Cowboys whine festival starts early
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Because of a developing situation at Valley Ranch, the Hashmarks Dallas bureau was temporarily called back from assignment. It seems that 32-year-old defensive end Greg Ellis, one of the most respected players on the team, is upset about his role and has taken the desperate measure (wait for it) of skipping the final day of OTAs.
Ellis is one of the best guys I've ever dealt with on the beat, but his annual offseason complaints are starting to wear thin. His latest fine whine involves the Cowboys' decision to give 2007 first-round pick Anthony Spencer more reps at Ellis' outside linebacker position. Coach Wade Phillips and owner Jerry Jones think the extra time will help Spencer's development and keep Ellis fresh for the season. Ellis, who owns one of the best insecurity systems in the area, doesn't see it that way. Even though he's coming off the best season of his career, he thinks Wade and Jerry are trying to phase him out of the defense.
In 2006, he complained publicly about Bill Parcells' decision to move him to outside linebacker, a position he'd never played. In 2007, the drafting of Spencer caused Ellis to question his future -- especially since he was coming off a season-ending Achilles' tendon injury. Jones finally eased Ellis' mind by restructuring his contract through the 2009 season.
You could make the argument that Ellis is the second-best player on the defense, although I'd put both DeMarcus Ware and Terence Newman in front of him. That said, his offseason griping no longer holds any weight. The truth is he's already shown his hand. He's such a good person that he's incapable of doing something to hurt the team. Last year he tutored Spencer while complaining about his own status.
Other than soothing Ellis' ego with some reassuring words, Jones knows he doesn't have to go out of his way to keep Ellis happy. After all, he had an excellent season after a summer of unrest.
Oh, there's one other player who's unhappy with his current role on the team -- and he just happens to be a starting wide receiver. Jones has spent a good portion of the offseason reminding folks that Terry Glenn, who missed 15 regular-season games last season with a knee injury, could be a major part of the 2008 plan. I've said several times that counting on Glenn is a ludicrous idea, and now it turns out that Jones is looking for some insurance. According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have asked Glenn to accept a $500,000 settlement that would take effect if he re-injures the same knee that kept him out for most of last season.
Glenn's current contract calls for him to make $1.74 million in 2008. If he got injured at the Cowboys' practice facility or during training camp, he would receive that entire amount. And that's why Jones is locking him out right now. I've never gone out of my way to defend Jones, but this is a simple business decision. He paid over $5 million to Glenn last season. This season, he'd like a little insurance.
Sure, he could afford the $1.7 million, but Jones didn't become a billionaire by paying people to do nothing. Actually, he did some of that from 1996-2002, but that's beside the point.
What else is going on at Valley Ranch? Well, Newman sort of slammed teammate Roy Williams during a local TV interview, Pacman's about to lose his townhouse in Nashville and defensive end Chris Canty still hasn't signed his one-year tender worth about $2 million. In other words, it's business as usual.
Because of a developing situation at Valley Ranch, the Hashmarks Dallas bureau was temporarily called back from assignment. It seems that 32-year-old defensive end Greg Ellis, one of the most respected players on the team, is upset about his role and has taken the desperate measure (wait for it) of skipping the final day of OTAs.
Ellis is one of the best guys I've ever dealt with on the beat, but his annual offseason complaints are starting to wear thin. His latest fine whine involves the Cowboys' decision to give 2007 first-round pick Anthony Spencer more reps at Ellis' outside linebacker position. Coach Wade Phillips and owner Jerry Jones think the extra time will help Spencer's development and keep Ellis fresh for the season. Ellis, who owns one of the best insecurity systems in the area, doesn't see it that way. Even though he's coming off the best season of his career, he thinks Wade and Jerry are trying to phase him out of the defense.
In 2006, he complained publicly about Bill Parcells' decision to move him to outside linebacker, a position he'd never played. In 2007, the drafting of Spencer caused Ellis to question his future -- especially since he was coming off a season-ending Achilles' tendon injury. Jones finally eased Ellis' mind by restructuring his contract through the 2009 season.
You could make the argument that Ellis is the second-best player on the defense, although I'd put both DeMarcus Ware and Terence Newman in front of him. That said, his offseason griping no longer holds any weight. The truth is he's already shown his hand. He's such a good person that he's incapable of doing something to hurt the team. Last year he tutored Spencer while complaining about his own status.
Other than soothing Ellis' ego with some reassuring words, Jones knows he doesn't have to go out of his way to keep Ellis happy. After all, he had an excellent season after a summer of unrest.
Oh, there's one other player who's unhappy with his current role on the team -- and he just happens to be a starting wide receiver. Jones has spent a good portion of the offseason reminding folks that Terry Glenn, who missed 15 regular-season games last season with a knee injury, could be a major part of the 2008 plan. I've said several times that counting on Glenn is a ludicrous idea, and now it turns out that Jones is looking for some insurance. According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have asked Glenn to accept a $500,000 settlement that would take effect if he re-injures the same knee that kept him out for most of last season.
Glenn's current contract calls for him to make $1.74 million in 2008. If he got injured at the Cowboys' practice facility or during training camp, he would receive that entire amount. And that's why Jones is locking him out right now. I've never gone out of my way to defend Jones, but this is a simple business decision. He paid over $5 million to Glenn last season. This season, he'd like a little insurance.
Sure, he could afford the $1.7 million, but Jones didn't become a billionaire by paying people to do nothing. Actually, he did some of that from 1996-2002, but that's beside the point.
What else is going on at Valley Ranch? Well, Newman sort of slammed teammate Roy Williams during a local TV interview, Pacman's about to lose his townhouse in Nashville and defensive end Chris Canty still hasn't signed his one-year tender worth about $2 million. In other words, it's business as usual.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:47 PM
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