Notebook: The Other Rookie; What Is “The Pit?”

Zeke Staying Fresh

For an NFL running back, "fresh" is probably a relative term during the season, but Ezekiel Elliott says he feels good physically after three games.

"I don't feel as fresh as Week 1, but I definitely feel good," he said Wednesday.

Elliott still has 44 carries through three games – still the most on the team by a good margin. But backup Tony Pollard has taken on a larger role so far, rushing 27 times.

By splitting up the work more evenly, the Cowboys hope it will prevent wear and tear for both players throughout the year.

"I think we're keeping everyone fresh," Elliott said. "We added an extra game so it's not 16, it's now 17. We added an extra game to an already long season. I think the biggest thing is keep everyone fresh, keep everyone as healthy as long as we can."

— Rob Phillips (9/29)

Buddy SystemIf you've found yourself wondering how the Cowboys choose between their punt returns, the answer appears to be that they don't – they let Cedrick Wilson figure it out themselves.

Lamb and Wilson both got a crack at fielding a punt on Monday night against the Eagles. And while the expectation might be that the coaching staff has a time and place for using each player, special teams coordinator John Fassel said he feels fine letting them make the call.

"I told Ced and CeeDee, I said, 'Hey, this is the play call and you guys go back there. Ced, I don't need you inside. We're covered with the eight inside. Whoever's back there, this is the call and give it a run,'" Fassel said on Monday.

It speaks to the trust the staff has in each player. Wilson has proven himself as one of the Cowboys' more valuable special teamers during his career, while Lamb's dynamic ability speaks for itself. It isn't something Fassel has done often in his career, but he's clearly comfortable with this duo.

"It's really cool to be able to have two guys that can do that, because I haven't had much experience with a buddy system at punt returner," he said.

As for Lamb, he said the decision comes down to a really simple question between himself and Wilson.

"It's an argument until the last second," Lamb said. "It's just like, 'Who's gonna get it?'"

— David Helman (9/29)

The Pit

It's not a very friendly-sounding nickname, but it's vital to the Cowboys' success – or the success of any NFL coaching staff, for that matter.

Given the challenge of preparing for an uncommon opponent, especially on a shortened week thanks to a Monday Night Football game, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy made sure to give credit to his quality control staff.

"We have six guys that we call it 'The Pit,'" he said. "Just the amount of information that those guys pump out. They do a phenomenal job for our coaching staff and our players."

Quality control coach is a bit of a catch-all term for younger coaches, lower on the staff totem pole. As with a lot of lower-level jobs, their duties range across a variety of different aspects of the team. Easily one of the most crucial, though, is preparing the team for its upcoming opponents by analyzing tape.

At this early stage of the season, before teams have played a lot of game, that tape analysis can vary widely. Last week, McCarthy noted that his quality control staff was watching film of DeVonta Smith during his college career at Alabama in order to build as thorough a cutup as possible.

This week, with Sam Darnold having only started three games for Carolina, the guys in 'The Pit' have made sure to study his tape from his time with the New York Jets.

"The beauty of today's NFL is you have the resources to grab tape from college and pro, it's all at your fingertips," McCarthy said.

It might be easier than ever to access the tape, but the task of digging through it is a massive undertaking – and one that deserves its fair share of credit.

— David Helman (9/29)

Wall-to-Walls Coverage

No cornerback in the NFL is playing as well as Trevon Diggs right now. The second-year pro from Alabama leads the league in pass breakups with six and his three interceptions are tied for first as well.

Three picks in the first three games of the season? You'd have to go back to 1985 to find when Everson Walls opened that season with three straight games of picks. That year, Walls finished the season with a league-leading nine picks.

Since then, the Cowboys have never had a player finish a year with more than six, and the last time that occurred was 2007 with Anthony Henry.

More than just the picks, Diggs is showing to be a shut-down corner who can travel with opposing No. 1 receivers. So far this year, we've seen him follow Tampa Bay's Mike Evans, LA's Keenan Allen and at times he chased around Philly rookie DeVonta Smith.

— Nick Eatman (9/29)

Osa's Arrow Pointing Up

Rookie defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa is off to a strong start, and the third-round draft pick says practicing against six-time Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin has been great preparation for game day.

"He's really, really good guard, one of the best in the NFL," Odighizuwa said. "So going against him every day and just get that look, I think is something that helps. Not just me but anybody that lines up against him he's going make us better."

With 1.5 sacks against the Eagles, Odighizuwa tied Micah Parsons for the team lead after three games. With Neville Gallimore (elbow) still on Reserve/Injured, Odighizuwa has started at defensive tackle and moved out to defensive end in certain situations.

"I've been pleased with where he's at and I think the arrow is just going up for him because he does have quickness like a defensive end," defensive coordinator Dan Quinn said. "That's why we moved him down inside and that's what he showed in college. Now it's a matter of taking some of those skills and turning it into what we think he can be."

— Rob Phillips (9/29)