Q&A : Shaun Ellis ~ ~ ~

I really hate that you can't just cut and paste the entire article...I really do.

 

Good job fluffy.

Interesting that he gave Abe a shout as the best player he's ever played with. Must be thankful for the dough he helped him make.

 

How did you get the "Big Katt" nickname?

I actually got it from a college teammate [at Tennessee]. I made a play ? got to the quarterback and chased down the screen. And he was like, "Oh, you?re quick like a cat." And he just started calling me "Big Katt" from then on.

Lane Kiffin is making his presence felt throughout the SEC at your old school. What do you think about that?

It?s good. I like it. It?s good to beef up that tradition again in the SEC with Alabama, Florida and Georgia, counting back to the days when we were there.

Do you take care of your body differently now, at 31, than you did when you entered the NFL?

Yeah, of course. Yeah, I just get a little massage and a little bit more therapy, hot tub, steam room ? things like that.

You need to play in just eight more games to have played more games than any other D-lineman in franchise history. How does that make you feel?

I didn?t know that. I guess it?s a good accomplishment. It?s good.

The team is headed in a new direction with Rex Ryan as head coach. What do you think about him?

I like him. He?s a straightforward guy. He loves to have fun and the team believes in him. We have a great system, so it?s going to be fun. He causes a lot of controversy from what people say. It?s a good thing. It gives us that extra "oomph" that we need.

Have you always watched the Ravens? defense and respected what they?ve done from afar?

Oh, yeah, anytime you want to watch a defensive team you look at the Ravens. Now that we have him as our coach, I can see why they were playing like that.

You?ve played in six playoffs games but haven?t been to the dance in the past couple of seasons. How bad are you itching to get back to the postseason?

Oh, yeah, very much. You want to just have the opportunity to be a part of it, and then just go as far as we can and hopefully get to the big show.

Quietly, you had a real nice season last season in the sack category with eight sacks. How challenging is it to put up big sack numbers in a 3-4 front?

It?s very challenging because mostly you?re doing a three-man rush and you get double-teamed a lot. It?s a lot more fighting and clawing in the 3-4 to get the sacks.

Do you think you?ll get moved around a bit more this year?

It looks that way. We?ll have a little bit more freedom this year.

The Dolphins are defending division champs, but the Patriots get Tom Brady back. Is New England the team to beat in the division?

Yeah, New England is still the team to beat, but Miami is a great team. You can?t take that away from them and Buffalo is strong too, so it?s going to be a tight race.

Who?s the most talented player you?ve played with and against?

Played with? I?d have to say Abraham ? John Abraham. Most talented player I?ve played against? I?d have to say LaDainian Tomlinson.

 

Yeah him and JAbe were good pals being drafted together. Still, I'd take Mangold any day of the week for him.

 

Agreed.

Abraham was always hurt when it mattered most and he'd put together a couple of 3 sack performances and then disappear for six weeks.

 

Johnny Abe is a phenomenal talent. I was too bad to see him go but he simply could not be relied upon. He sat out a playoff game with the flu, not the type of guy you want to go to war with.

And I agree 100% getting a top 3 center in the league that looks like he will be around for a decade is a beauty trade off.

 

Yup, Abe only played when he wanted to, but Damn, he was the last of the end side pass rushers we had had in a long time. Guy was soft, but he played mean when he wanted.

 

Maybe my memory is hazy, but I can remember Abraham beating up on weak sides and struggling in the big games. Am I wrong?

 

Abraham was a great player when he was on the field. It was the injuries that made him not worth the contract he finally got from Atlanta. If the Jets had stuck with the original plan and left him in a 3-4 at ROLB he'd be headed for the hall of fame.

 

Passive-aggressive trolling for the win.

 

I think Abraham is the best passrusher I've ever seen the NYJ possess. His speed off the edge is unreal.

 

From a speed and explosiveness angle he's similar to Gastineau. Gastineau had more power and a spin move that drove tackles into the ground but Abraham was quicker to drop his shoulder and just run by somebody.

They both had excellent ends opposite them too, although I think Klecko has an edge on Ellis.

 

Abraham also has this annoying tendency to overpursue. The QB would be on the 5th step of his drop and Abe would be 10 yards behind him.

 

And then the QB would be in the 5th yard of his scramble and who had caught him from behind and forced a fumble? Gastineau had the same issues both positive and negative.

 

Not to overananlyze, but Abe had serious hand strength. He could be blocked/tackled behind the QB and still just get a hand for the sack.