Stephen A. Smith finds Ezekiel Elliott's assessment of his week one performance a misleading one and only thinks Elliott can become better by being honest with himself. (2:09)

FRISCO, Texas -- Ezekiel Elliott's standard is high, as it should be for the fourth pick in the NFL draft. He needs to play better.

He needs to be more precise. He needs to be more patient. And he needs to be a little less frustrated.

All of that will lead to more production, because we all know the Dallas Cowboys didn't draft Elliott to gain 51 yards on 20 carries, with a long run of 8, against the New York Giants in his NFL debut.

"I don't think there's anything I did really well," Elliott said.

"I had a couple good runs, and I did a good job, sometimes, turning nothing into 1- or 2-yard gains, making sure there weren't negative yards. I gotta be more honed. I gotta be more focused and more disciplined and focus on the little things."

Elliott, 21, is talking about hitting the hole at the proper angle and giving his linemen time to create creases for him. He's talking about following the play design long enough to give it a chance to work. Most of the things Elliott is describing can be seen only by trained eyes, but it's a good indicator that he has a sense of what he needs to do to improve.

Some of his struggles, Elliott said, are probably the result of missing a couple of weeks of training camp with a tight hamstring. He had only seven carries in the preseason.

"I don't think there's anything I did really well," Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott said of his debut. Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Alfred Morris, who gained 35 yards on seven carries, is a good example of a patient runner. Morris waited for the soft spots in the Giants' run defense to reveal themselves, then he exploited them. He had runs of 7, 9 and 13 yards among his seven carries. Elliott had 12 carries that went for 2 yards or less.

"Sunday was a learning experience," Elliott said. "It was definitely a learning experience.

"It was a tough two days after the game, watching that film over and over, wishing I could have those plays back where I didn't do what I wish I had done. It was a learning process."

Coach Jason Garrett has built this offense around the Cowboys' running game, which is why the team has used three first-round picks on offensive lineman, an elite receiver and a running back since 2010. The running game is supposed to be so good it forces teams to add an eighth defender to stop it, creating passing opportunities for Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and others.

When the Cowboys can't run, the offense bogs down. That's what happened against the Giants, when they ran 75 plays and collected 24 first downs but averaged just 4.4 per play.

It should be easier for Elliott to run this week against Washington, which allowed 147 yards and a 4.9 yards per carry in a loss to Pittsburgh. Washington is 2-11 the past four seasons when allowing a 100-yard rusher.

"It's a technical thing. It's a physical thing," Garrett said of improving the Cowboys' running game. "It's the offensive line, it's the tight ends, it's the receivers and it's the runners. That's the challenge you have every week running the football in the NFL."

Elliott has been here before, so there's no anxiety or panic in his words. As a sophomore at Ohio State, Elliott gained 141 yards on 27 carries in his first three games. Then, he gained more than 100 yards in nine of the last 11 games, including 246 yards on 36 carries in the national championship game.

"You gotta start somewhere," Elliott said. "I didn't start where I wanted to start, but all I can do is focus on getting better."

It's a lot easier when you know what to do.