Regarding Greg Ellis...

[PosterChild]

Which interview are you referring to? The only one I can think of is the one where he says he's going to take advantage of Greg's absence while he's not there (i.e., not at the OTAs). It didn't mention anything of a role change.

You may be accurate. That I'll have to look into..I seem to recall an audio interview. (Leading questions were asked about his role...think he denied explicit notification about a change but again these things can be hazy. IE, wouldn't expect Spencer to announce loudly his ascension.) I think the follow-on analysis talked about what was really unfolding out there at OTAs. Anyway, see what I can find.

 

[DaBoys4Life]

Here's what we know.

1. From Inman's recap of Mickey Spags, we know that the coaches learned of Greg's alleged unhappiness through the media and were shocked.

2. From that recap we also learned that the only thing the coaches knew of that would cause him unhappiness was reduced reps in practice, which the coaches thought would make him happier.

3. The initial article claims, without a source for the claim, that Greg was upset because he had been "informed" by the team that his role was being changed this year to a "pass rush specialist" with Spencer playing on 1st and 2nd downs.

4. That same initial article states that they had only talked to Greg via text message and that all he communicated through text messaging was that he was "in town" without actually communicating the changed role circumstances.

5. The article mentioned nothing of any coach speaking about Greg's alleged role change.

6. Another article explains that Greg must attend 85% of the offseason mandatory training/condition program to reach his bonus (OTAs are voluntary and do not count toward the 85%).

...

So, in my opinion, either one of two things is going on here. Either (1) the initial article completely fabricated this alleged role change and Greg is only being cautious in order to meet his bonus OR (2) the coaches are lying.

Obviously, I think it's the former. Greg isn't whining or crying (as is usually the case). He's just following the Hambrick Doctrine and giving his body some rest. But I'm just an extreme idiotic homer, so what do I know.

I don't think the coaching staff has a reason to come together and make up lies.

 

[PosterChild]

Audio reports can be found where?

 

[gimmesix]

Greg isn't whining or crying (as is usually the case).

While we don't know the rest of the story, this part we know to be true. I've seen no indication that Ellis is actually whining to anyone (in the media) about his reps or role.

He simply isn't at OTAs.

If Ellis were making a federal case out of it, guaranteed that everyone would be running with his comments. Because he isn't, I don't really think we can draw any conclusions about the situation, other than he isn't out there ... which really fits into Dallas' stated plan anyway to give Spencer more reps.

Until he actually whines and is quoted doing it, I don't think we should consider this a big deal. Even then, it's not that big of a deal because we know how he's performed the past two years while whining about one thing or another.

 

[PosterChild]

Anybody else noticed that Todd Archer contributed to this report that Watkins did. Wonder if that might be meaningful. Scroll to the bottom of the page to see Archer credit.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/football/cowboys/stories/052908dnspoellislede.3e6cf92.html

 

[Va_BoysFan4 Life]

Greg Ellis is being Greg Ellis, why is that so hard for you to understand?

Did you not hear him crying like 2 minutes after the Giants loss and then again the next day about his future in Dallas.

You didn't? Well here's the interview from the day after the Giants loss.

Keep in mind he still has two years left under contract, yet he's talking like has no deal in place..

Greg Ellis Whining On January 14th

I am tired of his BS and you should be too.

I listen to your entire playback of that interview. Could you please tell me where in there you heard Grag Bit**in and whining about his contract. What I heard him express was how dissapointing the lost was and also that him and Jerry will address his status in the off season. I truly wish some of the guys here stop hating so much and speak what is fact.

 

[dcfanatic]

I listen to your entire playback of that interview. Could you please tell me where in there you heard Grag Bit**in and whining about his contract. What I heard him express was how dissapointing the lost was and also that him and Jerry will address his status in the off season. I truly wish some of the guys here stop hating so much and speak what is fact.

Who's Grag?

