FRISCO, Texas -- The conversation didn't last long. Perhaps a minute. Maybe two. In a meeting room on the second floor of the Cowboys' billion-dollar training facility, running backs coach Gary Brown broached the topic of Eric Dickerson's 33-year-old, single-season rookie rushing record of 1,808 yards.

Brown and star pupil Ezekiel Elliott, the fourth selection in the 2016 NFL draft, shared the same opinion.

"There's a lot of talk about [the record]. Let's me and you address it in the room right now and get rid of it," Brown told the rookie before the season opener. "If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't."

Elliott shares an agent with Dickerson, who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"Coach, I don't even think that much about it," said Elliott, who admitted he had discussed the prospect of breaking the record with Dickerson.

"It was like that pink elephant in the room," Brown said. "Let's talk about it and let's deal with it. At the end of the day, whether he gains 1,800 yards or 1,100 yards, if we're winning games, he's doing what's necessary and what the job requires to win."

Elliott, the fifth rookie since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to win a rushing title, didn't break Dickerson's rookie rushing record, but Elliott had a rookie year he'll never forget.

He became the transcendent player the Cowboys hoped they were acquiring. His flair and charisma made his No. 21 jersey among the NFL's hottest sellers.

"I think what I learned about myself was just, I'm kind of, in my ability to kind of block out outside noise and still be able to go out there and compete, go out there and excel in this game," Elliott said. "I've been through a lot of s--- this offseason, still going through a lot of stuff, so my ability to block that out and ball."

Here's a closer look at some of the highlights of Elliott's rookie season:

Ezekiel Elliott's season debut didn't go as planned for the rookie, who struggled against the New York Giants. AP Photo/Ron Jenkins

Rookie debut

In his first game as a pro, Elliott flopped against the New York Giants. Twenty carries for 51 yards. No run longer than 8 yards, though he scored a touchdown. So much hype; so little production.

"It was rough," Elliott said. "I didn't really talk to anybody about it because when I have things on my mind or things don't go right, I don't like to talk to a whole lot of people about it. I like to be by myself. I thought it was going to be easy and it wasn't."

Elliott, who was drafted out of Ohio State, is hardly the first elite college running back to have that thought process.

"When these guys realize it's not easy and I gotta work on my game every day, that's great," Brown said. "The younger they are when they learn that, the more success and longevity they'll have."

A mild hamstring strain limited Elliott during training camp, and he carried the ball just seven times in the preseason. That affected his ability to learn the nuances of the Cowboys' running game. He wasn't taking the proper path to the hole, which meant he was arriving before the play had time to develop.

"He needed to learn the speed and the space in the pro game," Brown said. "He was going too fast at first. This is the NFL. You gotta slow down, let that [play] develop, then use your speed."

Elliott's practice habits sped up the learning process. He gained 83 yards in Week 2 against Washington, then rattled off four consecutive games of more than 130 yards, culminating in a 28-carry, 157-yard performance against Green Bay.

"He tries to be as perfect as possible on everything he does," Brown said. "The run reads, setting up blocks, finishing on the second level and running to [the] end zone on his last rep are all things that translate to [the] game.

"You see he's the No. 4 pick in the draft and he wants to be great, and you see how he works and you see that humility. It took him two games."

Elliott credits a college teammate with starting the "feed me" symbol. EPA/LARRY W. SMITH

Feed me

As far as Elliott knows, his former Ohio State teammate Carlos Hyde was the first player to use the "feed me" gesture. You know, the one where Elliott puts his right hand in front of his mouth and moves it in a circular motion as though he's shoveling food into his mouth.

"It was just our way of letting coach [Tom] Herman know that we feeling it," Elliott said, "and get us the ball."

Hyde may have started it, but Elliott owns it. He used the gesture after long runs or first downs. Or when he ran over a defender. It's as much a part of Elliott as the No. 21 on his jersey.

Opponents such as Washington defensive tackle Chris Baker occasionally mocked him with it when they held him to a short gain. College and high school players used the gesture. It became a phenomenon.

"It's crazy," Elliott said. "It just shows you how much influence you can have. It's cool to see so many people doing it."

Elliott debuted the gesture against Seattle after a collision with hard-hitting safety Kam Chancellor in the only preseason game he played.

"That's the first time I saw it. I didn't even know what it was, so I asked him about it," Brown said. "He said, "It's just my thing," so I was like roll with it. "My thing is this: If you need to wear a crop top pregame and doing the "feed me" thing in the game gets you in your zone and you're not hurting anybody or hurting the team, then roll with it."

In an October win over Cincinnati, a CBS camera caught coach Jason Garrett talking to Elliott after he used the gesture following a 15-yard run. The coach's message was simple: Make sure you don't get penalized for taunting.

"I think we're all loving it. I think we're all eating it up," Elliott said at the time. "I think it gets everyone fired up."

Elliott is waiting for the NFL to conclude its investigation tied to accusations of assault made by his ex-girlfriend in July. AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

NFL investigation

Elliott wants the NFL to either present some new information or close the investigation into assault accusations made by a former girlfriend in July that have followed him all season.

