The curious case of Saints linebacker Dannell Ellerbe (1 Viewer)

[mrwhodat]

Probably says what we all keep thinking

The curious case of Saints linebacker Dannell Ellerbe - Canal Street Chronicles

Even when and if Ellerbe does come back, he’ll still be on a pitch count and won’t be taking anyone’s job. The reality is the Saints have a player who has just played in seven of the last possible 36 games, and they’ll be fortunate to get any type of contribution from him this season.

The Saints could save $2.5 million by cutting him next season, as they are highly unlikely to find a trade partner for a linebacker that will be on the wrong side of 30. Unfortunately for fans, it’s just something they’ll have to sit through and see how it plays out. Dennis Allen’s defense can’t count on Dannell Ellerbe being in the mix for this season, and it increasingly looks like his professional days are numbered.

 

[insidejob]

Sad but true.

Can't help but think he's a straight up malingerer after there not being a single injury report without his name on it since he got here.

 

[bobad]

Sad but true.

Can't help but think he's a straight up malingerer after there not being a single injury report without his name on it since he got here.

Bad luck, you bet. Malingering, no.

Football players have practically zero reasons to malinger, and a hundred reasons to play.

 

[insidejob]

Bad luck, you bet. Malingering, no.

Football players have practically zero reasons to malinger, and a hundred reasons to play.

I thought that last year. But when he managed to get injured while attending his child's birth...just makes me think that he doesn't want to be on the field for some reason - especially considering how he was looking dominant in the preseason.

Ellerbe could very easily be the best player on this defense if he could just get on the field. The only thing that's kept the torches and pitchforks from coming out is that he's not on some giant contract. Look at the heat Byrd has taken for being LESS injured than Ellerbe. It's not like Byrd wrote his own contract.

Then we go and restructure Ellerbe to an incentive based contract based on the number of snaps he plays directly corresponding to his take home pay and he still can't get on the field? Something just seems off about this to me. He literally has no reason to malinger but can't recover from a strained quad that didn't even happen in live action?. (Other players in the league have plenty reasons to malinger, though. They get paid regardless of whether they play in the game if they're on the 53 and PS.)

I understand that being on the wrong side of thirty (well, I think he is 30 right now) makes injuries harder to come back from, but it's now been since week 3 of preseason. He's been out for 7 weeks with this quad and was thought to be practicing yesterday according to Payton and then ended up being DNP. I'm just frustrated because of how different this defense looks with him on the field and we haven't seen but 7 games of it out of a possible 36.

This quote right here is why I think malingering his way to the end of this year wouldn't bother him that much:

After being a star and staple for years on the vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense and earning a Super Bowl ring, Ellerbe cashed in on a 5-year, $35 million contract with the Miami Dolphins in 2013. He was moved to the team’s middle linebacker spot, and didn’t have a particularly good season. Ellerbe was then moved to the outside, but spent the majority of 2014 on injured reserve with a hip injury and had surgery on it in mid-November of the season to correct the problem.

After this year, he'll have earned 4/5 of that $35 Million - maybe a little less since we restructured him, but that's still a huge chunk of change that has set him up for life - and he's only had to suit up 7 times to get two years worth of that money.

 

[Domeination]

We all know Ellerbe is our best LB when he's on the field, but since he's almost never on the field he's just taking up a roster spot for a player who could contribute more.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

I thought that last year. But when he managed to get injured while attending his child's birth...just makes me think that he doesn't want to be on the field for some reason - especially considering how he was looking dominant in the preseason.

Ellerbe could very easily be the best player on this defense if he could just get on the field. The only thing that's kept the torches and pitchforks from coming out is that he's not on some giant contract. Look at the heat Byrd has taken for being LESS injured than Ellerbe. It's not like Byrd wrote his own contract.

Then we go and restructure Ellerbe to an incentive based contract based on the number of snaps he plays directly corresponding to his take home pay and he still can't get on the field? Something just seems off about this to me. He literally has no reason to malinger but can't recover from a strained quad that didn't even happen in live action?. (Other players in the league have plenty reasons to malinger, though. They get paid regardless of whether they play in the game if they're on the 53 and PS.)

I understand that being on the wrong side of thirty (well, I think he is 30 right now) makes injuries harder to come back from, but it's now been since week 3 of preseason. He's been out for 7 weeks with this quad and was thought to be practicing yesterday according to Payton and then ended up being DNP. I'm just frustrated because of how different this defense looks with him on the field and we haven't seen but 7 games of it out of a possible 36.

This quote right here is why I think malingering his way to the end of this year wouldn't bother him that much:



After this year, he'll have earned 4/5 of that $35 Million - maybe a little less since we restructured him, but that's still a huge chunk of change that has set him up for life - and he's only had to suit up 7 times to get two years worth of that money.

I read an article recently where pro FB players will come in from off-season work injured but lie/not say anything and then fake an injury on the field for which it was already pre-existing. Mainly because teams are really strict about those NFI.