Who said contract? If you are going to spout off at the mouth try knowing what the issue is.

And you need to listen again Mr. Apologist.

At 1:36 -

Reporter - What have you been thinking since the loss?

Ellis - Frustated about loss, dont know what the future is going to be around here.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

At 3:21 -

Reporter - What does the future hold?

Ellis - You just dont know, its not a secret here, a lot of guys wont be here. You minds wonder on that.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

At 6:15 -

Reporter - You worried about your spot?

Ellis - No, I'm not worried about it, I think, it's it's, we dont know how its going to work out, even if I am not here I am not worried about it, well...

Reporter, Well you wanna be back right?

Ellis - Well, uh, Jerry and I haven't had that conversation yet. we went in to this year got the insurance stuff out the way, he and i both said we would talk after season is over, he made it so I could feel comfortable and we will address is sometime before, I don't know when.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

Why do they need to discuss anything? Get on the football field and do what the f'ing coaches tell you what to do.

Enough of this over grown baby crying about something every single offseason about what he wants and about how wants this to be working so he feels comfortable.

I am so sick of Jerry bending over backwards for this over drafted, paranoid, never confident anything will work out, calling out his teammates in the media, barely made it to the Pro Bowl last season, poor example of a team leader because he get's made fun of by the REAL DEFENSIVE LEADER (jAMES - ''It's the offseason, of course Greg is unhappy about something"), horrible in dropping back into coverage (check the tape on the Pats game), ugly as all hell whining baby!

I hope and pray that Anthony Spencer looks like Lawrence F'ing Taylor in the next set of OTA's so Wade Phillips storms into Jerry's office and screams out loud "Darn it, let Ellis go because we don't need his butt anyway!".

 

[InmanRoshi]

Please list the **** they made up when they felt like it.

theogt has some crazy obsession about the Cowboys media, especially when it comes to his pet cats.

He was really on the Bobby Carpenter bandwagon last year, and accused Mac Engel of making up that Wade said Bobby Carpenter was a weak pass rusher. Then Bobby Carpenter was moved to ILB almost the following day.

theogt didn't like the idea of drafting Felix at #22 at all. About a week or two before the draft I said Norm has a little birdie around Valley Ranch and that he keeps dropping the name Mike Jenkins and Felix Jones. theogt said that Norm doesn't know anything more than anyone else does ... then the Cowboys promptly draft Mike Jenkins and Felix Jones.

 

[theogt]

theogt has some crazy obsession about the Cowboys media, especially when it comes to his pet cats.

He was really on the Bobby Carpenter bandwagon last year, and accused Mac Engel of making up that Wade said Bobby Carpenter was a weak pass rusher. Then Bobby Carpenter was moved to ILB almost the following day.

theogt didn't like the idea of drafting Felix at #22 at all. About a week or two before the draft I said Norm has a little birdie around Valley Ranch and that he keeps dropping the name Mike Jenkins and Felix Jones. theogt said that Norm doesn't know anything more than anyone else does ... then the Cowboys promptly draft Mike Jenkins and Felix Jones.

What the heck? I was against drafting Bobby Carpenter and always said he shouldn't be an OLB in the 3-4. The fact that Mac Engel fabricated some quote (actually he just misquoted and later corrected himself) has nothing to do with Carpenter being a "pet cat" of mine, because obviously he wasn't and has never been.

My "pet cat" in the '07 draft was Anthony Spencer, so wouldn't it make sense that I would rather have him starting instead of Greg Ellis?

But, do please go ahead and just make **** up. It's what you're good at. You have a terrible habit of misquoting people as well.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Shefter reported today that Dallas has inquired about Jason Taylor. It probably would never happen, because these kinds of trades just don't happen in the NFL, but I really think a Taylor for Ellis trade would work well for everyone invovled.

The Dolphins and Cowboys trade headaches who are both. double digit sack pass rushers in their 30s.

