So Eddie George is set with the Dallas Cowboys, who hired the former Tennessee running back on Friday for a reported $2.2 million. My only question is: Why?
"Well," said an AFC pro personnel director, "he's better than Troy Hambrick."
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| At 31, Eddie George no longer hits the holes as he did when he was younger. (Getty Images) |
The Cowboys thought Emmitt's abilities had diminished, and they were right. And they weren't interested in investing more money in a back that offered few returns, so they turned to the younger, cheaper Hambrick.
No problems there until ... until the Cowboys signed Eddie George.
The move makes sense only if you're this far from closing a deal on the Super Bowl, and the Cowboys aren't. In fact, they could -- maybe should -- have trouble making the playoffs this year with a tougher schedule.
George could be that veteran who wins you a game or two, which might be crucial for, say, Philadelphia. But I don't think it matters with Dallas, which lost four of its final six games last year and still doesn't have a quarterback of consequence.
Don't get me wrong. George was a terrific back with the Titans, but the emphasis is on the past tense. Emmitt Smith was one of the game's greats, too, but let's face it: Arizona got more out of Marcel Shipp last season than they did out of Emmitt.
Eddie George could be valuable for the right team. I just don't think Dallas is the right team.
Sure, George eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing in seven of his eight seasons, but look what has happened lately. He hasn't averaged more than 3.4 yards a carry in three years, and in two of them he had a total of three 100-yard rushing efforts.
Compare that to, say, his second season when he had eight -- including one game of 216 yards -- or his fourth season when he had seven -- including two in the playoffs -- and you have a back in decline.
Like Emmitt, George is not young. He turns 31 in September. More important, he has taken a zillion hits, averaging 342 carries in eight seasons -- including 403 in 2000. That's more attempts than two NFL teams had all of last year, and the punishment has taken its toll on George.
"He doesn't have the quickness he once did," said a defensive coordinator who defended George. "You look at films of the Baltimore (playoff) game last year, and the guy played with so much courage you had to admire him. But the holes were there; he just couldn't get through them."
Then there's that matter of the young back waiting his turn.
In this case, it's former Notre Dame star Julius Jones, whom the Cowboys took after trading out of the 22nd position. Say what you want about the choice -- and some scouts insist the Cowboys wound up with the wrong Jones, taking Julius instead of Kevin (who went to Detroit) -- but the Cowboys thought enough of the guy to jettison Hambrick.
And speaking of Hambrick, can anyone tell me what he did last year?
Let's see, he ran for almost 1,000 yards, averaged 3.5 yards a carry and scored five times. And Eddie George? He ran for just over 1,000 yards, averaged 3.3 yards a carry and scored five times.
So the Cowboys cut Hambrick and sign George.
The difference, of course, between Eddie George and Emmitt Smith is that the Cowboys aren't investing all that much money this time around. Had he stayed, Smith was on the books last year for $7 million in pay and $9.8 million against the salary cap. George agreed to a one-year deal reported to include $660,000 in base pay and $1.54 million in reporting bonus.
That could be good for George if he's good for the Cowboys. I just don't see it happening.
One pro personnel director said he thinks the fit could be right, especially with George working behind a physical offensive line that drives hard off the ball, allowing George to look for the crease.
Maybe. But he was in the minority.
"I think it's a panic move," said an NFC scout. "They really don't have a starting back, and they're not sure what they're going to do with their quarterback position. I think it's more a reflection of how unsettled they are with their offense, particularly their quarterback."
We'll have to wait there. For the moment, the team that gave up on Emmitt Smith just signed Eddie George, and somewhere in there is something that doesn't make sense.
