will be kind to him and give the Cowboys that other experienced receiver they so desire. But to cavalierly take that chance would be near insanity. So they'd like to hedge their bet.
Glenn is scheduled for a $1.74 million base salary this year. But first, let me regress. Remember back in 2006 the Cowboys signed him to a five-year, $20 million extension. He received a $2 million signing bonus and a $2 million base salary that year. In 2007, the one he basically played four regular-season plays while trying to recover from two right knee scopes, the Cowboys paid him a $5 million roster bonus in March, along with his $820,000 base salary. That means, and I'm not trying to be cute here, he made $5.82 million last year, or $1.455 million a SNAP!
Now the Cowboys could have cut him after the season or even - still I guess - fail him on a physical, yet they have chosen to give him a chance to earn the $1.74 million, and if not that, and only if the current problem with the right knee lands him on IR, at least $500,000. He's saying no way, and this is not some recent rejection. These talks have been going on for nearly a month.
So, and I know guys have pride, but wondering if Glenn has asked himself this: If outright released, who out there would take a look at that knee and pass him on a physical, and if they did, guarantee him more money? What kind of insurance advice is he getting? Well, maybe none, because I see it's been reported he has fired his agent.
To be continued . . . .
Now Ellis, and to tell you the truth, when I first saw this surface on Wednesday when most figured the veteran outside linebacker was innocently enough missing from the OTA workout, I laughed. Thought it was a stretch, at best. I mean, how could he? Not after what he and Jones went through last year and the year before that . . . and was it the year before that, too? I don't know, it's happened so often now I've lost track.
But no, evidently Ellis, Mr. Paranoia, took exception to reduced reps during Tuesday's OTA workout and quickly deduced the club was fixing to run him off or demote him, a Pro Bowl outside linebacker coming off a career-high 12½-sack season playing just 13 games, to a designated pass rusher. So he took his ball and went home, and did so again on Thursday, skipping that "voluntary" OTA, too.
The defensive coaches here are flabbergasted. I'm told they explained to Ellis how they needed to give Anthony Spencer, last year's first-round pick, more reps in these workouts, and how they needed to take longer looks at sixth-round pick Eric Walden, a college defensive end being converted to outside linebacker, and first-year outside linebacker Tearrius George. And that doesn't even account for rookie free agent Darrell Robertson, who still is rehabbing from a torn pec muscle.
See, the coaching staff knows there are 84 guys currently on the roster, and when the rookie draft choices get signed, along with Hamlin - at some point we'll presume - and Pacman is reinstated - at some point we'll presume - the Cowboys will have to cut four guys if all is accomplished before the start of training camp. The Cowboys know what Ellis can do, but they need to find out about all these young guys.
Plus, why wear out a 10-year veteran going on 33 in these helmet-and-shorts workouts? No need whatsoever and maybe that is why neither Phillips nor Jones seemed at all upset with Ellis' absence.
Two more points on this. If I became paranoid about my job, chances are I'd start working harder, doing whatever was asked of me to make sure no one found an excuse to bench me. And to that point, tell you what, the one guy who stood out in Wednesday's OTA was none other than Spencer himself, playing in place of Ellis.
"Spence got the practice ball today," Phillips said after Wednesday's workout. "He knocked down about three or four passes and had a good rush."
When asked about the possibility of Spencer starting, Phillips said, "We've got our starting team just about, as far as guys starting are concerned, but as far as playing, we expect (Spencer) to play a lot like he did last year and get better and better. That's what we expect from him."
Then again, what if Spencer, who showed quite a bit of promise
