Football fans get romantic about playing a game in the snow. Battling the weather and showing toughness in frigid temperatures seems to take the game to its base elements.
However, the players slipping, sliding and freezing in that snow may not necessarily feel the same way. New England Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott admitted that he once felt the same way, but that changed once he actually had to work in snow.
“When I was younger, always wanted to play a game in the snow,” Elliott told reporters, including The Athletic’s Chad Graff. “Now that I’ve played a game in the snow, it kind of sucks.”
More than the cold temperature, what gave Elliott problems was poor visibility in the snow. That was demonstrated on a pass route when the veteran running back had difficulty seeing a pass from Bailey Zappe and it almost resulted in him getting hit hard by New York Jets safety Jordan Whitehead.
Bailey Zappe could have gotten Ezekiel Elliott REALLY hurt.#Patriots go three and out.pic.twitter.com/JGiLf3EPsk
— Carlos (@LosTalksPats) January 7, 2024
Elliott presumably has previous experience playing in the snow from his college days at Ohio State. But the Big Ten season typically ends around Thanksgiving and snow doesn’t always arrive until later in the year.
In the NFL, Elliott played his first seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He likely didn’t see much snow in Texas, but maybe had to deal with it occasionally while playing NFC East opponents like the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles.
Elliott is a free agent now that the Patriots’ season has ended. Whether or not he attracts interest after eight seasons will be an intriguing question. But based on his comments on Sunday, the running back might prefer a team that plays most of its games in warmer weather.
