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No Need To Criticize Greg Ellis This Time
Greg Ellis, the Dallas Cowboys linebacker, refused to participate in the last day of team practice today, apparently because he is mad about “his reputations being reduced” according to Dallas Morning News.
Last year, I hammered Ellis pretty hard for his attitude during camp, and he turned out to have a terrific season. I am not going to make that same mistake. I actually like a player getting irritated because the coaches won’t let him work hard. The coaches are trying to give second-year pro Anthony Spencer more time on the practice field, and that means less time for Ellis.
Head Coach Wade Phillips contends still that Ellis will be the starter, which is what should be Ellis’ top concern. Here is where the article gets evasive and questionable:
According to the sources, the Cowboys have told Ellis they don’t want to wear down his 32-year-old body in May. But a source said Ellis doesn’t trust the team’s motives. Ellis was unavailable, and his agent, James Williams, declined to comment.
“Sources” often have ulterior motives. However, it makes sense that the Cowboys want to keep Ellis healthy because quite frankly he was better on the field last year than Spencer. However, Spencer was a rookie; Ellis is not. Another source says Ellis doesn’t trust the team’s motives? That’s where I throw up the big question marks. Personally, I don’t see why a source even needs to be used on a story like this. It’s comes off as trivial for an off season article about Ellis.
These OTAs as they call them are voluntary. Ellis doesn’t have to go. The fact that he is shows he wants to work hard. I cannot criticize that. I have no idea why the DMN is trying to ruffle feathers here, but it’s getting kind of old. Greg Ellis
Well he is a gamer. But maybe he needs a dose of prozac. The team is just trying to evaluate its depth. They know what they have in Ellis
May 29th, 2008 at 7:08 pmGood point Staubach. He might be a bit paranoid
May 29th, 2008 at 7:54 pmEllis should think about preserving his 33 yr old body so he is ready for the season. He aint no spring chicken
May 29th, 2008 at 8:48 pmI agree with the coaches. Ellis has gotta take the team an young Anthony Spencers future into more consideratin. But you cant blame a man who has dedicated his whole life to football and the Cowboys and has made a damn good living from it. This is just like the older guy at work whos been there for years and knows the trade up and down. Then they bring in a hot shot rookie to compete,you cant expect him to just roll over quietly theres still some pride in the guy and a competative spirit.
May 30th, 2008 at 1:15 amIve never heard a veteran complain about getting some extra time off. He must be more worried about losing his job to Spencer than anything else.
May 30th, 2008 at 6:35 amSpencer sure looks like he could be a stud. Having another young stud to pair with one of the best in Ware and look out….
May 30th, 2008 at 6:52 am[...] Even before we’re all subjected to them fulltime on “Hard Knocks,” the Cowboys are already proving to be the soap opera we already knew they were. [...]
May 30th, 2008 at 7:44 amFor you optimists:
Todd Grantham has been getting a lot of attention from Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips thus far, and are very excited to see him at work during the season. (For those who don’t know this guy, he is the new defensive line coach. He excels in the hand technique/run stuffing aspects of a D-Line in a 3-4, and was said to be a HUGE upgrade over Kacy Rodgers, last year’s Dallas D-Line coach.) This will help sure up that run D with Tank having half a season and a full off-season under his belt going into this year. Tank was quoted last week saying “This is the strongest I have ever been in my life” and is confident he can make a much bigger contribution then he did last year sitting on his couch, before reporting to play in the 9th game of the season. (Tank was working with the first-team Defense at OTA’s on Wednesday in the 3-4 NT position…hmmm…) Ratliff having a year of experience at a position he didn’t anticipate playing b/c of Jason Furgeson’s injury, and Chris Canty coming off his best year as a Cowboy. Hopefully he can pull some potential improvement out of Marcus Spears as well. Jason Hatcher was one of the surprises in last year’s training camp, providing constant and consistant pressure on QB’s, but didn’t have as much of an impact as he would have hoped during the season. Hatcher could be a “Canty” like player, where the potential is there, but it could take 3 years for him to come out of his shell.. I’m very excited to see this kid’s progression.
DeMarcus Ware (All-Pro), Bradie James (Defensive Captian/Tackle Leader), Zac Thomas (Perennial Pro-Bowler), Greg Ellis (coming of 12 1/2 sacks), Kevin Burnett (former 2nd round pick), Bobby Carpenter (former 1st round pick), and Anthony Spencer (former 1st round pick showing tremendous improvement over last year) could be the deepest line-backing core in the NFL. Employing exotic blitz schemes through numerous defensive packages will make it hard for Offensive coach’s to anticipate Dallas’ game-plan.
