Possibility Ellis Could Start in Place of Spencer at OLB

[sago1]

Saw below on bloggingtheboys.com. This is a surprise cause I thought Spencer was playing pretty could starting in place of Ellis. But since Phillips seems prefer Ellis, I sure don't have a problem with it. I guess this would mean Spencer will now be used as Phillips originally intended him to be: as strictly a pass rushing specialist this year and probably from a variety of positions in Phillips 3-4. Wonder if this frees up Ware to move around him. I've been expecting Ware to do that but while he jumps around a lot in the end he still seems to be rushing from same position. Anything we get greater pressure on the QB would help a lot seeing how poorly our secondary (particularly both safeties) having been playing.

From Wade Phillips’ press conference today,

it became very clear that Greg Ellis will get back his starting OLB spot, maybe as soon as this week. Basically, when asked point blank if Anthony Spencer would remain the starter, just after Wade said Ellis was healthy enough to take a normal role on defense, Phillips said he didn’t know if Spencer would start, that was TBD. He then went on to say that right now Ellis is a better player than Spencer.

I think Spencer has done a great job filling in for Ellis, but having both guys ready to go is a boon. I don’t care who starts, I just care who hits the QB.

 

[theogt]

This is bad news. Very bad news. This is a real test for Wade. He can try it out, but if it's not working, he needs to fix it immediately.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Ellis getting there
OLB Greg Ellis, who has been used primarily as a rush end in the nickel to this point, is ready for more snaps, according to coach Wade Phillips. And as well as rookie Anthony Spencer has played in his sted on the strong-side, Phillips said that it's likely Ellis will start to assume a more full-time role.

"(Spencer)’s a young kid that’s played well and come along for us," said Phillips. "But Greg was certainly a better player going in. He’s got experience. We know who Greg is. If he’s well and he’s starting to get well, and we can put him in there we will. We’ll still get to play Spencer some and bring him along the way we want to."

Spencer played end at Purdue, and came into the league know for his pass-rushing ability. But he's developed into a good, edge-setting OLB in the 3-4, and that should allow for Ellis and he to be somewhat interchangeable, regardless of situation.

Posted by Albert Breer at 4:21 PM (E-mail this entry) | Comments (1)

 

[03EBZ06]

This is a bit of surprise, I thought Spencer was playing very well. I hope this is a right decision and that if Ellis isn't playing well, WP doesn't hesitate to insert Spencer as a starter.

 

[big dog cowboy]

My guess is the Philly game will likely determine who starts the remainder of the season. If no change is made after the bye week, Spencer may be the man from now on.

 

[RomoIsBack]

is ellis really ready

 

[FLcowboy]

This is bad news. Very bad news. This is a real test for Wade. He can try it out, but if it's not working, he needs to fix it immediately.

Bad news? If Ellis can't go, then Spencer goes back in. I'll wait to see how much a difference Ellis makes before declaring Spencer as that inferior.

 

[theogt]

Bad news? If Ellis can't go, then Spencer goes back in. I'll wait to see how much a difference Ellis makes before declaring Spencer as that inferior.

Yeah, I watched how much of a difference he made in coverage against the Patriots.

I doubt he suddenly got better over two practices.

 

[CF74]

Ellis was the one who caused Brady to fumble but will he be a liability in coverage? duh

My guess is that Greg will be used more for blitzing which clearly he is the better player...

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Yeah, I watched how much of a difference he made in coverage against the Patriots..

Do you think Spencer could have covered Welker either?

 

[theogt]

Do you think Spencer could have covered Welker either?

He would have done a better job, yes. Welker isn't really that fast. I've seen Spencer run step for step with players that are about as fast as Welker. At the least, it makes Brady hesitate on the throw or look at another option. But with Ellis he was wide open where Brady could sling it out to avoid the rush without any worry.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Nate Jones couldn't cover Welker but Spencer could?

I love Spencer, but okay.

Anyway, I doubt Spencer's time is reduced much at all, if any. If it is, maybe Wade just wants to keep him from hitting the rookie wall so he's not worn out come playoff time.

 

[trickblue]

This is a win/win for us...

Spencer has played pretty well (actually better than I expected), but Ellis has experience. If he show signs of not being ready, Spencer can take the starting spot back. Regardless, they both will play and Spencer gains valuable experience watching Ellis...

 

[CaptainMorgan]

As long as they keep Ellis out of coverage Im ok with it. Watching him trying to cover Welker last Sunday on that TD was just painful, who designed that defensive play anyway?

 

[Future]

It doesn't make sense to me. Does this mean Spencer is going to come in for Ellis on nickel packages?

Spencer starting and Ellis pass-rushing in the nickel works best IMO. Wade can't justify having Spencer on the field instead of Ellis on obvious passing downs. This means Spencer would have to be on in the 3-4 base or a very limited amount. I think the rotation is fine the way it is.

 

[FLcowboy]

As long as they keep Ellis out of coverage Im ok with it. Watching him trying to cover Welker last Sunday on that TD was just painful, who designed that defensive play anyway?

It was a zone blitz, and a poor one at that.

 

[theogt]

It was a zone blitz, and a poor one at that.

It's not a zone blitz when one of our OLBs drops into coverage.

 

[dogberry]

When Ellis drops into coverage, it might as well be a zone blitz.

 

[dmq]

Why would anyone question what Wade seems to be seeing on the practice field? Ellis being healthy enough to start is a very positive thing for our team. Spencer will get his playing time too. I just think back to the Indy game last year. Ware and Ellis together were starting to become the dynamic duo.

 

[HogsRLegends]

I've seen some of your games. As much as I hate to admit it, Spencer is the real deal. But he's still a rookie and will naturally be vulnerable to making rookie mistakes.

When the big games come in November and December, you want proven veterans and leaders out there when the game is on the line, not rookies.