Taylor is a better fit for the Cowboys as a contender because he's probably more of a dynamic and catalytic playmaker. Taylor would strictly be a 3rd down specialist pass rusher, while Spencer gets to play on the run in base packages .... which is what he does best at this point.

Miami gets someone who, for all his faults, is good at working with young players and is a hard worker and can help teach a familiar system to the young players. He would be a good addition for a young, rebuilding team, and he comes a lot cheaper than Taylor in base salary giving them more cap room to rebuild.

Jason Taylor gets to compete for his ring, rejoin his brother in law, and as he goes Hollywood he gets more exposure playing for the biggest franchise in professional sports. He probably would have to take a paycut or 'restructure' his 7.5 base.

Greg Ellis gets to go to a team with no talent, so he doesn't have to be paranoid about being forced out the door or overtaken by anyone. He already knows the system, the position and the coaches ... so he doesn't have to worry about being a "guinea pig'.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

It is an interesting scenario.

1. I mean over the past years we have seen the Dallas media speculate, seemingily stretch in some areas or reporting, try time and again to get tidbits of info or get a coach or play to try and say something in order to cause an uproar and in doing so create buzz for their papers and so on.

I think that even if it is not as bad as some project, I think it would be hard for anyone not to admit that the local media (and I guess some national media) to try to stretch stories or ask the right question to get a player or coach to say something that would cause chaos or something along those lines. I just can't see someone denying that it has been done over the last few years.

2. Coaches and owners, whether with this team, league or even this sport or others. Have been known to play the Dumb Role and saying stuff like they had no clue or there is no problem when asked by the media. I doubt any of us believe them 100% of the time. I am sure they are just acting like they don't know so they don't have to address things in the media and turn things into a media circus. And many times who could blame them. Many things should be handled internally without the media taking a sound clip or quote and running with it.

3. Greg Ellis has for the past 2-3 seasons had some kind of strife or problem with his status on the team. This is just the way it is with Greg. First it was the complaining about switching from DE to OLB in the 4-3/3-4 change and what his role would be. Next it was Spencer getting drafted and Greg wanting to have some reassurance from the team that they are still invested in him so he gets some guaranteed money from Jerry to alleviate some concerns. Now we hear speculation that he is upset because Spencer is getting some extra reps. Now whether this is true or not, it is not hard to think that it is. Sometimes when someone has had a recent history of complaining about things, about his role on the team, about questioning the team about their commitment to him...it is not a stretch to wonder if he is just doing more of the same. The story of the boy that cried wolf could apply in a limited way here.

So who knows if it is #1,2 or 3...perhaps it is a combination of all three or maybe it is something that has nothing to do with any of them. We just don't know. But I could any one of them being legit or a combination of any of them being legit because it would not be something that is new or out of nowhere, there seems to be some history or reasons to support one or all of the scenarios.

Ok...I am done rambling.

 

[WoodysGirl]

theogt has some crazy obsession about the Cowboys media, especially when it comes to his pet cats.

He was really on the Bobby Carpenter bandwagon last year, and accused Mac Engel of making up that Wade said Bobby Carpenter was a weak pass rusher. Then Bobby Carpenter was moved to ILB almost the following day.

theogt didn't like the idea of drafting Felix at #22 at all. About a week or two before the draft I said Norm has a little birdie around Valley Ranch and that he keeps dropping the name Mike Jenkins and Felix Jones. theogt said that Norm doesn't know anything more than anyone else does ... then the Cowboys promptly draft Mike Jenkins and Felix Jones.

That was fuzzy...and I think his issue with Mac was about Bobby being trade bait.

Shefter reported today that Dallas has inquired about Jason Taylor. It probably would never happen, because these kinds of trades just don't happen in the NFL, but I really think a Taylor for Ellis trade would work well for everyone invovled.

The Dolphins and Cowboys trade headaches who are both. double digit sack pass rushers in their 30s.

