Save the actual act of filling out the pink slip, Greg Ellis' 11-year career with the Cowboys is done. He was hailed as a team leader -- something the organization lacked in recent years -- and his DallasCowboys.com bio confirms as much: "... Ellis has been a pillar of consistency and production for the Cowboys in his 10 seasons as an NFL player. Whether it be overcoming the adversity of a serious injury or making a position switch in the later stages of his career, Ellis has always responded."
But as you might have heard, the NFL is a business, and players -- even the good ones -- are sent on their way as soon as a coach, scout or owner determines they're no longer useful. And with 2007 first-round pick Anthony Spencer ready to assume Ellis' job, it was a relatively easy decision, at least from a business standpoint.
But what if the Cowboys weren't so risk averse during the 1998 draft? You know, back when Jerry Jones wouldn't just take a flyer on anybody. And after the Terrell Owens (he was framed), Pacman Jones (I got nothing) and Tank Johnson (still nothing) debaclements, The Jerry seems to be moving in that direction again. Anyway, today the Dallas Morning News' Tim MacMahon asks "What if the Cowboys had drafted Randy Moss?"
Ellis was a solid defensive end/outside linebacker who made one Pro Bowl and won zero playoff games during his 11-season tenure with the Cowboys. Moss ranks among the all-time receiving greats with 13,201 yards and 135 TDs.And that last sentence pretty much says it all; Moss can be great and take over a game, or he can disappear for long stretches. And guys like Carter, Leaf, etc., only exacerbate the condition. In 2007, Moss' first year in New England, he was the most productive player in the league in terms of total value, and on a per-play basis, according to Football Outsiders. The year before, his last in Oakland? He was 79th, behind such luminaries as Peerless Price, Ashley Lelie and Reggie Williams, three wideouts currently looking for work.
But the odds are Moss would have had a bitter departure from Dallas. He left Minnesota on bad terms after seven mostly spectacular seasons. How do you think he would have handled playing with such quarterbacking legends as Quincy Carter, Ryan Leaf, Anthony Wright, Clint Stoerner, Chad Hutchinson, etc.? (See his unmotivated two seasons as a Raider for a hint.)
Obviously, there's a huge difference between having Andrew Walter heaving medicine balls in your general direction and Tom Brady nailing you in stride for six straight months on the way to receiving records (23 TDs, 1,493 yards) and a Super Bowl appearance. But that's the point.
So here's the question: would the short-term gains of having Moss in Dallas -- three or four Pro Bowl seasons -- be worth the headaches in Years 5 and 6? No idea. If the Cowboys won a playoff game -- something they haven't done since 1996 -- then, sure, why not. If they alternated between five- and six-win seasons, and losing in the first round of the playoffs, probably not.
Ellis may have never won a playoff game in Dallas, but you'd like to think he'd made people around him better. Not sure you could say that about Moss, at least early in his career.
