Greg Ellis, a T.O. apologist? Is this why it's time to move on?

[AMERICAS_FAN]

I seem to recall that shortly after T.O. was released, Greg Ellis was one of the players who still came to T.O.'s defense. Maybe I'm wrong, but whenever a player continued to be a T.O. apologist after his release it would tick me off. That’s because all I kept thinking was how this was merely perpetuating the divisiveness in this locker-room that T.O. himself started.

After all, this “cancer” is finally gone, yet his followers - NOT LEADERS - still followed. REDICULOUS! And I think Greg Ellis was one of those guys. So for that, I'm glad the Cowboys are preparing to let him go. After all, they're paying him to be a leader, which is the direct opposite of the T.O. iFollower he has become. Combine that with his annual crying about his contract and playing time, and it’s obvious why it’s a no brainer to finally consider letting him go.

 

[LarryCanadian]

Ellis reminds me of a member of a Union that feels the entire world is against them, and any time something "mean" happens to other players (employees) he feels the need to protect everyone from the big bad corporate machine.

Problem is, most Joe Blo's make 1/100th of what NFL players make and are not quite that simpathetic, pro-union or anti-management or whatever.

After awhile it just gets to be too much, and the "fears" become self-fullfilling!

I think Ellis played hard on the field, etc, he was never a problem off the field, but he just wasn't the winning leader this team could have used, and had he been he would have been earning the money he wanted and had the regard he craved in the first place.

Just my opinion. Guy worked his arse off coming back from an achilles tear and he switched positions, etc, but always being negative can be pretty draining for people to be around. Ellis was a bit of a Charlie Brown, or Debbie Downer, no doubt about it, and he might have uttered his last "sigh" in Dallas!

LarryCanadian

 

[Four]

it's ridiculous, for the love of god for all of you it's ridiculous.

stop the madness.

 

[tunahelper]

Ellis was enough of headache being Ellis every offseason to warrant his pink slip.

 

[dcfanatic]

I seem to recall that shortly after T.O. was released, Greg Ellis was one of the players who still came to T.O.'s defense. Maybe I'm wrong, but whenever a player continued to be a T.O. apologist after his release it would tick me off. That’s because all I kept thinking was how this was merely perpetuating the divisiveness in this locker-room that T.O. himself started.

After all, this “cancer” is finally gone, yet his followers - NOT LEADERS - still followed. REDICULOUS! And I think Greg Ellis was one of those guys. So for that, I'm glad the Cowboys are preparing to let him go. After all, they're paying him to be a leader, which is the direct opposite of the T.O. iFollower he has become. Combine that with his annual crying about his contract and playing time, and it’s obvious why it’s a no brainer to finally consider letting him go.

http://sportsmediablog.***BANNED-URL***/archives/2009/03/now-that-he-is-gone-greg-ellis.html

Cowboys LB Greg Ellis was on SIRIUS NFL Radio today and addressed the release of his friend Terrell Owens. Here's selected items from the transcript...

"I think it takes more than one person to make it a bad locker room, if you will. And I say that because you've got to realize you're dealing with the NFL. You're not dealing with weak-hearted men. You're dealing with men that are used to coaches in their face cursing them out, saying a lot of bad things to them, a lot of language that you can't say on the radio. So you're used to that type of thing so I just don't buy into that any football player can verbally or really physically say one thing or do one thing to another football player to divide that football team.

"I just haven't bought into it when people were saying it when he was on this team, hadn't bought into it when he was on other teams saying that kind of stuff. I would say this about T.O."

"T.O. is the type of person who is going to say what's on his mind and if you really pay attention to it he's telling the truth. When you really break it down and analyze it he's telling the truth. Now when you look at him saying, 'I want to get the ball more,' to me I'm looking at it like he's like, 'I want to do more to help this team win.' I had a limited role this year myself so I definitely can relate to it. It's like, 'Man, I really feel like I know I can do more to help us win if given the opportunity to.' So he had a lot of frustrating times this year."

You want more from Ellis? Here's more...

"It could make us an instantaneously better football team. But do I think that that will happen? I really don't. And I could be wrong. I want it to happen. I'm still a part of the football team so I want it to be better but I just don't see it. He wasn't that big of a distraction to me in my opinion that warranted him to be released. Him being the excellent football player that helps us win outweighs any kind of distractions that he brought to the football team in my opinion."

And...

