FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Shaun Ellis was a dangerous intruder in New England’s backfield when he sacked Tom Brady twice in last season’s playoffs. He was a welcome addition when he walked into the locker room as a member of the Patriots this year.
When he arrived, though, he wasn’t sure how he’d be received by the players he helped beat in January.
Additional Photos
“A couple of guys mentioned it, but the team really embraced me when I came here,” Ellis said Wednesday. “I was kind of a little fuzzy about it at first, but they really took me in, man, showed me how they do things around here. It’s been great.”
Another odd meeting is set for Sunday when he looks across the line at Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.
“It’s definitely going to be different for me,” Ellis said. “You just kind of treat it like you do in one of the green-and-white scrimmages (with the Jets). We did scrimmage against each other quite a bit.”
Ellis’ road out of New York had some friction.
Before last season, he asked for a contract extension, but the Jets cited their policy of having older veterans play out their contracts.
“That was kind of like a slap in the face,” Ellis said then.
So he spent the season with New York, playing in 18 games, including three in the playoffs. A 28-21 win over the Patriots sent the Jets to the AFC championship game where they lost 24-19 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Jets said they wanted Ellis back but offered only the veteran minimum of $910,000 and, Ellis said, refused to increase it substantially when he went back to them for a final offer. They used their first two draft picks on defensive linemen and Ellis signed with the Patriots on Aug. 8.
“I wasn’t hurt,” he said. “It was just a decision that they made that they wanted to go a different route. For me, it was about putting myself in the best situation.”
At the time, Jets Coach Rex Ryan said he had “a great deal of respect” for Ellis and “I wish him to be healthy,” but “there’s no way I’m going to wish him well.”
That last quote from the outspoken coach grabbed the attention of some media.
Ellis simply brushed it off before going to practice on Wednesday.
“Rex is Rex,” he said. “He’s going to voice his opinion, whether jokingly or being serious. So I just didn’t pay any attention to it. It’s a business decision and it led me here. So I’m here, happy to be here.”
Now if he can just contribute more.
In four games at defensive end, Ellis has just three tackles and no sacks.
“I definitely have room to improve,” he said. “It’s a gradual building process for me so I just want to go out, continue practicing and working hard and getting my assignments down — just how they play things, just the technique issues and things like that. It’s gradually coming. I’ve just got to be able to turn it loose.”
But his new coach doesn’t seem worried.
Ellis “has definitely played well against us. He’s played well against a lot of people,” Patriots Coach Bill Belichick said. “He’s very professional, does everything right and does what we ask him to do, not only works hard to improve himself, but also helps his teammates and some of the younger players.”
His former coach seems to agree that he’s still a solid player.
“Shaun is an excellent player because he can play a 3-4 defensive end, he can play in a 4-3 defense, so they’re doing multiple things,” Ryan said Wednesday. “I think it was a good move by Belichick to bring him in because he is a guy that can play in multiple (or) any defense that you’ve got.”
Ellis might also help his own offensive linemen by sharing his knowledge of the Jets’ defense. “He’s been in that system for a long time, so, definitely, I’ll try to pick his brain as much as possible,” right guard Brian Waters said.
The Patriots have just six sacks and have allowed an average of 477.4 yards per game, the most in the NFL, but defensive line coach Pepper Johnson sees beyond the gloomy numbers, especially with veterans Ellis, Albert Haynesworth, Andre Carter and Mark Anderson adjusting to a new system in their first season with the Patriots.
“I’m not much of a stat person,” Johnson said. “I just know how we have been affecting some throws.”
On Sunday, Ellis is looking to get his first sack against the Jets.
“It’s definitely going to be different,” he said, “but I’m a Patriot so I just want to go out and play my best in this game.”
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.