I think its a great acquisition for the Boys. But as far as fantasy value it definitely lowers JJ's value. Its not like he was a top 10 or even 15 back anyway. He would be a #3 on most teams.
"If you're playing a poker game and you look around the table and can't tell who the sucker is.......... it's you."
Canacuna wrote:I still really like Eddie George - he just needs some good blocking ahead of him to be productive. He never had that the last few years in Tennessee and if he goes to Dallas, he will be wishing he had Tennessee's line to come back to. In the right situation, I think Eddie George is still a thousand yard rusher and would be very valuable.
Assuming Eddie signs in Dallas, I don't know how thrilled Bill Parcells will be. On ESPN.com the other day they were mentioning that if George were signed, it would be a Jerry Jones move - Parcells was against it, rather wanting not to slow the development of Julius Jones.
In the past, Parcells has always played the best player - it didn't matter if you were a ten year veteran or a rookie taken in the fifth round. Parcells had no problem throwing third rounder Curtis Martin onto the field.
...Eddie does seem to be the kind of guy Parcells likes, though - he'll work his ass off on every play.
Kensat30 wrote:Thus ends the Julius Jones draft strategy. Waiting until the 4th round to select a #2 RB and coming away with amazing starters at other positions. I guess it's going to change to the Thomas Jones draft strategy now?
Heh, you might be on your own with that one, d00d.
I don't see how you can say Eddie will be wishing he could go back to Tennessee's line. Dallas finished 12th in rushing last year and Tennessee finished 26th. Not only that, but Dallas utilizes a lead blocking fullback alot more often than Tennessee did. Eddie's best year was when he had Lorenzo Neal in front of him opening up holes. His career started going on a decline once the Titans went to single back, two-tight end sets.
Mark my words, given enough carries, Eddie will have a better year for Dallas this year than he did last year with Tennessee.
By Ted Carlson, Senior Editor July 23, 2004 2:30 PM ET
Sometimes only a legend can replace a legend, especially in the proud state of Texas. One season after failing to find an adequate substitute for all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys signed fellow future Hall of Fame runner Eddie George to a one-year contract on Friday. George now returns to the state where he began his NFL career.
The Cowboys' official web site reported that George would earn a base salary of $660,000 and a $1.54 million bonus for showing up to training camp. The site did not mention any other incentives, although Associated Press reports from earlier on Friday suggested that the deal would include several reachable pay boosts. The Titans released George on Wednesday after the running back refused to take a pay cut down to $1.5 million. George's original contract called for him to make $4.25 million in 2004.
His eight-year career with the Titans (and Oilers) included 10,009 rushing yards, 2,144 receiving yards, 74 touchdowns, and a string of 128 consecutive starts. However, the 30-year-old is hardly the punishing Pro Bowl rusher of his early years. George's yards-per-carry average hasn't been above 4.0 since 1999, and he matched a career low with five touchdowns in 2003.
George, who turns 31 in September, joins rookie Julius Jones and 32-year-old fullback Richie Anderson in the Cowboys backfield. After the release of Troy Hambrick in May, Jones stood to be the feature back in the offense. However, Anderson slimmed down in the offseason on the promise that he would carry more of the load, and Richie was slated for third down duty.
Now, Bill Parcells is likely to use a committee approach. The Cowboys didn't bring in George to sit on the bench, but nor does the team want to stunt Jones' growth. If history has any bearing on how Parcells dispenses carries and playing time, we need only look at the 1990 New York Giants. Parcells' club featured 33-year-old workhorse Ottis Anderson, first-round draft pick Rodney Hampton, and utility back David Meggett. The distribution finished as follows:
Anderson 225 rushes, 784 yards, 11 touchdowns 18 receptions, 139 yards, zero touchdowns
Hampton 109 rushes, 455 yards, two touchdowns 32 receptions, 274 yards, two touchdowns
Meggett 22 rushes, 164 yards, zero touchdowns 39 receptions, 410 yards, one touchdown
It wouldn't be surprising to see George and Jones split the carries two-to-one, with Eddie receiving 12-to-15 per game and Jones picking up six-to-10. Anderson will also be involved in the running game, possibly a bit more than Meggett was.
As a team, the Giants rushed for 17 touchdowns in 1990, and the Cowboys are coming off a season in which they rushed into the end zone only 11 times. With the improvements to the running backs and along the offensive line, the Cowboys could reasonably jump to 17 rushing scores in 2004, so our Giants model looks apt for that stat as well.
The question then arises as to which back receives the goal line touches. Likely we won't have a good answer until training camp, but George is only one season removed from rushing for 12 scores. Thus it's not out of the question that George could match Anderson's 11 touchdowns if given the full-time short-yardage duties. Assuming the above carry distribution, though, neither George nor Jones will be very useful in fantasy leagues that score heavily for yardage.
Ergh, I HATE drafting early. I took Julius Jones in the fifth round of the NNKL thinking he could be a good #3, possible #2.
I knew Dallas would bring someone in, but I figured it would be more of backup plan - if Julius were like Michael Bennett and took a year or two to be a legitimate NFL starter or something. ...or a "just in case" kind of guy...
Ergh... wasted fifth rounder...
I'll hold out some hope that Julius beats Eddie in camp (thus holding his fifth round value and me not looking like a complete idiot), but I'm not counting on it.
'CUNA-MANIA IS RUNNING WILD! "You will be a king here, instead of a peasant at the Cafe."
Canacuna wrote:Ergh, I HATE drafting early. I took Julius Jones in the fifth round of the NNKL thinking he could be a good #3, possible #2.
I knew Dallas would bring someone in, but I figured it would be more of backup plan - if Julius were like Michael Bennett and took a year or two to be a legitimate NFL starter or something. ...or a "just in case" kind of guy...
Ergh... wasted fifth rounder...
I'll hold out some hope that Julius beats Eddie in camp (thus holding his fifth round value and me not looking like a complete idiot), but I'm not counting on it.
Hmm, if the cowboys do use George I think this hurts them. Hambrick hurt them, because he wasn't effective enough, but last year Hambrick managed a slightly better ypc, and Hambrick was younger, substantially so. In addition, George was playing on the better offense.
McNair > Carter
Mason, McCairens, Bennet > Galloway, Glenn, Bryant
So, in short, he had no excuse to put up a worse ypc than Troy Hambrick, but he did. Now he's going to be in Dallas where the offense still isn't as good as Tennessee's offense. Based on the numbers I think the situation is going to be pretty bleak for both Julius Jones and anyone who decides to take a chance on George if he starts.
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by CBMGreatOne » Fri Jul 23, 2004 3:43 pm 