Taylor is a better fit for the Cowboys as a contender because he's probably more of a dynamic and catalytic playmaker. Taylor would strictly be a 3rd down specialist pass rusher, while Spencer gets to play on the run in base packages .... which is what he does best at this point.

Miami gets someone who, for all his faults, is good at working with young players and is a hard worker and can help teach a familiar system to the young players. He would be a good addition for a young, rebuilding team, and he comes a lot cheaper than Taylor in base salary giving them more cap room to rebuild.

Jason Taylor gets to compete for his ring, rejoin his brother in law, and as he goes Hollywood he gets more exposure playing for the biggest franchise in professional sports. He probably would have to take a paycut or 'restructure' his 7.5 base.

Greg Ellis gets to go to a team with no talent, so he doesn't have to be paranoid about being forced out the door or overtaken by anyone. He already knows the system, the position and the coaches ... so he doesn't have to worry about being a "guinea pig'.

Schefter's actual blurb about Dallas...

In the coming days, each side has a choice to make. Yet before it even reaches that point, the Dolphins could step up efforts to trade Taylor –- wiping out the aforementioned scenarios.

Then the options would be where Taylor would land. At this point, at least five teams have shown a varying degree of interest. They are:

<snipped>
» Dallas –- Of all the potential landing spots, none is more intriguing than Dallas. It is a longshot, granted, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones never can be ruled out. The Cowboys have debated the merits of trading for Taylor and they already hold additional draft picks in 2009 -– Cleveland’s in the third round, Detroit’s in the fourth. Dallas could decide to package picks and/or a disgruntled player such as defensive end Greg Ellis or safety Roy Williams that former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells knows well. Dallas knows its loaded at defensive end now with Ellis, DeMarcus Ware and last year’s first-round pick, Anthony Spencer. But Cowboys owner Jerry Jones never bypasses big-name, talented players such as Taylor. He has thought about the possibility of Taylor in Dallas and, despite the long odds, could wind up taking action.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8089542b&template=with-video&confirm=true

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Don't hurt Ellis's feelings.

 

[Va_BoysFan4 Life]

Who's Grag?

Who said contract? If you are going to spout off at the mouth try knowing what the issue is.

And you need to listen again Mr. Apologist.

At 1:36 -

Reporter - What have you been thinking since the loss?

Ellis - Frustated about loss, dont know what the future is going to be around here.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

At 3:21 -

Reporter - What does the future hold?

Ellis - You just dont know, its not a secret here, a lot of guys wont be here. You minds wonder on that.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

At 6:15 -

Reporter - You worried about your spot?

Ellis - No, I'm not worried about it, I think, it's it's, we dont know how its going to work out, even if I am not here I am not worried about it, well...

Reporter, Well you wanna be back right?

Ellis - Well, uh, Jerry and I haven't had that conversation yet. we went in to this year got the insurance stuff out the way, he and i both said we would talk after season is over, he made it so I could feel comfortable and we will address is sometime before, I don't know when.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

Why do they need to discuss anything? Get on the football field and do what the f'ing coaches tell you what to do.

Enough of this over grown baby crying about something every single offseason about what he wants and about how wants this to be working so he feels comfortable.

I am so sick of Jerry bending over backwards for this over drafted, paranoid, never confident anything will work out, calling out his teammates in the media, barely made it to the Pro Bowl last season, poor example of a team leader because he get's made fun of by the REAL DEFENSIVE LEADER (jAMES - ''It's the offseason, of course Greg is unhappy about something"), horrible in dropping back into coverage (check the tape on the Pats game), ugly as all hell whining baby!

I hope and pray that Anthony Spencer looks like Lawrence F'ing Taylor in the next set of OTA's so Wade Phillips storms into Jerry's office and screams out loud "Darn it, let Ellis go because we don't need his butt anyway!".

