EDDIE GEORGE RELEASED TODAY...
- Thread starter TRAGIC LOSSES
- Start date
Him and parcells patched up there relationship cowboys.com said, And hes projected to be the number 2 wideout along meshawn johnson, with glenn in the slot. I like the cowboys chances this year to win there division. They will quite possibly have an even better D. But it depends if there offense will improve. They have a big possesion receiver in johnson, a big time deep threat with bryant, and a all around wideout with glenn. There TE witten looks like a good offensive threat. But it wall depend on the george/jones combo, hopefully they will pull there fair share of the load
IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys currently have three healthy running backs available for training camp.
There is an established veteran who has just been released from his team after eight years and has publicly stated the Cowboys is one of the three teams on his wish list.
The Cowboys need a back and Eddie George wants to play for the Cowboys.
It almost sounds too easy.
George, who was released by the Tennessee Titans Wednesday for salary cap reasons, still thinks he has a few years left in the tank. And while that has yet to be determined, the Cowboys are in a position, both financially and from a roster need standpoint, to take a close look.
According to George's agent Lamont Smith, it appears the Cowboys will.
"We've been in contact with the Cowboys and we're very encouraged with our discussion," Smith told Dallas radio station KTCK, "The Ticket" on Thursday. "We'll be visiting with them Friday."
And why not take a chance on a running back who just surpassed the 10,000-yard rushing mark in just eight seasons?
George, who now ranks 17th on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 10,009 yards, would not only give the Cowboys instant experience, but a more acceptable alternative in case rookie running back Julius Jones isn't ready to handle a full load.
Now signing George, or any other veteran running back, doesn't exactly mean the Cowboys are giving up on Jones, the 43rd overall pick out of Notre Dame. But an experienced back would just give the club more options at the position, something the Cowboys haven't had, or needed much until last year.
Since Emmitt Smith arrived back in 1990, the Cowboys obviously have been set at running back. But with Smith now wrapping up his glorious career out in Arizona, the Cowboys found out last year Troy Hambrick wasn't the replacement answer. And while they're still projecting Jones to be the long-term solution at running back, the Cowboys have an obvious need for insurance just in case and for a bigger back, too.
With Erik Bickerstaff now out for the season with a ruptured Achilles, the Cowboys have just Aveion Cason and ReShard Lee to back up Jones. All three of those backs are considered undersized players with speed.
And while Richie Anderson is expected to get more carries, adding another veteran might work out better in the long run. Anderson was productive in his role as fullback and partial third-down back. He led the team with 70 catches and produced 799 total yards of offense as the starting fullback and third-down back.
So if George does make sense for the Cowboys to sign, just how productive can he be?
That's the question the Cowboys must try to figure out. And it might not be just Dallas' decision, with George including Tampa Bay and Philadelphia as desirable destinations. But as of Thursday afternoon, it appeared the Cowboys were his leading choice.
"That's definitely a situation that I'm looking into," George said Thursday in an interview on NFL Network. "I'll be heading down to Dallas tomorrow and I'll sit and talk with the organization and see what we can come up with."
George, who turns 31 Sept. 13, rejected the Titans' attempts to reduce his base salary to $1.5 million. George was willing to accept a reduced contract, but wanted at least $2.5 million in base and security beyond the 2004 season.
Quickly after releasing George, the Titans agreed to a one-year deal with free agent running back Antowain Smith, who helped the Patriots win a Super Bowl last season. Smith, a player the Cowboys were keeping an eye on, signed for just $660,000 with the Titans and is expected to compete for carries with both Chris Brown and third-down back Robert Holcombe.
George, who actually started his career in Texas when the Titans were the Houston Oilers, is the franchise's all-time leading rusher. He is also the only running back in NFL history to record more than 300 carries in each of his first eight seasons. While his foot has been a concern the past two years, George has never missed a game in his entire career.
The former Heisman Trophy winner (1995) out of Ohio State, George has earned four trips to the Pro Bowl, but none since 2000.
George averaged just 3.3 yards per carry last year, the second-lowest average of his career (3.0 yards in 2001). His longest rush from scrimmage was only 27 yards.
But despite his numbers being on the decline, the Cowboys, especially with Bill Parcells in charge, might be a good spot for George to land. Parcells has a history of squeezing life out of aging backs, as he did with Ottis Anderson, who joined the Giants when he turned 29 back in 1986. While Anderson was more of a role player for his first two years with the club, Anderson rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and had 33 rushing touchdowns in a three-year span, including 1,023 yards and a career-high 14 touchdowns in 1989 at the ripe age of 32.
Parcells also milked production out of Keith Byars with both the Patriots and Jets in the mid-1990's. Byars played two seasons in New England and then finished his career with the Jets at age 35. That season he caught 26 passes as a third-down back and scored three touchdowns.
And unless the Cowboys sign another veteran, don't forget Parcells appears willing to let the 32-year-old Anderson get a few more carries.
