People notice Ellis, because he actually has a chance to make a play, and misses the tackles because he's trying to fight off blocks. Kimo gets blown right off the line, and Robertson gets turned right away from the play. Ellis is the last player we need to worry about right now, especially after his monstrous play down the stretch.
Here are some players I was dissapointed in... 1- D'Brickashaw Ferguson- Got beat alot today and MUST add SOME weight in the offseason. There is no way he weighs 312...more like 280. Needs to gain muscle mass and fat. 2- Shaun Ellis- Was non-exsistent for most of the game and didn't provide a pass rush. 3- Jonathan Vilma- This guy doesn't fit in the 3-4. He has made no improvements over the course of the year. He is a great mind and is helpful to his teammates, but physically he is not up to this kind of defense.
Especially after today, I can't believe that you're going to pick on Vilma. He played great all day, outside of the missed sack. He's going to get blown off the ball when he's blocked, it's as simple as that. Ray Lewis struggled at 255 lbs. in the 3-4 defense when he was blocked. The guy was responsible for two stuffs on the goal line, even though it was nullified by horrible coverage on Kassel's part. Ellis played bad today, but Kimo was nonexistant and Rashad Moore and Hamilton saw way too much playing time. Robertson played well, but that might be because he was so fresh all game since he was subbed out all game.
Ellis played poorly today, but overall this year he's been fine. Him and D-Rob are fine in the 3-4, Kimo is the major major problem.
I think you are forgetting how much his role has changed since switching to the 3-4. He will no longer get all the sacks he used to get.
Ellis has been invisible since the Pittsburgh playoff game. He has not earned his money. He got a huge contract in 2004 and since then has done nothing. He is paid as a premier DE and a premier DE gets sacks, forces fumbles and makes tackles. Tying up blockers, which as about as good a compliment as you can pay Ellis for his play this year, does not get you the millions he is being paid. I did not see him make a single play today, and that is simply not acceptable. At least Vilma makes tackles - they may not have been impact plays this year, but at least you know he is on the field. Ellis has been non-existent.
I really think that you hate Ellis, because you loved Abraham and he wasn't signed to the contract Ellis got, because he couldn't stay healthy. I completely agreed with you on the whole Abraham situation, up until this season when you can't help but bash Ellis every chance you get. You need to go back and watch the guy play. He's being payed to get sacks and such, but he's doing his best for a first year player in a new defensive system. What do you want from a 3-4 defensive end? It's not Mangini's fault that the Jets gave him a lot of money, when all Mangini had in mind for him was to tie up blockers. He does his job very well, and regardless if you dislike his contract or not, we have the best cap situation going into the offseason, so it's not a hinderence to the team. Not to mention he's supposedly a very vocal player in the locker room, and you can see his leadership on the field. He's been our only constant along the defensive line, and has gotten his share of sacks, for someone who is double teamed on every play. I go back and watch the games, and I can honestly say that Ellis is doing his best, when up until week eight-nine, he was in a three point stance next to two boulders that just got rolled out of the play completely.
Getting sacks in a 3-4 defense is not the primary job of a defensive end. Registering 5 sacks and effectively tying up blockers in a 3-4 (on a line in which there are only two effective linemen, making it even more difficult to make plays), and doing it all in his first year in the system would be considered a successful season. If you want double digit sack totals from Ellis, you're not getting it in this defense.
Richard Seymour, considered one of the best 3-4 ends, and even best ends in football, has eclipsed five sacks twice in his six years in the 3-4. He's annually at the Pro-bowl and respected around the league as the best defender on a defense that has lead the team to the Super Bowl three times.
Haloti Ngata would have looked good in a Jets uniform. The guy is a stud, the kind of player you need in the middle of the 3-4. Let's just hope D'Brickashaw gets better in a hurry. For God's sake I hope Mangini finally pulls the plug on the Dewayne Robertson experiment.
Ellis had a miserable game today, and I couldn't believe that in the game thread some people were still ripping on Dewayne Robertson instead (I thought that Robertson played solidly for the most part--notice how the Pats weren't running dead ahead, they were hitting the gaps where the ends should have been.) As 10Pennington10 said above, rushing the passer is not of the utmost importance for a 34 DE. That's why I was so pissed off that Ellis was so happy all game to try and go outside on Kaczur in an attempt to get downfield, which just opened up the entire right side of the field for the Patriots run game. He needs to improve his performance drastically.
Or atleast move him permanently to end, where he actually excells. It'll be tough to find a body to fill the middle though, especially since you can't count on a first year man to take that responsibility right off the bat.
Richard Seymour, considered one of the best 3-4 ends, and even best ends in football, has eclipsed five sacks twice in his six years in the 3-4. He's annually at the Pro-bowl and respected around the league as the best defender on a defense that has lead the team to the Super Bowl three times I guarentee that if we won the superbowl three times in 5 years then people be calling ellis one of the best defenders in the league. This defense has played poorly but he isnt the weak link.
That was generally my point. In that 3-4 ends aren't sack artists, and Ellis has played great all year.