Mr Know It All....................So I guess it is a crime to voice your disappointment about losing with a team that you believe was better than they played. It's taboo to express that it is a known fact that somebody will not be returning to Dallas this up coming year. Oh, BTW, about 4 or 5 are already gone. I guess when you talk to your boss when you go to work and in today's changing market you have no concerns about your status in the future. So what makes his concerns so different. What make him bit***** because he looks to ensure his family future. Because he mentioned he will be talking to JJ. Or because he has not attend voluntary OTA's. Or because a over zealous reporter say he is crying. Did you hear this from some official from the organization, another player on the team, or Greg himself. Please inform me Ole Wise one.

 

[bbgun]

A bus full of horny USC cheerleaders could break down in front of his home and he still wouldn't be happy. Me? I'd be delighted.

 

[Alexander]

What amazaes me is that every time a negative artilcle is written about someone's pet cat, by the Dallas media, people question the media and their motives, information and sources.

By the very nature of their jobs, being around the team everyday, they develop sources with in the team. That's how they gather the information that they write about. Sources, of course, do not want their names associated with the articles.

But when these same writers write an article, based on information they received from their sources, regarding an up coming signing, contracts, etc., these same people are praising them.

Take the good with the bad with the media, if you are going to doubt what they write, doubt everything they write, not just the negative articles about your pet cat.

In this instance, I can almost assure you that the source of the information to the media is none other than Greg Ellis himself. On the Roy Williams bashing, I am willing to bet that that information came from players on the team. I seroiusly doubt that the Dallas media all of a sudden came up with the same idea to bash Roy at the same time.

Great post.

If the media was telling us "good news" their sources would not be discredited.

"Isaiah Stanback is catching everything in practice and has the team excited according to sources." Fan: Good to hear!

"According to a source, Greg Ellis is saying doesn't trust the team's motives." Fan: Liars! MEDIOTS!

I seroiusly doubt that the Dallas media all of a sudden came up with the same idea to bash Roy at the same time.

You must not appreciate the secret meetings they have in smoke filled rooms where they concoct their dogpile agendas to push myths and lies.

 

[Alexander]

Greg Ellis gets to go to a team with no talent, so he doesn't have to be paranoid about being forced out the door or overtaken by anyone.

You mean like it was in 2002 when he was the best of a very bad lot? Perhaps that's what Greg Ellis needs to feel appreciated and comfortable.

 

[bbgun]

Great post.

If the media was telling us "good news" their sources would not be discredited.

"Isaiah Stanback is catching everything in practice and has the team excited according to sources." Fan: Good to hear!

"According to a source, Greg Ellis is saying doesn't trust the team's motives." Fan: Liars! MEDIOTS!



You must not appreciate the secret meetings they have in smoke filled rooms where they concoct their dogpile agendas to push myths and lies.

You beat me to it. When will the homers learn that the media isn't obligated to love this team as much as they do? Personalities like Galloway, Hansen, JJT, and JFE are not paid cheerleaders, even though, having worked in the Metroplex for many years, it's pretty obvious they want to see the team do well. Some of the snarkier comments from mainstream journalists (McMahon, Breer, Watkins, etc.) have popped up at the DMN blog, an informal site where objectivity is neither expected or demanded. Face it: we expect far less "professionalism" from sports writers as opposed to the "hard news" scribes. That's why we see wacky weather guys and sports guys (who always look grim when the home team loses), but not wacky news anchors. We (reasonably) expect the blog writers to get their facts straight, but pleas for "fairness" should fall on deaf ears.

 

[Vtwin]

Who's Grag?



And you need to listen again Mr. Apologist.

At 1:36 -

Reporter - What have you been thinking since the loss?

Ellis - Frustated about loss, dont know what the future is going to be around here.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

At 3:21 -

Reporter - What does the future hold?

Ellis - You just dont know, its not a secret here, a lot of guys wont be here. You minds wonder on that.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

At 6:15 -

Reporter - You worried about your spot?