So signing George would make sense for the Cowboys, who have plenty of salary-cap room available. Also, they have the need to add another back.
Especially one with more than 10,000 career rushing yards on his resume.
There is an established veteran who has just been released from his team after eight years and has publicly stated the Cowboys is one of the three teams on his wish list.
The Cowboys need a back and Eddie George wants to play for the Cowboys.
It almost sounds too easy.
George, who was released by the Tennessee Titans Wednesday for salary cap reasons, still thinks he has a few years left in the tank. And while that has yet to be determined, the Cowboys are in a position, both financially and from a roster need standpoint, to take a close look.
According to George's agent Lamont Smith, it appears the Cowboys will.
"We've been in contact with the Cowboys and we're very encouraged with our discussion," Smith told Dallas radio station KTCK, "The Ticket" on Thursday. "We'll be visiting with them Friday."
And why not take a chance on a running back who just surpassed the 10,000-yard rushing mark in just eight seasons?
George, who now ranks 17th on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 10,009 yards, would not only give the Cowboys instant experience, but a more acceptable alternative in case rookie running back Julius Jones isn't ready to handle a full load.
Now signing George, or any other veteran running back, doesn't exactly mean the Cowboys are giving up on Jones, the 43rd overall pick out of Notre Dame. But an experienced back would just give the club more options at the position, something the Cowboys haven't had, or needed much until last year.
Since Emmitt Smith arrived back in 1990, the Cowboys obviously have been set at running back. But with Smith now wrapping up his glorious career out in Arizona, the Cowboys found out last year Troy Hambrick wasn't the replacement answer. And while they're still projecting Jones to be the long-term solution at running back, the Cowboys have an obvious need for insurance just in case and for a bigger back, too.
With Erik Bickerstaff now out for the season with a ruptured Achilles, the Cowboys have just Aveion Cason and ReShard Lee to back up Jones. All three of those backs are considered undersized players with speed.
And while Richie Anderson is expected to get more carries, adding another veteran might work out better in the long run. Anderson was productive in his role as fullback and partial third-down back. He led the team with 70 catches and produced 799 total yards of offense as the starting fullback and third-down back.
So if George does make sense for the Cowboys to sign, just how productive can he be?
That's the question the Cowboys must try to figure out. And it might not be just Dallas' decision, with George including Tampa Bay and Philadelphia as desirable destinations. But as of Thursday afternoon, it appeared the Cowboys were his leading choice.
"That's definitely a situation that I'm looking into," George said Thursday in an interview on NFL Network. "I'll be heading down to Dallas tomorrow and I'll sit and talk with the organization and see what we can come up with."
George, who turns 31 Sept. 13, rejected the Titans' attempts to reduce his base salary to $1.5 million. George was willing to accept a reduced contract, but wanted at least $2.5 million in base and security beyond the 2004 season.
Quickly after releasing George, the Titans agreed to a one-year deal with free agent running back Antowain Smith, who helped the Patriots win a Super Bowl last season. Smith, a player the Cowboys were keeping an eye on, signed for just $660,000 with the Titans and is expected to compete for carries with both Chris Brown and third-down back Robert Holcombe.
George, who actually started his career in Texas when the Titans were the Houston Oilers, is the franchise's all-time leading rusher. He is also the only running back in NFL history to record more than 300 carries in each of his first eight seasons. While his foot has been a concern the past two years, George has never missed a game in his entire career.
The former Heisman Trophy winner (1995) out of Ohio State, George has earned four trips to the Pro Bowl, but none since 2000.
George averaged just 3.3 yards per carry last year, the second-lowest average of his career (3.0 yards in 2001). His longest rush from scrimmage was only 27 yards.
But despite his numbers being on the decline, the Cowboys, especially with Bill Parcells in charge, might be a good spot for George to land. Parcells has a history of squeezing life out of aging backs, as he did with Ottis Anderson, who joined the Giants when he turned 29 back in 1986. While Anderson was more of a role player for his first two years with the club, Anderson rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and had 33 rushing touchdowns in a three-year span, including 1,023 yards and a career-high 14 touchdowns in 1989 at the ripe age of 32.
Parcells also milked production out of Keith Byars with both the Patriots and Jets in the mid-1990's. Byars played two seasons in New England and then finished his career with the Jets at age 35. That season he caught 26 passes as a third-down back and scored three touchdowns.
And unless the Cowboys sign another veteran, don't forget Parcells appears willing to let the 32-year-old Anderson get a few more carries.
So signing George would make sense for the Cowboys, who have plenty of salary-cap room available. Also, they have the need to add another back.
Especially one with more than 10,000 career rushing yards on his resume.
K
if they got george & jones & anderson tha fb runnin dam thats gonna b a hard team 2 stop. If anderson can play like he played last year & gets good yardage on carries defense's will have 2 worry bout da runnin back & fullback. Quincy has 2 cut down on passin it 2 tha TE all tha time & get tha ball 2 his recievers