Jeff George
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No. 11, 1, 3 | |||||||
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Position: | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. | ||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Warren Central (Indianapolis) | ||||||
College: | Illinois | ||||||
NFL draft: | 1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Jeffrey Scott George (born December 8, 1967) is an American former
Early life
George was born in
College career
George transferred after a year at Purdue when the coach who recruited him, Leon Burtnett, resigned. Burtnett's replacement was Fred Akers, who had been known for his teams that used a run-heavy option type offense that required a more mobile quarterback. George subsequently committed to the University of Miami, but he backed out when coach Jimmy Johnson would not guarantee him a starting job. George stayed at Illinois for two years, leaving with a year of eligibility remaining after being assured he would be drafted as one of the first five picks of the NFL draft (he was picked No. 1 overall).
He would finish his college career with 6,212 yards, to go with 35 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. In 1989, his final year as a college player, he threw for 2,738 yards, with 22 TD vs 12 INT.[2]
Professional career
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts traded up to draft George, making him the first pick in the
Atlanta Falcons
In 1995, George led the Falcons to their first playoff appearance since 1991. On September 22, 1996, in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, George got into a heated argument on the sidelines with Falcons coach June Jones, all of which was caught on camera for a national television audience. Jones suspended George for the remainder of the 1996 season. It was later confirmed that George blamed team management for his problems and felt Jones betrayed him by not standing up to this alleged mistreatment. Years after the incident, Jones became an advocate for George, stating that the TV argument was overblown and that George was a good quarterback, a team player and worthy of being on an NFL roster.
George's record with the Falcons was 16–19. He had the best completion percentage (60.5) of his career with 50 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.
Oakland Raiders
George signed with the
The following year, the offense changed to head coach Jon Gruden's West Coast offense, a controlled-pass approach which did not suit George's strengths. George was inconsistent at the beginning of the year, and later struggled with a groin pull, telling a local radio audience that he was finished for the year. He also ignored the offensive coordinator's play calls during the 1998 season and ran his own plays through a wristband containing plays (in an interview, George told Joe Theismann that he did what the coaches wanted on 1st and 2nd down, and simply threw it to Tim Brown on 3rd down). The Raiders essentially ended George's Oakland tenure when they signed free-agent quarterback Rich Gannon.
Minnesota Vikings
After being cut by Oakland, George initially found himself without anywhere to play in 1999; an article at SI.com had several coaches (including
Washington Redskins
George hoped to return to Minnesota as a starting quarterback but was told by head coach
Before the 2001 season, Washington hired as head coach Marty Schottenheimer, who promised to install a West Coast scheme similar to that of Gruden in Oakland. George clashed with Schottenheimer over the offense, though the coach promised to work George through any problems he might have with the scheme. Washington released George after a 37–0 Monday Night loss to the Green Bay Packers, in which George had a 34.6 passer rating, the worst in the first two weeks of the 2001 season.[clarification needed] The Redskins were 0–2, having been outscored 67–3. George was given 24 hours to remove his personal items from the Redskins' facilities before they were discarded. He was replaced by Tony Banks, who led the team to finish the season with an 8–8 record after they had begun with a record of 0–5.
Career end
George spent time on the roster of the Seattle Seahawks in late 2002 as an emergency quarterback and the Chicago Bears in the 2004, but never took the field. George was not retained by the Bears for the 2005 season, nor was he signed by any other team. The Detroit Lions worked him out during their bye week but did not offer him a contract.
On August 28, 2006, the Oakland Raiders signed George. He was expected to compete for the third-string quarterback position. However, he was released during final cuts only five days later on September 2, 2006.