"I don't think it was a good move. Yeah, to me I'm disappointed in it. When I see T.O. - and you've got to watch people, not necessarily what they say but watch their actions. And, I mean, to me when I seen T.O. that day, that football game in Dallas, on our sideline, Patrick Crayton got the ball and T.O. comes out of nowhere and throws a block. That guy wants to play football. That guy cares and wants to win football games. When things aren't going his way and the ball isn't coming his way and all that kind of stuff, to me he was just saying, 'Man, I want to get more balls.' And I heard him say, 'When I get my numbers, when I get the numbers, we win football games.' And that was true."

 

[Rampage]

I remember that dumby greg Ellis said he disagreed with the decision to release Owens. so he disagrees with a decision made by the man who pays him and he said it to the public.

 

[GOLDENCHILD1688]

ellis to me is not as big of a deal as many on hear make him out to be. yeah he can be a nag but not to the point of being cut.

honestly you hit on something here and i noticed the same thing

ellis though annoying at times was still tolerable by many on this board. some even saw his constant worrys at least as a desire to help this team and hunger to prove his self worth. not just him only being soley out for personal gain'

whille some may have thought it was about personal gain most didnt think that was all ellis was about. he was also a proud leader who wanted to help this team win ball games.

but once owens got cut and he defended him suddenly many fans on hear couldnt take him anymore. he was now intolerable and selfish. a me first guy

he defended owens now he is public enemy number 1!

 

[Clove]

If Ellis isn't on the unpopular list, he will be now. Anyone who endources the guy are instant villains.

 

[Hostile]

If Ellis isn't on the unpopular list, he will be now. Anyone who endources the guy are instant villains.

Oh the drama.

Forget 4 years of fans being pissed at him for his yearly whine sessions. He supports TO and he's going to be a target of fan ire and a villain.

That's rich. Stupid, but rich.

 

[dcfanatic]

ellis to me is not as big of a deal as many on hear make him out to be. yeah he can be a nag but not to the point of being cut.

honestly you hit on something here and i noticed the same thing

ellis though annoying at times was still tolerable by many on this board. some even saw his constant worrys at least as a desire to help this team and hunger to prove his self worth. not just him only being soley out for personal gain'

whille some may have thought it was about personal gain most didnt think that was all ellis was about. he was also a proud leader who wanted to help this team win ball games.

but once owens got cut and he defended him suddenly many fans on hear couldnt take him anymore. he was now intolerable and selfish. a me first guy

he defended owens now he is public enemy number 1!

No. He was in the doghouse for a lot longer than that.

Nice try though.

 

[dcfanatic]

Oh the drama.

Forget 4 years of fans being pissed at him for his yearly whine sessions. He supports TO and he's going to be a target of fan ire and a villain.

That's rich. Stupid, but rich.

Talk about trying to shoehorn something in.

Have they bee asleep for the last three offseasons?

 

[dcfanatic]

If Ellis isn't on the unpopular list, he will be now. Anyone who endources the guy are instant villains.

I get the feeling you are thinking that Ellis inteview was brand new?

It was from the day T.O. was cut.

 

[Arch Stanton]

Ellis is a serial whiner. The sooner he is gone the better.

He shows the wrong leadership for this team.

Perhaps Buffalo would be a good destination? He and BB could then compare notes and tweets.

 

[LarryCanadian]

Ellis thinks that if TO got his numbers that would help Dallas win. He thought that because he also felt that if he was the only outside LBer (or even preferably DE) and he got all the numbers, Dallas would win too.

He's trying to justify his stance.

Posters are right, alot of us like Ellis, but he doesn't come across as logical or all that smart at all. He talks like it's the players fighting the "machine" or the "man". Big Drama queen.

Listen, if Ellis had the attitude, that you do ANYTHING, whatever is needed to help the team win, and to hell with the numbers, and the contracts, and the fact that a team has 52 other roster guys, some of whom are hoping to take your job, THEN he'd be a leader and worth 5-6 Million a year.

But at his age, with his attitude and inability to help the team get over the hump, he is now at risk of being cut. They want to get younger and change the attitude and see what they got in other players, and his shooting off his mouth doesn't help his cause one bit, because it creates an AURA of DISCONTENT, it sends a BRUTAL message to the younger players, and it can be a distraction (albeit a bit minor).

After they send you home from practice though (and not tell you in advance you get an extra day off this week in the middle of OTA's because you are a veteran), I don't think you are getting invited back.

How many of our bosses would welcome Ellis's "frankness" if we told the media our decision was basically not that wise. Sorry, but Jerry and Stephen and company don't strike me as the types that really appreciate a whining athlete questioning their abilities or even the right to make that type of decision (even if Ellis was right or wrong, that's inmaterial really).

