the Cowboys need to be ready to play and win no matter who's on the field or who's not.
"We have to be prepared to play without any given player," Jones said Wednesday on 105.3 the Fan. "We may very well play without a player that's not coming in on his contract. We'll play and we'll play well."
In Elliott's absence, rookie Tony Pollard has filled in admirably, showcasing promise and compiling 84 yards in 15 carries with a touchdown across three preseason games.
In what could be construed as spinning Elliott's holdout into a positive, Jones also stated in the long road that is the NFL season, it is later on in the year when Elliott is needed most.
"We've got a marathon here," Jones said. "We want Zeke when we get to the playoffs. We want Zeke when we're in the dog days of this season."
The most telling commentary from Jones, however, was that there was simply no change on the Zeke front.
"I don't have anything to report there," he said. "No we don't have anything to report on our contract negotiations."
In this instance, at least for Cowboys fans, no news is bad news.
