Texas NFL Capsules: Longtime Cowboys star Ellis back for Thanksgiving

IRVING — Greg Ellis spent the last few years bracing for his release from the Dallas Cowboys. So when it happened in June, it didn’t sting too badly.

He even started looking at the bright side — like finally getting to spend Thanksgiving with his family after 11 years of playing on the holiday.

Then he signed with the Oakland Raiders and Al Davis broke the news to him.

"Greg," Davis said, "guess who you are going to play on Thanksgiving?"

"My wife was not too happy about that," Ellis said, chuckling. "She was like, ‘Man, you leave Dallas and you STILL have to miss Thanksgiving with us?!"’

Ellis and the Raiders (3-7) have the chance to jump-start a season that’s already included a pair of three-game losing streaks. However, they are 1-0 under new starting quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, having beaten division-leading Cincinnati this past Sunday. Now they have a chance to knock off another division leader.

Dallas (7-3) is vulnerable, too.

The Cowboys have been shut out over the first three quarters in their last two games, a loss at Green Bay and a 7-6 win at home over Washington. Quarterback Tony Romo was kneed in the back by the Redskins and is still sore. He also might be without his favorite target, tight end Jason Witten, questionable with a sprained left foot.

And, with Ellis now playing for the Raiders, the Cowboys will be facing a guy who knows all their favorite tricks.

"He’s done a good job for them," Romo said. "He looks good on tape."

Ellis was the player Dallas took instead of Randy Moss in the first round of the 1998 draft. While never dominant, he was always among the club’s sack leaders, first as a defensive end, then after being moved to outside linebacker.

He feared being set up to fail when forced to switch positions, but he ended up playing better than ever. He had a career-best 12½ sacks and his first trip to the Pro Bowl in 2007, when he also was coming off a torn Achilles’ tendon; he ended up being the NFL’s comeback player of the year.

Part of Ellis’ motivation that season was that Dallas drafted Anthony Spencer in the first round to be his eventual replacement. Ellis remained the starter and pass-rush specialist last season by getting eight sacks, but he knew the Cowboys eventually would need to find out what they had in Spencer.

While he would’ve preferred finishing his career in Dallas, he appreciated being released in time to land another job.

"It was never anything personal," Ellis said. "Some players make the mistake of getting mad with the owners, mad with the organization, saying bad things about the organization. But you have to understand that football does have a business side. ... It’s just the circle of life in football. You can’t play on one team forever. Enjoy the years you are there, like I did. I just wish we’d won the big one while I was there."

He wasn’t out of work very long.

The Raiders gave Ellis a three-year contract to play defensive end, then traded for Richard Seymour to handle the other end spot. Ellis has responded with five sacks in nine games, giving him 82 career sacks, eight among active players. He’s missed one game while having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee and getting over a shoulder injury.

Spencer, meanwhile, has zero sacks in 10 games for Dallas. DeMarcus Ware’s numbers are down, too.

"Greg’s impact on and off the field is immense," Raiders defensive end Jay Richardson said. "He’s obviously a good player, a great player, he’s a heck of a pass rusher. But he brought a leadership that we really needed right now. He gave you a model to follow, both as a football player and as a man, I think. All the young guys look up to him in the locker room and say, ‘That’s how you want to do it."’

Ellis also could be setting an example of how to handle yourself before a grudge match.

On a 20-minute conference call with Dallas reporters, he insisted he had no idea that Spencer didn’t have a sack and that he is not trying to prove anything to anyone with his performance this season, or in this game.

"My intentions are to go out there like it’s another football game," Ellis said. "I just want to do my best."

Well, there was one swipe in saying how embraced he feels by the Raiders.

"I know I’m on a team that’s not trying to phase me out for no reason at all," Ellis said. "I’m on a team that says, ‘OK, we got Greg here and we want to use him in a way that he can help us win’ as opposed to ‘We got somebody we just drafted and we want to get him on the field."’

Still, Ellis admits he won’t know until Thursday afternoon how emotional this game will be. It helps having playing Dallas in the preseason and that this game will be at Cowboys Stadium, not the building that was his home the last 11 years.

But there will still be stars on the helmets, many of them worn by guys who were his teammates and friends for many years.

And, of course, it will be Thanksgiving.

Cowboys TE Witten on field for start of practice

IRVING — Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was on the field for the start of practice Wednesday, a potentially good sign he’ll be able to play Thursday against Oakland despite a sprained left foot.

Media weren’t allowed to watch the workout, so it was unclear how much he practiced or how he looked. Witten stayed in the training room and didn’t speak with reporters afterward. He is listed as questionable.

"Jason’s a tough guy, I know that," quarterback Tony Romo said following practice. "If he can go, he’ll go, definitely."