I wonder how much Ellis would be supporting TO, if TO was an outside LBer that made 13 sacks and had 5 tackles for losses, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 picks last year. He'd probably be dancing a jig in his apartment if TO was cut then, as he'd be back up the depth chart, and maybe have a 3rd shot at renegotiating his contract.

Sorry, this guy lost a bunch of respect from many fans, despite the many good things he did for this team. If he kept his mouth shut over the years, he would have been one of my favourites, but I really think he has a negative affect on overall attitude and detracts from what it takes to win in a game of mili-seconds and inches, and that tiny bit of extra confidence and effort.

If he was 22 years old, would you want to build a team around a guy with his attitude? Is it a "winner" approach/attitude/demeanour. Is it inspiring at all? Wouldn't be one of my choices, I can tell you that.

LarryCanadian

 

[Clove]

I get the feeling you are thinking that Ellis inteview was brand new?

It was from the day T.O. was cut.

Ellis is a nice guy, but in football matters he does complain, a lot of players do. People have been upset because he'd do what anyone in the world would do if they felt they were being mistreated (take money out of the equation)

It doesn't matter if the interview was yesterday or 3 years ago. Anyone who says something positive about the last WR will be immediately thrown to the wolves.

I'm not taking up for Ellis because I think he's a has been, and I'd like to see him shipped out, not because of his actions or thoughts (which has nothing to do with Football) but because I don't think he can play that particular position good enough.

I'll say it again, I judge football players on WHAT THEY DO ON THE FIELD, THAT'S ALL.

 

[Arch Stanton]

I'm with Larry C.

 

[Clove]

Just curious, anyone can answer this.

I hear a lot of this "keep your mouth shut" stuff going on. At what point are you supposed to stand up for what you believe and speak your mind about matters that seriously concern you?

I'll surely kiss butt if it puts more money in my pocket, sort of selling your soul to the devil, but outside of that, I just think you need to speak your mind and put things out there to debate.

In Ellis' case, everyone was quick to bash Ellis when he wanted out a few years ago when Parcells' installed the 3-4. Why shouldn't he complain about being moved?

Example: How about we take Ware, make him an ILB. How do you think he would respond, how about make Witten a full back, Felix a tight end?

He has a right to not want to except that position, and he was too nice to pull a Terrell Owens and act crazy enough to get cut, but he, like everyone would be, was upset and simply wanted to go somewhere where he could do what he does.

We didn't bother to look at things from his perspective, we simply hate when someone complains "although we do it" and we want him out.

I'm almost certain I won't get a reasonable response on this, I'm fully prepared for the, you're an idiot, you're a troll and you're a clown. Anything to get out of a true debate, but that's cool. The question is out there.

 

[Clove]

Listen, if Ellis had the attitude, that you do ANYTHING, whatever is needed to help the team win, and to hell with the numbers, and the contracts, and the fact that a team has 52 other roster guys, some of whom are hoping to take your job, THEN he'd be a leader and worth 5-6 Million a year.

But at his age, with his attitude and inability to help the team get over the hump, he is now at risk of being cut. They want to get younger and change the attitude and see what they got in other players.

How many of our bosses would welcome Ellis's "frankness" if we told the media our decision was basically not that wise. Sorry, but Jerry and Stephen and company don't strike me as the types that really appreciate a whining athlete questioning their abilities or even the right to make that type of decision (even if Ellis was right or wrong, that's inmaterial really).

Warning: I will try to be as nice and tactful as I can responding to your post:

Have you ever considered the possibility that he may WANT out? He's been wanting out for years, they refuse to cut or trade him.

For you comment on bosses and frankness. You can't compare the NFL players jobs to some meaningless store clerk or some kiss-butt office worker.

If a great player gets cut, he's got 30 other teams falling all over themselves to sign him to a monster contract of epic numbers, unlike these other jobs out there. You complain, you may never see that type of job again, so please don't compare the 2 (respectfully)

About the attitude thing - if a guy can PLAY, let me say it again. If a guy can PLAY, he can typically say what he wants "outside of TO" and teams will put up with it (case/point/ ocho cinco)

RESPECTFULLY.

 

[Monster Heel]

I agree with some things you say Judas, but don't kid yourself. Chad Johnson would be out of Cincinnati if the Bengals weren't too stubborn and/or cheap to cut/trade him. Even still, from the way Carson Palmer has been talking, they're going to get rid of him anyway.

 

[Woods]

If Ellis is cut/traded, the reason is because his (diminishing) skills don't match his contract, and the coaching staff believes the drop off from Ellis to Spencer is marginal.

It probably also means that someone already on the Cowboys' roster can contribute what Spencer did last year in the rotation (M Stewart, Rogers, or one of the rookies).