1:47 PM Wed, May 28, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips downplayed Greg Ellis' absence from today's OTA. They both pointed out that these sessions are voluntary, and thanks to Darren Hambrick, everybody around these parts knows what that means. Anthony Spencer didn't ask why Ellis wasn't here. He just took the extra reps and ran with them. Spencer had about as good a practice as possible without pads on. He batted down two Tony Romo passes at the line of scrimmage, skying to swat both, and made a great break on a ball near the sideline to almost pick it off. (Should have been a pick, but let's not nitpick. Spencer jokingly blamed the humidity for making his hands slick.) Phillips said Spencer would have received the "practice ball," if such an honor existed. Phillips made it clear that Ellis is entrenched as the starter -- DON'T WORRY, GREG!!! -- but said the coaching staff needed to find ways to get Spencer on the field more often. Spencer, the 2007 first-round pick who has bulked up to 260 pounds, no longer has to think his way through his steps at OLB. His transition from college DE is complete to the point where he's reacting on the field. "I know where I'm supposed to be," Spencer said. "I know if I make a mistake, I have time to get back to where I'm supposed to be. I know what I can't do and can do. The more you do something, the easier it becomes for you. I've been doing it for a year now, so I definitely feel a lot more comfortable." Comments (0) Leave comment | E-mail entry ________________ He is poised to break out this year..... Hopefully it means Ellis will be a pass rush specialist and Spencer more of the every down OLB....
Yeah I'd like to see it that way too, although I'd also be interested if Ellis could pressure Marcus Spears for a starting DE job. Unfortunately the rest of the D linemen are already doing that, and I'm sure Ellis would explode if we told him we were moving him back to DE
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (GMJigga @ May 29 2008, 08:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Yeah I'd like to see it that way too, although I'd also be interested if Ellis could pressure Marcus Spears for a starting DE job. Unfortunately the rest of the D linemen are already doing that, and I'm sure Ellis would explode if we told him we were moving him back to DE</div> Ellis doesn't really have the size to play DE; which is why we moved him to OLB. Also, he is more effective rushing the passer from a 3-4 OLB position than he was at DE. Spears actually played pretty well this past year. He was 2nd on the team in TFL IIRC.... also, since he is getting rotated out on 3rd downs, he really doesn't have the opportunity to pressure the QB as well as Hatcher/Bowen do since they can "tee off" on the QB when they are playing...
