IRVING, Texas - How fitting, with the guy he replaced set to roll into town, that Anthony Spencer would be starting to blossom.
The Cowboys bet on Spencer in the off-season, deciding he would be an improvement at strong side outside linebacker over 11-year former Cowboy Greg Ellis, now with the Oakland Raiders. Spencer and Ellis shared time last season, but with the 1998 first-rounder entering the final year of his contract, the team got younger by handing the job to Spencer.
There were growing pains. While Spencer has long been lauded by his coaches as an excellent run defender, his pass coverage was suspect at first, highlighted by the would-be interception that slipped through his hands against Denver, and went for a touchdown. He still hasn't produced any sacks, while Ellis has 5.0, but each week Spencer seems to be causing problems with his rush.
And Sunday, with the game on the line in the final minutes, Spencer finally broke through with the kind of big play he's been so close to making for so long, catching a tipped-ball interception to seal the Cowboys' 7-6 win over Washington. Spencer said it was a relief to come up with the ball. After waiting behind Ellis for two years, it was 10 games before he was able to come away from the game with tangible proof of the impact he's been having.
Spencer said the time he spent watching Ellis helped him become the player he is now.
"I admired what he's done here for so long," Spencer, who admits he learned a lot from Ellis during their two years together, said. "The way he came in and worked. Just to be a complete vet the way he was and to come in and do his job every day and do it well, all that good stuff.
"In this game it's all about patience, and when your time comes, being ready to perform. I think the biggest thing for any rookie coming into the league is you've just got to wait for your time to come, and that's basically what I had to do."
Ellis, who spoke to Dallas-area reporters on a conference call Tuesday, said he was surprised to know Spencer has yet to register a sack.
The 10-game drought has surprised Spencer, as well. Close as he's been to making a number of sacks, it just hasn't happened yet. He ran Jason Campbell out of bounds for what would have been a sack on Sunday, but a booth review determined the Redskins quarterback had thrown the ball away first. The NFL later admitted the review shouldn't have taken place. He's also made a couple of tackles on quarterbacks who scrambled for a negligible gain.
Spencer has even had a quarterback in the grasp, only to have him throw the ball away before hitting the ground.
"It's frustrating," Spencer said. "Of course it's frustrating, but at the same time, what can I do? I just keep doing my job and just keep hoping for the best, that's basically all I can do is just keep focused and confident in what I'm doing. That's what I've been doing so far and it's been working for me."
While Spencer has taken some criticism this season, it doesn't seem to be affecting him. He said Tuesday he's played well, and teammates and coaches agree.
"It's not tough for me at all," Spencer said. "I sleep pretty well every night. I don't watch much TV; I don't pay attention to it too much. I do my job, I come here and work, and I go home and relax."
The Cowboys will need more plays out of Spencer. But in simply going about his business while grinding through the season and constantly trying to improve, he is showing the same signs of professionalism that endeared Ellis to his teammates and coaches for the last 11 years.
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Josh Ellis - 
