Patriots Ezekiel Elliott, Will Grier 'Know Where Cowboys Bones Are Buried!' - Dallas Coach

New England Patriots Ezekiel Elliott & Will Grier 'Know Where the Cowboys Bones Are Buried!' - Dallas Coach

FRISCO - The New England Patriots under legendary coach Bill Belichick have a reputation for looking under every rock for even the tiniest game-day advantage.

And the Dallas Cowboys, prepping for a Week 4 visit from the Pats, are admitting to an awareness that two such "tiny advantages'' - in the form of Cowboys-turned-Patriots Ezekiel Elliott and Will Grier - may exist.

“We know Will knows where a lot of the bones are buried,” Dallas offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said in previewing this week’s matchup on Sunday at AT&T Stadium. “We know Zeke does as well.” Can adjust accordingly. “I’m sure (Grier) is definitely being interrogated.”

Will Grier and Ezekiel Elliott 

On the field, the Patriots are just starting to "Feed Zeke'' just a bit a the Pats got their first win Sunday … and they also got a glimpse at a celebratory move very familiar to the Dallas Cowboys fans who are about to re-engage with Elliott.

“It’s going to be fun," said Elliott, scheduled to return to Dallas in Week 4 to play his old pals. "I’m excited to go back to Dallas, a place where I have so much history ... my home in the offseason. It will be cool to get back in AT&T Stadium.”

It was also "cool'' to see Zeke contribute to a New England win. Part of conservative game plan that both avoided turnovers and controlled the ball, Elliott had his best game as a Patriot in the 15-10 win at soggy MetLife Stadium. He rushed 16 times for 80 yards. In New England's first two games he had only a combined 42 yards.

Meanwhile, Grier was a "hero for a moment'' with the Cowboys in a preseason closing game at AT&T Stadium. ... and in Week 4, he makes his to return to Arlington, now as a newly-minted member of a New England team that is playing "Musical Chairs'' at the quarterback position.

In the past four weeks, Belichick has made a dozen roster transactions with quarterbacks to work behind Mac Jones, who has been improved as the starter - if on a pop-gun offense.

But the quarterback carousel behind him has been dizzying, with Grier now as the No. 2 guy.

Grier spent a short time with the Cowboys, while Zeke was here starting in 2016 before being a spring-time cap casualty.

Do they truly have secret insight into the Cowboys? Dallas will surely alter some hand-signal motions and some line-of-scrimmage verbiage. But otherwise? 

We’ve always thought that “inside info” thing to be an overhyped aspect of the NFL … but we also know Belichick is a master of leveraging advantages … which do figure to be needed against a 2-1 Dallas team reeling from a shocking loss at Arizona but still a heavy favorite here.


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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.