Witten has the most catches and second-most yards receiving on the club. He’s missed only one game in his career, back as a rookie in 2003, and only one game despite a broken jaw that required surgery.

Coach Wade Phillips said Witten’s status will be decided right before the game.

"He’s getting therapy, he’s getting as many treatments as you can get," Phillips said. "We’ll see how he feels."

Phillips has said this is the kind of injury that could get worse if he hasn’t healed enough. But Witten’s track record shows he’s not likely to err on the side of caution, which means coaches have to think twice when he tries telling them he’s fine.

"It’s a little harder with guys like that because they want to play so bad that they feel like they can," Phillips said. "You have to rely on him to a certain extent, but also the medical people and what they have to say."

The Cowboys have been preparing Martellus Bennett to take Witten’s place. Third-stringer John Phillips would take over Bennett’s role in the two-tight-end formations Dallas likes to use.

"If Jason’s not out there there’s a drop-off, no question," Romo said. "We’re going to do the same things we do. We’ll have to accomplish things. Everybody will have to pick things up if he can’t go."

Romo was dismissive of questions about the back injury he sustained Sunday.

"We’re improving each day," he said. "We’ll be ready to go tomorrow, sure. ... I feel very strongly that we’re going to be able to go out there and do what we normally do, so I’m excited. ... This short week, you have to watch a lot of tape and get extra treatment to make sure you’re prepared for Thursday."

-- Jaime Aron

Cowboys Stadium could have flag by Thanksgiving

ARLINGTON — The Dallas Cowboys could have a permanent American flag inside their nearly $1.2 billion stadium as early as their annual Thanksgiving game.

Spokesman Brett Daniels said Wednesday that owner Jerry Jones heard the growing chorus of fans criticizing the team for not having a flag permanently displayed inside cavernous Cowboys Stadium.

The Cowboys used a giant flag the size of the field for the first regular-season game, and the huge video boards hanging over the field usually show the flag during the national anthem.

The issue became a hot topic when no flag was displayed before a high school playoff game two weekends ago.

Dallas plays Oakland on Thursday. The next home game is Dec. 13 against San Diego.

Texans want to rev up offense

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans were averaging almost 28 points when they went on a three-game winning streak earlier this season. Since then the offense has slowed down and managed just 17 points in each of the last two close losses.

The Texans know they'll need to get it rolling again this week to have any chance to hand the 10-0 Colts their first loss.

Andre Johnson has an idea why the Texans struggled in Monday's 20-17 loss to the Titans.

"I think we operate well when we're in a rhythm," he said. "I don't think Monday night we were able to get into a good rhythm where we have the long drives and things like that."

The Texans had to settle for a field goal against the Titans after three straight plays from the 8-yard line netted zero yards. In their first meeting with the Colts, also a 20-17 loss, Houston lost a fumble on the 1-yard line.

"It's about us executing our plays," Johnson said. "Hitting a pass here, getting a run there, just making positive plays every time we touch the ball. It kind of gets you in a groove when you have that happen. When that happens for us we go out and play pretty well as an offense."

Houston's offensive slowdown coincided with a season-ending knee injury to tight end Owen Daniels. Daniels was leading all tight ends with 519 yards receiving and had five touchdown catches before his injury. The Texans have used Joel Dreessen and rookies Anthony Hill and James Casey in his absence, but none has established himself as the weapon Daniels had become.

The Texans have had trouble in their running game and rank 30th with 87.4 yards a game. Steve Slaton lost his starting job briefly because of a fumbling problem and has gained just 380 yards this season. Chris Brown and Ryan Moats have both seen action, but neither player has been the answer to Houston's rushing woes.

"We're adjusting as an offense," coach Gary Kubiak said. "Losing Owen Daniels, there's been an adjustment period for us and what we're doing. We're playing a bunch of backs as we search for the one to step up and do the most consistent job for us. But regardless of who's playing, you've got to find a way to move the ball and score some points."

The Texans rank third in the NFL with 284 yards passing per week, but believe establishing their running game will be key to success against the Colts. In Houston's only win in 15 meetings with Indianapolis, a 27-24 victory in 2006, the Texans had 191 yards rushing to eat up the clock and keep Peyton Manning off the field.

"You always want to be able to run the ball," Slaton said. "You need that balance just to get the safeties moving around."

The Texans have been frustrated by their inability to win close games this season. Four of Houston's five losses have been by a touchdown or less and the last two defeats came when Kris Brown missed a field goal that would have forced overtime.

Johnson said the offense should take the blame for being unable to finish games and Kris Brown shouldn't shoulder the responsibility for those losses.

"I think the good teams don't put their kickers in that situation," Johnson said. "We have to go out there and when we have the ball in the red zone we need to get seven points instead of getting three points. That's a big part of us becoming a good football team."

-- Kristie Rieken

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