Paladin
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http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050710/COLUMNIST0202/507100399/1106/SPORTS
Retirement looking like best option for George
Commentary by DAVID CLIMER
Senior Writer
As you're reading this, I bet Eddie George …
is working out,
is getting ready to work out, or
has just finished working out.
The man is driven, committed, relentless. If running, lifting, stretching or a combination of all three can help him gain one more yard in the NFL, he'll do it.
But with less than a month before training camps open around the NFL, we must wonder how often George is answering his phone. He's rested. He's ready. He's available. He might as well be wearing a sign that says Will Carry The Ball 300 Times For Food.
But is the phone ringing?
These are the times that try veteran running backs' souls. After nine seasons — eight as chief freight-carrier for the Oilers/Titans, one as a bit player for the Cowboys — George is running on borrowed time. He doesn't want to retire. He has said he believes he has another couple of years in him.
Any takers?
A couple of months back, Jeff Fisher floated a trial balloon about the possibility of George being reunited with the Titans as a backup to Chris Brown. It did not get the ringing endorsement Fisher had hoped. Others in the organization deferred and Titans owner Bud Adams went so far as to say he would prefer to acquire Travis Henry from the Bills.
Problem is, the Bills want at least a third-round pick for Henry, who has fallen out of favor in Buffalo with the development of Willis McGahee. Too, AFC South rival Jacksonville also is in the market for a running back because of Fred Taylor's knee trouble.
Both the Titans and the Jags are in a bind. Although he is unquestionably talented and has fresh legs, Brown has been unable to stay healthy over the long haul of an NFL season. There's no other proven back on the Titans' roster.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville's backups — LaBrandon Toefield, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and Greg Jones — don't exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing defensive coordinators.
Clearly, somebody is going to have to pony up for Henry. Who's going to blink first?
But where does this leave Eddie George? Despite an ESPN report that Jacksonville might be interested, nothing has materialized. And, really, the thought of George in a Jaguars uniform is unsettling. Putting on Cowboys blue is one thing; wearing Jags teal is hard to stomach.
This is the sad side of sports. Over and over, we see players desperately trying to hang on to past glory, unwilling or unable to accept that their skills have deteriorated to the point that they can no longer play at the required level.
They stick around too long, sometimes tarnishing their legacy. The warrior who once plowed through linebackers is instead remembered for stumbling as he takes the handoff.
Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, who was in town last week for a fundraiser, is the rare example of an athlete who walked away while he was at the top of his game. He left at the age of 29, head held high, with no regrets.
"If you've been a great player, your competitive side tells you, 'I can still do it,' " Brown said. "You convince yourself that if you work a little bit harder, you can stay at the same level.
"You have to make yourself come to grips with reality."
And that reality check may be in the mail to Eddie George.
Retirement looking like best option for George
Commentary by DAVID CLIMER
Senior Writer
As you're reading this, I bet Eddie George …
is working out,
is getting ready to work out, or
has just finished working out.
The man is driven, committed, relentless. If running, lifting, stretching or a combination of all three can help him gain one more yard in the NFL, he'll do it.
But with less than a month before training camps open around the NFL, we must wonder how often George is answering his phone. He's rested. He's ready. He's available. He might as well be wearing a sign that says Will Carry The Ball 300 Times For Food.
But is the phone ringing?
These are the times that try veteran running backs' souls. After nine seasons — eight as chief freight-carrier for the Oilers/Titans, one as a bit player for the Cowboys — George is running on borrowed time. He doesn't want to retire. He has said he believes he has another couple of years in him.
Any takers?
A couple of months back, Jeff Fisher floated a trial balloon about the possibility of George being reunited with the Titans as a backup to Chris Brown. It did not get the ringing endorsement Fisher had hoped. Others in the organization deferred and Titans owner Bud Adams went so far as to say he would prefer to acquire Travis Henry from the Bills.
Problem is, the Bills want at least a third-round pick for Henry, who has fallen out of favor in Buffalo with the development of Willis McGahee. Too, AFC South rival Jacksonville also is in the market for a running back because of Fred Taylor's knee trouble.
Both the Titans and the Jags are in a bind. Although he is unquestionably talented and has fresh legs, Brown has been unable to stay healthy over the long haul of an NFL season. There's no other proven back on the Titans' roster.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville's backups — LaBrandon Toefield, Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala and Greg Jones — don't exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing defensive coordinators.
Clearly, somebody is going to have to pony up for Henry. Who's going to blink first?
But where does this leave Eddie George? Despite an ESPN report that Jacksonville might be interested, nothing has materialized. And, really, the thought of George in a Jaguars uniform is unsettling. Putting on Cowboys blue is one thing; wearing Jags teal is hard to stomach.
This is the sad side of sports. Over and over, we see players desperately trying to hang on to past glory, unwilling or unable to accept that their skills have deteriorated to the point that they can no longer play at the required level.
They stick around too long, sometimes tarnishing their legacy. The warrior who once plowed through linebackers is instead remembered for stumbling as he takes the handoff.
Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, who was in town last week for a fundraiser, is the rare example of an athlete who walked away while he was at the top of his game. He left at the age of 29, head held high, with no regrets.
"If you've been a great player, your competitive side tells you, 'I can still do it,' " Brown said. "You convince yourself that if you work a little bit harder, you can stay at the same level.
"You have to make yourself come to grips with reality."
And that reality check may be in the mail to Eddie George.