Elliott was not arrested and did not face charges in the alleged incident. As he dressed in the locker room following the Cowboys' 34-31 playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers, Elliott vacillated on whether to discuss his situation.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported before the division-round game that league sources had told him the NFL has submitted follow-up questions to Elliott within the past month, and Elliott was in the process of responding.

"I could say something," he said, "but I probably don't need to."

A player does not have to be charged in the legal system to be suspended by the NFL for a violation of the personal conduct policy.

Later, Elliott told reporters, "I do want closure. I would rather it not drag on this long. If there was something to find, which there's not, they would've found it by now.

"The police did a very thorough investigation. I will tell you this -- it just seems like they're dragging their feet right now. Who knows, man? I'm just ready for it to end."

Elliott showcased his athletic skills against the Chicago Bears when he hurdled safety Chris Prosinski. Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Leaping safeties

Elliott's first iconic moment came in the season's third game, a nationally televised matchup against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football.

On first-and-10 from the Dallas 29, Elliott broke around right end, and as Bears safety Chris Prosinski went low to tackle him, Elliott hurdled the defender and wound up with a 14-yard gain. The memes started almost immediately on social media as Elliott hurdled everything from the Statue of Liberty to the Golden Gate Bridge to the moon.

"I was right next to him ... my eyes were wide. I was smiling. I couldn't believe it, but I saw him do it," Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant said.

It was no accident. Elliott won the Missouri state championships in the 110 high hurdles and the 300 hurdles as a senior at John Burroughs High School, and his mom ran the hurdles as a heptathlete at Missouri.

"Whenever you get a DB in the open field with open space, he's going to cut tackle," Elliott said, "so I thought I might have to pull the hurdle out. Sometimes, you run over a guy. Sometimes, you give him a move. Sometimes, you hurdle him. You gotta keep changing it up, so the defense doesn't know what you're going to do."

Elliott hurdled several defenders this season. Garrett said it doesn't bother him.

"Have you seen the way guys try to tackle him?" Garrett said. "It's a good move. I never tell runners what to do. You want them reacting naturally."

Elliott showed just how much he wanted to win against the San Francisco 49ers when he jumped into the Cowboys' defensive huddle to pump up the group. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive hype

During the two-minute warning as the Cowboys clung to a seven-point lead against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 4, Elliott did something Brown had never seen in his 16 seasons as an NFL player or coach.

Elliott, sitting on the bench without his helmet, suddenly jogged on the field during the brief intermission.

"Let's go. Let's go," he shouted to his teammates as he slapped hands with defensive end Tyrone Crawford, cornerback Morris Claiborne and others. "At that point, I was like, "What is he doing?" Brown said. "I've never seen a guy run out into the defensive huddle. Never. But that's the energy he brings.

"He was looking for any way to help his teammates. That's not normal for a rookie running back who's been on the team for four weeks." Crawford said he was surprised to see Elliott in the huddle "He was just trying to get us hyped," he said with a laugh, "but it was a little weird. Guys might come a couple yards on the field, but they don't come to the huddle. It was cool, though."

When play resumed, the Cowboys forced an incompletion on third-and-6 and Claiborne made a nice tackle to stop receiver Torrey Smith on fourth down and to secure a 24-17 win. It was the Cowboys' third consecutive win.

"We have a lot of guys who care deeply about their team," said Garrett "and are very passionate about football, passionate about playing, passionate about this team and I think we saw evidence of that." Elliott said he simply wanted to win a ballgame. "This is probably the closest team I've ever been on except for the one that won the national championship at Ohio State," he said. "I just wanted them to know we believed in them."

Veteran tight end Jason Witten played a part in helping Ezekiel Elliott settle into his rookie season. Jeremiah Jhass/Dallas Cowboys

Brotherly connection

No one assigned Jason Witten to be Elliott's big brother. The veteran tight end took it upon himself to mentor the running back because they each share a passion for the game. The passion is why Elliott takes his blocking as seriously as his running. The passion is why Garrett calls Witten the NFL's most complete tight end.

DeMarco Murray and Witten are close. When the Cowboys drafted Elliott, Murray sent Elliott a text and told him to stay close to Witten because he would teach Elliott everything he needed to know about being a successful professional.

Witten has been forging a friendship with the 21-year-old to form a bond and build trust so they can get beyond surface conversations. When that bond happens, they'll be able to talk about every aspect of Elliott's life, whether it's furnishing his new home or why he must consistently make good decisions, because as a member of the Cowboys every public move he makes receives the highest scrutiny.

"With Zeke, we've had some good conversations," Witten said. "Obviously there's high expectations, but I've been impressed. He works hard and he wants to be good.

"I don't just sit around giving him advice. You have to build a relationship where guys feel like they can talk to you and you don't judge them."

Elliott refers to the 34-year-old Witten as an old man.

"He's been playing football longer than I've been alive," Elliott has said with a grin more than once.

Witten will tell you Elliott has energized him. You don't have to believe Witten, but before one home game, he briefly joined a dance circle that included Elliott, Dak Prescott and Lucky Whitehead. Before the win over Pittsburgh in November, Witten walked over to Elliott and started throwing combinations and hitting him in the chest until Elliott finally backed away, laughing the whole time.

"I just want him to have the best career he can have," Witten said.