It's sad when the head coach says a quarterback who hasn't played for the team in almost 10 years is a good fit for the system (even if it's only by a little bit.) But if it didn't work then... I wasn't one of those Raiders' fans who was perplexed when the team passed on Leinart, but I have to say I am now. Lame.
George, the top pick by Indianapolis in 1990, previously played for Oakland in 1997-98, is mostly an insurance policy for the Raiders, who already have Aaron Brooks, Andrew Walter and Marques Tuiasosopo on the roster. The article doesn't mention money, unless I missed it, but I bet the "premiums" on this "insurance policy" are dirt cheap, too. Anybody wanna bet whether he's still on the roster (not practice squad, etc.) at the end of the season? And yeah, everybody's raggin' on Al Davis, but I wonder what on earth Art Shell is thinking unless he got George for, like, five cents a game.
Al Davis needs a drinking buddy. George sees the field only if there is some kind of NFL QB holocaust. (There - that will virtually guarantee that he'll be under center by week 10.)
Holy crap I thought this was a joke. Someone needs to check Al Davis' medication. Next they will tell us Art Shell is going to be a Player/Coach!
All I can say is WOW! Has is really been 5 years since he played???
Well, the man can throw-interceptions, at least.
They knew they didn't have many quarterback options long before this moment. They had plenty of chances to make a move and try to get Culpepper, Griese, Harrington, Ramsey, somebody, anybody. They made a move on Aaron Brooks- who is better than almost everyone on your list except Culpepper, who has no shot of working with R. Moss again.
Cut George some slack! He is only the back up.... but man I hope he sees some playing time! He used to air it out to Moss with the Vikings back in 99 or something. He might be 38. but I bet he can still throw accurate 70 yard passes. How fun would it be to cheer for him?
In case you were still wondering, the current state of the NFL quarterbacking situation is incredibly pathetic. And even though George is a backup, at this point, don't think for a second he won't be the first one in off the bench when problems arise in Oakland. It sounds like Tuiasosopo is on his way to the unemloyment line, and who knows what Andrew Walter is capable of. The Raiders' line blows, and I doubt George has improved his mobility now that he's pushing 40.
They made a move on Aaron Brooks- who is better than almost everyone on your list except Culpepper, who has no shot of working with R. Moss again. All of those names on my list are better than an old Jeff George. Aaron Brooks is erratic and unreliable. You need to have a good backup, they should have tried to get one during the offseason.
Aaron Brooks is erratic and unreliable I still remember his backward pass (and not a "it slipped out of his hand" backward pass, but a literal backwards pass). Funniest part was Michael Irvin (who seemed to always pick the Saints to win) was doing commentary on that replay and said "I WILL NEVER PICK THE SAINTS AGAIN" :-) Brooks, the man who led his team to the redzone, then tripped and threw an INT in the endzone while falling , then did the EXACT SAME THING later in the game. Yes, I would say you'd need a good backup with him as your starter :-)
I'm not much of a Raider fan, but if I were, this would'nt shock me as much as some of his other moves. It seems he likes to pick up players that are either past their prime or surrounded by contraversy. Kind of like the Land for Misfit Toys. They ussally only hang around a season or two tops.
It is odd that just a day or two before a major cut-down of NFL Rosters that the Raiders would make this move. Why not wait to see if there are any semi-surprises on the wire after the teams cut to 75? Maybe they were afraid they might loose Jeff George to another team?
Termite, I was thinking the same thing. I'd love to see an old guy do well, and he's not as old as some, but he's got to have rust an inch thick. Why not wait a few days and see what shakes out of the next round of cuts? I mean, I doubt that there was a line of teams waiting to sign George if Davis didn't snatch him up.
It is odd that just a day or two before a major cut-down of NFL Rosters that the Raiders would make this move. Why not wait to see if there are any semi-surprises on the wire after the teams cut to 75? Maybe they were afraid they might loose Jeff George to another team? A.J Feely would have been a much better option- since he was released by San Diego yesterday.
Quote of the day: "Is that an AARP meeting?" - defensive tackle Warren Sapp, 33, upon sighting George, 38, meeting with writers after practice. SF Gate
Warren should be looking for a Weight Watchers meeting. He is just not effective at the weight he carries since he's joined the Raiders.
