Ellis-induced questions

By Os Davis  |   Thursday, June 18, 2009  |  Comments( 5 )

Oakland Raiders
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Another Oakland Raiders foray into free agency has resulted in the signing of 11-year man Greg Ellis, who had been a starting linebacker for the Dallas Cowboy over his entire career, ultimately most noted for his pass-rushing and for the Comeback Player of the Year Award he scored in 2007.

However, because this is the Raiders we’re talking about, no good signing will go unquestioned. Hey, why not? The truth is that what appears to be an excellent hire on paper may not be quite the open-and-shut case of meeting a need. A few questions immediately come to mind. Questions like...

• Does he still have gas in the tank?

This is the most obvious concern when inking any 33-year-old (and Ellis’ll be 34 in mid-August) to a deal, of course, but it may be particularly relevant in Ellis’ case.

Ellis was named Comeback Player in 2007 after suffering a torn Achilles tendon – defined at the time as a possible “career-ending injury” – at the midway point of the 2006 season. The LB managed to return the field by Week 4 in 2007 and ultimately ran up 13.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl nod.

Despite the trip to Honolulu, Ellis nevertheless saw a reduction in his playing time in 2008 and was mostly relegated to action on passing downs. Unlike the 2007 preseason when “contract issues” became a problem (more on this momentarily), Ellis participated with the Cowboys in the 2008 preseason from start to finish: Does this mean that coaches figured Ellis had lost a step going in to ’08? And did the gradual implementation of Anthony Spencer as starter at LOLB last year mean Dallas was gaga over Spencer or that Ellis was on the way down? Questions upon questions.

• What’s up with the position switch?

Sure, Ellis is going from the 3-4 of Dallas to the 4-3 set in Oakland, and sure, Ellis played defensive end in a 4-3 as late as 2005; the official position switch from strongside LB to DE is therefore logical. You can’t help but wonder about the old-dog-new-tricks factor, though.

• How much depends on Ellis?

Head coach Tom Cable has made it clear that he considers Ellis an every-down player: “[Even] in a different position, this is a guy you would rely on to come in and compete to be a starter and all that. He's got so much left in terms of where he's at physically, in terms of his body, his production, so again, just a positive for our team."

As it stands, Raiders starters at DE tomorrow would be Ellis and Derrick Burgess. Trevor Scott comes off the bench. And Jay Richardson. And ... that’s about it. The Raiders are thin in the depth chart at certain positions, and DE is particularly scanty, an unhealthy mix of age and inexperience.

Ellis may be perceived of as assistance to a defense that so infuriatingly gave up big pass after big pass to the ultimate end of allowing a poor 7.2 yards per attempt, but he’s something of slim reassurance.

• What does this mean for Burgess?

Ah, a Derrick Burgess trade: The daydream of many a Raider fan. Don’t believe that Burgess is going anywhere, though, folks. See above and take another look at that depth chart. Burgess and Oakland Raiders Football Inc. better reconcile any personal differences, because they may be stuck with one another.

(I mean, seriously – Greyson Gunheim?)

• Ellis isn’t just another head case, is he?

After the 2005 season, Ellis complained of the Cowboys’ change in defensive scheme from 4-3 to 3-4, whining that then-coach Bill Parcells “feels that I don't fit into the scheme the way he wants me to fit, or I'm not that guy he's looking for.” Ellis nearly held out in preseason 2006, but he was assuaged with the promise that he would start at strongside linebacker in the regular season.

In 2007, Ellis complained broadly to the media about renegotiating his contract early and often while completing his physical rehab; to his credit, Ellis did participate in camps that season and, of course, turned in a hell of a campaign that year.

This relatively minor stuff aside, Ellis can’t possibly be a distraction to the Raiders at this point in his career, can he? If the Raiders’ running in place continues in 2009, who’s going to notice another slightly prima donna veteran? If the Raiders finally rebound this year, the locker room will be mostly jovial, anyway, right?

Questions upon questions...
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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