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
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Led the league | |
Bold | Career high |
Year | Team | Games | Passing | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Fum | ||
1990 | IND | 13 | 12 | 5–7 | 181 | 334 | 54.2 | 2,152 | 6.4 | 75 | 16 | 13 | 73.8 | 0 |
1991 | IND | 16 | 16 | 1–15 | 292 | 485 | 60.2 | 2,910 | 6.0 | 49 | 10 | 12 | 73.8 | 8 |
1992 | IND | 10 | 10 | 6–4 | 167 | 306 | 54.6 | 1,963 | 6.4 | 57 | 7 | 15 | 61.5 | 3 |
1993 | IND | 13 | 11 | 2–9 | 234 | 407 | 57.5 | 2,526 | 6.2 | 72 | 8 | 6 | 76.3 | 3 |
1994 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 7–9 | 322 | 524 | 61.5 | 3,734 | 7.1 | 85 | 23 | 18 | 83.3 | 4 |
1995 | ATL | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 336 | 557 | 60.3 | 4,143 | 7.4 | 62 | 24 | 11 | 89.5 | 3 |
1996 | ATL | 3 | 3 | 0–3 | 56 | 99 | 56.6 | 698 | 7.0 | 67 | 3 | 3 | 76.1 | 1 |
1997 | OAK | 16 | 16 | 4–12 | 290 | 521 | 55.7 | 3,917 | 7.5 | 76 | 29 | 9 | 91.2 | 5 |
1998 | OAK | 8 | 7 | 3–4 | 93 | 169 | 55.0 | 1,186 | 7.0 | 75 | 4 | 5 | 72.7 | 5 |
1999 | MIN | 12 | 10 | 8–2 | 191 | 329 | 58.1 | 2,816 | 8.6 | 80 | 23 | 12 | 94.2 | 7 |
2000 | WAS | 6 | 5 | 1–4 | 113 | 194 | 58.2 | 1,389 | 7.2 | 50 | 7 | 6 | 79.6 | 2 |
2001 | WAS | 2 | 2 | 0–2 | 23 | 42 | 54.8 | 168 | 4.0 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 34.6 | 0 |
Career[5] | 131 | 124 | 46–78 | 2,298 | 3,967 | 57.9 | 27,602 | 7.0 | 85 | 154 | 113 | 80.4 | 41 |
Retirement
While George spent time on active NFL rosters through 2006, he had not attempted a pass since the 2001 season with the Washington Redskins. It was speculated that he might have replaced third-string quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo due to his friendship with Randy Moss. Moss has previously stated that George was his favorite of all the quarterbacks he's worked with. He has also commented in the past that he and George would take weekend fishing trips together when they both lived in Minnesota.
On October 30, 2007, during
In November 2008, in an appearance on Sirius NFL Radio, George said, "I find it hard to believe there isn't a place in the game for me. My arm feels like I'm 25", he said. "I'm not asking to be a starter, I just want a spot on a team. I still hold out hope I can play in this league. I'm working out three or four days a week, staying ready. Some people might laugh about it. I've been hearing the excuse, 'You're too old,' but I look at guys now playing near 40, and if you can throw it like I can throw it ... Why wouldn't you take a look at me?"[6] He said of coming back: "I've been trying to figure out how to get back in, and it just amazes me that I'm not on somebody's roster. I've been throwing two or three times a week, and every time I go out there to throw, I can't believe I'm not a backup somewhere. I know it's a young man's game, but you can't tell me I'm not better than some of the quarterbacks that are out there. I look at teams like Minnesota or Chicago, and I want to scream at the people in charge, ‘What are you thinking?’"
On August 4, 2010, George announced on KFAN Sports radio in Minnesota that he would have been willing to step in for veteran QB Brett Favre if Favre had decided to retire from the Minnesota Vikings.[7]
Media
George has made occasional appearances on NFL Total Access with Rich Eisen and Terrell Davis. Following George's final seasons in the NFL, Jason Whitlock wrote several columns expressing his belief that George could still play and was deserving of an NFL try-out.[8] George and Whitlock are longtime friends, having played high school football together.[8]
References
- ^ "NFL Quarterback Jeff George". Arab Indianapolis. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
- ^ "Jeff George College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits".
- ^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- ^ P.288 Peterson, Armand. The Vikings Reader. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2009
- ^ "Jeff George Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
- ^ Silver, Michael (March 27, 2009). "George still grasping for one last shot at glory – NFL – Yahoo! Sports". Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ "Veteran quarterback makes pitch to replace Brett Favre | ProFootballTalk". Profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. August 4, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ a b "George deserves a shot, but does he want it?". Fox Sports. August 6, 2009. Archived from the original on August 8, 2009. Retrieved August 6, 2009.
External links
- Jeff George career stats – at ESPN.com
- "The Most Hated QB In NFL History," FivePoints Vids via YouTube.com, February 19, 2024. (Video.)