[Bette]

Out with a severe injury last year at this time, Ellis is grateful to be back on the field.
Doctors told Ellis it would take a year to come back from a torn Achilles'. But he wanted to come back sooner.
Ellis, a 10-year veteran, has come back from his Achilles' injury and is second on the team in sacks and tied for third in quarterback pressures.
He was stoic. He was fatalistic," said Calvin Hill, the Cowboys' consultant. "Once he gathered himself, he realized he could come back from this."
The defense couldnt.
Before his injury, Ellis led the team with 4 ½ sacks and three forced fumbles.Dallas was the ninth-best defense in the league.
When the season ended, the Cowboys finished as the 24th-worst defense in the NFL.

Ellis also voiced concern about his contract, which he wanted restructured. Jerry Jones, the Cowboys' owner and general manager, initially didn't comply.
Ellis wanted a new deal for security. He suffered a broken left leg in 1999, and after returning to the field the following season, he dealt with some complications with the injury. He didn't want to go through that again with his Achilles' injury.
Ellis and his agent, James Williams, respected the Cowboys' medical staff, but they wanted financial peace of mind for his family in case of future health issues.
The Cowboys reached a deal in late September, adding $500,000 to Ellis' $2.5 million base salary this season and another $1.5 million in 2009.
Dallas also bought out a $2 million insurance policy Ellis purchased after he tore his Achilles', and the team agreed to give him $3.1 million should he suffer a career-ending injury this season.

Ellis still isn't 100 percent and has continued pain. Doctors told him it will be at least a year before he's fully recovered.
Yet, Ellis regained his role in the starting lineup Oct. 21 against Minnesota, and this season he has 6 ½ sacks and five quarterback pressures in seven games.
His presence in the locker room is one of the biggest things the players love about him.
Dallas Cowboys' Ellis blessed to be back | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | SportsDay: Football: Cowboys