Greg Ellis Might Want to Start Worrying
Posted May 27th 2007 8:37AM
by Ryan Wilson
Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys' first-round pick is having a marvelous minicamp/OTA. This could mean everything ... or it could mean absolutely nothing. It's May, after all. Nobody's wearing pads, there's no contact (at least there's not supposed to be) and the speed of the game is a tad slower now than it will be in training camp and preseason.
Still, it's always good to hear positive reviews on the top draft pick, even under the circumstances:
In Thursday's voluntary workout, Spencer nearly had an interception of a pass in the flat from quarterback Matt Baker to fullback Deon Anderson. At the snap, his first read was on the tight end, but when Anderson went wide, Spencer followed.
"It's just knowing where you're supposed to be and reacting," said Spencer, who rarely dropped into coverage at Purdue. "I was mad I dropped it."
You don't need pads to know this is encouraging. Leading up to the draft, the concern was that Spencer, strictly a defensive end in college, would struggle in pass coverage.
Apparently, that's not an issue. And even if it is, Spencer's in the right place: 2005 first-rounder DeMarcus Ware made the same transition and he's now one of the league's best young players; Greg Ellis, a defensive end for his first eight seasons, made the switch last year and had some success before a season-ending injury.
Oh, and the Cowboys' new head coach, Wade Phillips, has a little experience in helping turn collegiate pass rushers into menacing 3-4 outside linebackers. Exhibit A: Shawne Merriman. The only issue is if Spencer can make enough progress between now and September to earn the starting job. Ellis is the incumbent, but he's coming off an Achilles injury and his place at the top of the depth chart can be described as tenuous at best. Whatever happens, if you're the Cowboys, this is a good problem to have.
by Ryan Wilson
Anthony Spencer, the Cowboys' first-round pick is having a marvelous minicamp/OTA. This could mean everything ... or it could mean absolutely nothing. It's May, after all. Nobody's wearing pads, there's no contact (at least there's not supposed to be) and the speed of the game is a tad slower now than it will be in training camp and preseason.
Still, it's always good to hear positive reviews on the top draft pick, even under the circumstances:
In Thursday's voluntary workout, Spencer nearly had an interception of a pass in the flat from quarterback Matt Baker to fullback Deon Anderson. At the snap, his first read was on the tight end, but when Anderson went wide, Spencer followed.
"It's just knowing where you're supposed to be and reacting," said Spencer, who rarely dropped into coverage at Purdue. "I was mad I dropped it."
You don't need pads to know this is encouraging. Leading up to the draft, the concern was that Spencer, strictly a defensive end in college, would struggle in pass coverage.
Apparently, that's not an issue. And even if it is, Spencer's in the right place: 2005 first-rounder DeMarcus Ware made the same transition and he's now one of the league's best young players; Greg Ellis, a defensive end for his first eight seasons, made the switch last year and had some success before a season-ending injury.
Oh, and the Cowboys' new head coach, Wade Phillips, has a little experience in helping turn collegiate pass rushers into menacing 3-4 outside linebackers. Exhibit A: Shawne Merriman. The only issue is if Spencer can make enough progress between now and September to earn the starting job. Ellis is the incumbent, but he's coming off an Achilles injury and his place at the top of the depth chart can be described as tenuous at best. Whatever happens, if you're the Cowboys, this is a good problem to have.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:25 AM
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