By the way the team is handling this.. I'd assume Ellerbe was attempting to workout while he was away for the Birth of his Child and he injured his quad. This is likely the story (not saying its true or not) that he told the team. Them being sympathetic and obviously understanding they've kept up with the maintenance on it. Likely because it shows/showed dedication from the player.

SP even mentioned he was there during the bye week getting treatment so he prob didn't get the days off that other guys got (of course someone is like he hasn't played a game why should he) which again shows dedication from the player.

Just a thought though.

 

[Flipx99]

When he has been on the field he certainly does not play like a man who would be a goldbricker.

If anything, his style of play seems like it would lead to injury.

IDK, I am just not eager to call out a man when I really don't know what is happening with him.

 

[TribuneUK]

I think frustrated people are looking for reasons that aren't there. The guy is not well known for being durable, and sports history is littered with great athletes who couldn't handle the extreme physical/mental rigours of the profession.

 

[insidejob]

I read an article recently where pro FB players will come in from off-season work injured but lie/not say anything and then fake an injury on the field for which it was already pre-existing. Mainly because teams are really strict about those NFI.

By the way the team is handling this.. I'd assume Ellerbe was attempting to workout while he was away for the Birth of his Child and he injured his quad. This is likely the story (not saying its true or not) that he told the team. Them being sympathetic and obviously understanding they've kept up with the maintenance on it. Likely because it shows/showed dedication from the player.

SP even mentioned he was there during the bye week getting treatment so he prob didn't get the days off that other guys got (of course someone is like he hasn't played a game why should he) which again shows dedication from the player.

Just a thought though.

Quoting you but not addressing only you.

I want to make clear that I have huge hopes for Ellerbe because of what we've seen from him on the field. Seen how the entire defense plays better with him on the field. We've all seen it and our record with him vs. without him proves that fact.

Your explanation does make sense. He could very well have been running on a treadmill in the hospital's gym waiting for his wife to go into labor when he injured his quad. Who knows? It's just seriously disappointing after seeing him healthy for the first time ever in B&G since arriving only to return injured.

I love Ellerbe and want him to be a part of this team. But only if he can actually dress on game day. He's our "Street Clothes" player for going on two years. Can't remember having a player referred to as street clothes since Stallworth was here. 7/36 games over 3+ years is just awful (even though one of those years was with Miami). His wikipedia page doesn't even bother listing his stats as a Saint. If they didn't mention on it that we picked him up by the Saints in March of 2015, you'd think the guy was retired.

 

[insidejob]

I think frustrated people are looking for reasons that aren't there. The guy is not well known for being durable, and sports history is littered with great athletes who couldn't handle the extreme physical/mental rigours of the profession.

He hasn't been the picture of health throughout his career, but he played more than not before getting injured (and IR'd) in 2014. Linebackers play one of the most violent positions on the field and are prone to more injuries because of it. But what we've gotten from him is almost unprecedented.

 

[ELLIASJWILLIAMS]

Quoting you but not addressing only you.

I want to make clear that I have huge hopes for Ellerbe because of what we've seen from him on the field. Seen how the entire defense plays better with him on the field. We've all seen it and our record with him vs. without him proves that fact.

Your explanation does make sense. He could very well have been running on a treadmill in the hospital's gym waiting for his wife to go into labor when he injured his quad. Who knows? It's just seriously disappointing after seeing him healthy for the first time ever in B&G since arriving only to return injured.

I love Ellerbe and want him to be a part of this team. But only if he can actually dress on game day. He's our "Street Clothes" player for going on two years. Can't remember having a player referred to as street clothes since Stallworth was here. 7/36 games over 3+ years is just awful (even though one of those years was with Miami). His wikipedia page doesn't even bother listing his stats as a Saint. If they didn't mention on it that we picked him up by the Saints in March of 2015, you'd think the guy was retired.

It is disappointing but he's probably the most talented LB we have on the team when he's healthy at this point. Easily the best coverage LB. The way his deal has been restructured and the willingness to do so suggest his love for the game and his desire to be on the field. Guy just has incredibly bad luck with injuries.

Patience is virtue

 

[los226]

It's ashame that we can't have this guy on the field for our team. He's the playmaker that we've been needing on the second level since Vilma fell off.

 

[Dan in Lafayette]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ellerbe&#8217;s deal voids if he plays more than 80% of the snaps this year. If he doesn&#8217;t get back soon, will likely stay under contract for 17.</p>&mdash; Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) <a href="https://twitter.com/nick_underhill/status/785872234300645376">October 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[insidejob]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ellerbe’s deal voids if he plays more than 80% of the snaps this year. If he doesn’t get back soon, will likely stay under contract for 17.</p>— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) <a href="https://twitter.com/nick_underhill/status/785872234300645376">October 11, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It's pretty much guaranteed at this point since he'd need to play nearly 100% of the defensive snaps from here on out to play more than 80% of the snaps. And then it'd only cost us $2.5 Milllion to release him after this season.

 

[bradman1965]

Honestly, considering the outrageous ways the FO has missed on players, a guy with a pedestrian injury bug is one of the least surprising.