We FINALLY have a leader in Ken Hamlin at safety (The first since Darren Woodson’s abrupt departure). The current contract situation with him is unfortunate, but I don’t view it as selfish. He got the franchise tag, basically not ensuring his future in Dallas. It’s a one-year deal. He wants to stay in Dallas long-term; Dallas wants his long-term, it’s a matter of crunching numbers and determining the best value for both parties. The former 2nd Round pick Nicknamed “The Hammer” at Arkansas, Ken has the range to play the deep center at safety, yet physical enough for run-support and lay the big hits in the box. Roy Williams was said to have never been a leader on defense vocally, but Hamlin, in his first year in Dallas, took control of the secondary and never looked back. Expect improvement from this Pro-Bowler, with one year experience in Wade’s defense, and Dave Campo back in Big D as the new Defensive Back coach. If Terence Newman and Anthony Henry can stay healthy, we should see a top tier line-up on Defense (they started a total of 3 out of 16 games together last year, with Jaques “juked out of his jock” Reeves started 13.) Mike Jenkins was mocked in drafts going anywhere from 10th to 20th, and Dallas traded up and got a steal from this man-to-man corner who has return capabilities at #25. In the OTA’s thus far, Mike Jenkins is a ball-hawk with great hands. A weakness for him is his tackling capability, but to have a corner that knows how to track a ball in the air is exactly what this Defense needs. He has been all over his coverages, either getting a hand on the passes, or just taking the ball the other way with his interceptions. Joe J. (strength coach) was beign coaxed to going Miami, and Jerry Jones wouldn’t let it happen. This guy knows how to run an off-season program, and with Jenkins only working in college programs, expect to see this individuals improvement progress nicely. We all know what Adam Jones brings to the table, but little realize the value that might have been stolen in Orlando Scandrick (this year’s 5th round pick). Said to rival Terence Newman as the most atheletic kid on the team, he was projected to be a 3rd-4th rounder out of Boise St. However, he dropped to the 5th, and Dallas pounced on the chance to trade up and snag him. The catch here? He came out as a Junior.. He could have lost out on a lot of money coming out early, but could have been a gem for Dallas grooming him behind vets such as Newman, Henry, with Jenkins, and a great Secondary coach in Dave Campo.
With improved line play, the LB’s ability to rush the QB from any part of the field, and a tightened, talented secondary, we should be excited. Should the opposition run the ball into the teeth of a Tough Defensive Line/Core of Linebackers, or risk our D putting pressure on the QB’s, hoping they force some passes into this highly upgraded secondary.
Who cares that Dallas didn’t get a “true” #2 wide reciever. Patrick Crayton - 60 catch/ 700 yd/ 7 TD year… What do you want out of a #2?!?! Felix Jones brings a dimension on RB with Marion Barber (sweeps, screens, reverses), Martellus Bennett is a big/very athletic TE (obviously an upgrade over Fasano) who can actually block, and another year of continuety with our offensive line.
This offense came off of a record breaking year with Romo hitting 65% of his passes, 4200 yards, and 36 TD’s!!! That was anticipating Terry Glenn coming back, which he didn’t. If he does this year, awesome! If not, then I guess we deal with the same record breaking offense with a couple of up-grades at certain spots.
Jason Garrett has the wheel on offense; Wade Phillips has the wheel on defense. Both will be more comfortable after their “Rookie” seasons as coaches, and should give us hope that Dallas may actually be able to IMPROVE on a 13-3 season. That’s not a prediction by any means, but it should give you that feeling of optimism with all the so-called “negativity” flying around Valley Ranch.
Oh yea, one more thing. It feels good to have a 23 year old kicker, coming off a PRO-BOWL rookie season, waiting to prove to us there is no reason to be worried about that game-winning field goal come the 4th quarter (Just ask Buffalo fans…twice…)
May 30th, 2008 at 7:54 amI love Greg Ellis, and I won’t bash him either. He wants to play, and at the end of his career, he should want to go out as “the man” at his position. However, I hope he realizes that this is not just about him–this is a team. Spencer is a first round pick, and he deserves a shot to play too. He can’t play in a real game if he isn’t getting the reps in the offseason. Greg, we love you, man. but don’t take everything so personal. We just want to see a championship Cowboys team, and what if you get hurt? Spencer needs the reps. You are the starter, and we support you 100%.
May 30th, 2008 at 7:55 amWatch out Landry….cvilly is going to take your job hahaha j/k
May 30th, 2008 at 8:42 amHaha no no, this is actually one of two blogs i visit religiously… I just don’t usually post on this one.
May 30th, 2008 at 9:26 amLove the write-ups though.. Keep up the great work
Cvilly, welcome!!!! You’re detailed comments are a welcomed addition and I appreciate your patronage.
May 30th, 2008 at 10:56 amya cvilly thats alot of good write-ups from u…keep up the great write-ups
May 30th, 2008 at 12:16 pmcvilly - Please sign up for the forums!
May 30th, 2008 at 3:22 pmWhen I heard this, I could only think of one thing:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frsId3goYYE&feature=related
A.I.’s rant about practice. But this isn’t even really about practice! These are OTA’s! So we’re not even talking about practice.
Think we could get him to move back to d end?
May 30th, 2008 at 10:22 pmI don’t think it will be a matter of, will he be a starter? I think Greg Ellis will be out there playing, it’s just that Wade wants to run a rotation and keep these guys fresh. Anthony Spencer was last year’s first round pick and Wades first as Cowboys head coach, so there is going to be, and probobly already has been pressure on him to get him playing more. It’s funny you bring up the move to DE. A lot of us here have thought about that being a possibility, but the likelyhood of it happening right now doesn’t seem so good, BUT you never know what could happen if one of these young guys like Darrell Robertson or Erik Walden get a spot on the roster. I think Phillips would like Ellis to help groom Anthony Spencer at the OLB position, so I think he probobly stays there.
May 31st, 2008 at 7:24 am