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 _ 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 12 1/2 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.