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Ellis as a Flex Tackle?

July 23, 2005

I was reading K.C. Joyner’s section on the New England defense in his excellent “Scientific Football 2005,” which I highly recommend, when I came across a passage that put the whole Parcells/Greg Ellis feud in a new perspective.

Joyner details the evolution of the 3-4 scheme from the Dolphins of the ’70s through the Pats of the early ’00s. According to Joyner the third major evolution, after the Parcells/Belichick Giants redefined the rush LB with Lawrence Taylor, came in the ’90s when Steelers’ DC Dick LeBeau redefined the roles of the 3-4 linemen. The Steelers had several undersized DL then and LeBeau adapted by using all of them, including his nose tackles, as cover men in the short zones. This made his pass rushes much harder to predict.

When Ellis’ role in a 3-4 is considered the media and most of us on this site ponder how Ellis would function in a “pure” 3-4, where the front seven plays in static positions — the tackles head up on the offensive tackles and the nose tackle over the center. Ellis’ light weight of 271 lbs. is considered a liability in this formation. Joyner points out that the more effective 3-4s work because they avoid being this predictable. He is seconded by the writers at Pro Football Weekly’s 2005 Annual, who note that most 3-4s these days are either “under” or “over” schemes, where the linemen “cheat” or line up over guards or in gaps. Almost nobody plays the plain vanilla 3-4 that Parcells’ Giants used so effectively with Taylor and Carl Banks 20 years ago.

Ellis has already proven he can play inside in a 4-3. Dallas has been using him as a tackle on rushing downs for years. Given his intelligence and adaptibility, not to mention the adaptibility of the 3-4 as a scheme, perhaps Ellis should not see himself as the square peg in the round hole.

Written by Rafael Vela · Filed Under General | 27 Comments 

Three In the Ring

July 23, 2005

After years of cleaning up the backlog of neglected Cowboys from the ’70s (seriously, why weren’t Lee Roy Jordan, Bob Hayes and Rayfield Wright inducted before 1988?), Jerry Jones got his chance to induct some of his players. And he did it in typical Jones’ style, announcing that the famed “Triplets,” Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith would all enter the Cowboys Ring of Honor together. The trio will be inducted at halftime of the Cowboys-Redskins Monday Night game September 19th.

The move should give Irvin a minor boost in his quest to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In recent years the Canton candidacies of Hayes, Wright and Cliff Harris were derailed by critics who pointed out that none had even entered their team’s pantheon.

My thanks to reader Sean who asks, which other ’90s heroes will Jerry induct?

Written by Rafael Vela · Filed Under General | 29 Comments 

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