Ellis - No, I'm not worried about it, I think, it's it's, we dont know how its going to work out, even if I am not here I am not worried about it, well...

Reporter, Well you wanna be back right?

Ellis - Well, uh, Jerry and I haven't had that conversation yet. we went in to this year got the insurance stuff out the way, he and i both said we would talk after season is over, he made it so I could feel comfortable and we will address is sometime before, I don't know when.

HELLO, YOU HAVE TWO YEARS LEFT ON THE CONTRACT!!!

Why do they need to discuss anything? Get on the football field and do what the f'ing coaches tell you what to do.

.

It's amazing to me how people can see what they want when trying to substantiate an opinion.

What I see there is a reporter, aware of the "reputation" of the guy he is interviewing, baiting the guy to get him to say something "controversial" so people will be quoting HIS interview all over hell and back. If the interviewer hadn't asked the question Ellis wouldn't have been talking about it.

So Ellis is a bit insecure. So what. A lot of people respond very well to a simple pat on the back and a reassurance that they are an integral part of the "team".

The early part of his career was essentially wasted by surrounding him with a bunch of stiffs. He was the ONLY pass rushing threat on this team so it was easy for other teams to take him out.

Finally, now that he is approaching the end of his career, he has some support but realizes the nature of the business. He has every right to be concerned. He is an older player surrounding by younger talent. He played through some tough years with this team and understandably wants to be here to enjoy the success this team is capable of.

His real problem is that he apparently doesn't understand the way the media works and how to play them before they play you.

I think you guys are way to hard on Greg Ellis.

He is an asset to this team.

 

[Alexander]

So Ellis is a bit insecure. So what. A lot of people respond very well to a simple pat on the back and a reassurance that they are an integral part of the "team".

He doesn't want a pat on the back. I wouldn't be surprised if Mister Jones has someone on the payroll to follow him around whispering in his ear that he's appreciated, wanted and that he's well liked.

He probably wants a contract written in Jerry Jones' blood that says he is loved, appreciated and will be a Cowboy for life with new "commitments" whenever he feels insecure.

The early part of his career was essentially wasted by surrounding him with a bunch of stiffs. He was the ONLY pass rushing threat on this team so it was easy for other teams to take him out.

So he's the only pass rusher to play ever on a team without another threat? So the only way other pass rushers excel is that they are surrounded by talent?

It is interesting that he only lives up to his draft status when there is another, better rusher on the team. That doesn't tell me he was great all along and simply got accounted for. That tells me he simply wasn't a great player. Pretty good, but not great. Don't pretend like he would be considered a Hall of Fame candidate if he hadn't been surrounded by "stiffs".

Finally, now that he is approaching the end of his career, he has some support but realizes the nature of the business. He has every right to be concerned. He is an older player surrounding by younger talent. He played through some tough years with this team and understandably wants to be here to enjoy the success this team is capable of.

If he was truly concerned about the success of the "team" he wouldn't make it all about him.

Right now, he's an asset as a pass rusher. The team wants to save him for that. He wants the ego boost from being the "starter" and feels threatened that the team wants to give Anthony Spencer more work in an offseason regiment. How is that about the "team"?

His real problem is that he apparently doesn't understand the way the media works and how to play them before they play you.

They aren't "playing" him. He is very far from a victim who is just getting baited into putting his binky in his mouth and pouting publicly.

He knows exactly what he is doing. He's making them very useful for his own pity party every year. And it worked last year when Jones undoubtedly felt pressured to rework his contract.

I think you guys are way to hard on Greg Ellis.

He is an asset to this team.

As a pass rusher. Just like how we want to work him.

The problem is, Greg Ellis doesn't know what's best for him. Just like when Coach Parcells told him, over and over, that LB was best for him. He didn't listen. Right now, part-time play would extend his career and allow him to earn out his contract. His foolish games aren't serving any purpose that he will ever reap the benefits of.