Cowboys Blog Official

Would Losing Ellis & Adams Be Detrimental?

Over the past week the main focus of news seemed to be centralized around two key players; OLB Greg Ellis and LT Flozell Adams

I discussed the potential for Flozell Adams this upcoming season, thinking this would be another one of his breakout season's, well now comes the news that his knee is flaring up again. In fact, Adams just had some minor arthroscopic surgery which will sideline him until training camp.

So, just when we thought Adams would be fully recovered from his knee injuries, it would appear that he may not be 100% at training camp, and his reliability for the regular season is not guaranteed unfortunately. We're talking about a player that has had some recent nagging knee injuries, and you have to consider the wear and tear on Flo's tires - the guy is 6-7 340, that's a lot mass for his battered knees. Would losing Adams be detrimental to the team's offensive success this year? Right now, you would have to say yes. Who would start at LT? Are we talking starting Pat McQuistan at LT, who would be a virtual rookie since he has no game time experience or moving Davis back to LT, which would in-turn leave a hole at RG. This is not going to happen. The Cowboys just released Rivera, and Davis was brought in for RG all along anyway. Davis feels his more comfortable at RG too:

"I feel like I'm better at guard," said Davis, who played both guard and tackle in six seasons with Arizona. "At tackle in the pass set you might have a guy three to five yards outside you, but at guard you've still got to be quick because the guys right there in front of me. I'm really using my size and strength at either position."(DMN)

It would appear that McQuistan (6-6, 315) would be the answer at LT should something happen to Adams. McQuistan played LT during OTAs in place of the sidelined Adams, and we'll probably see McQuistan start this weekend's mini camp at LT. McQuistan has shown a great deal of versatility on the line, and some believe he is poised to challenge Kosier for the LG spot this year. Whether its this year or next year, McQuistan will be a starter sooner or later, its not a matter of if, but rather when. You just never know, and Pat could end up having the better career than his twin brother Paul would was drafted in the 3rd round by the Raiders.

July '06: "McQuistan played college ball with his brother Paul, a Raiders third-rounder recently dubbed a rookie starter, at Weber State. Pat might have a tougher time securing a roster spot." (USA Today)

Fast forward, and McQuistan is looking to be the steal we had hoped and there's absolutely no worry that he'll make the roster this year and beyond.

So, what about Greg Ellis? This is becoming a yearly event with Ellis, with all the makings of a weekly soap opera, this is just getting ridiculous.

I like the player Ellis, and I can understand where he is coming from, so its one of these things that fans either agree or disagree with. I would believe that last year fans tolerated this subject more than this year. Fans, that backed up Ellis last year, have all but abandoned ship. Looking at his stats, Ellis is averaging 6.27 sacks a season.

Personally, I want Ellis back on this team. He's a solid player, and has valuable experience considering how young we've gotten in the front seven.

However, Ellis is feeling slighted by Jerry Jones. After Thursday's OTA Jerry said (from DC.Com):

"I don't have any plans to meet with anyone who is under contract"

to which Greg Ellis said:

"That pretty much answers all your questions right there," Ellis told a large group of reporters huddled around his locker. "A player that you're serious about keeping, and you don't meet with them? In any kind of job, if you want to keep them around, if that employee has some concern, you meet.

"I was told by Jerry we were going to have a meeting. I didn't even ask for a meeting. He walked up to me and said, 'Greg we're going to have a sit-down.' And then to tell you guys we aren't going to do that, that's fine with me. But by him saying that, that pretty much answers all the questions. I didn't answer them, I think Jerry answered them."

Right now, this impasse is all business. Ellis wants to be smart about his career and his future, but he probably feels stuck with his current contract. He wants it reworked.

Ellis' teammates want him there, Spencer wants Ellis to return, and Spears spoke out on the subject (Watkins):

In team meetings, Ellis sits behind Spencer, telling him what to do as they watch film.

Defensive end Marcus Spears said when his college roommate, New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill, died recently, Ellis was one of the first people to call him.

"I know we need him around, that's all that I'm concerned with," Spears said. "Me and G are real close. I want him to be happy and I think whatever it takes to do that, he's proven himself. He's not a selfish guy, and I think they need to find some common ground."

We all saw the drop off on defense last year when Ellis went down with an injury. The defense steadily went downhill and the wheels fell off towards the end. Yes, we have Spencer, and Carpenter, but Ellis still provides solid pass rush and much needed leadership on that young front seven. Spencer is unproven right now, albeit, he "looks" to be ready, and Ware has even said he thinks Spencer is ahead of him when he came in as a rookie 2yrs ago. So, there's some positive things to think about.

Anyway you cut it, its not a good thing to lose a solid player, especially in this aggressive Phillips 34 defense. You can NEVER have enough good solid players at LB. Losing Ellis would be detrimental. Too many unknowns right now, and potential doesn't cut it in this league. Not to say Spencer or Carpenter are not going to be good players, I think they are definitely the future, if not this year, definitely full-on next year. These two LBs are too good to be anything else than starters.

We'll see how this plays out over mini camp. Keep an eye on McQuistan.