[lumberjim]

Because our team is better, we deserve a whole entire thread to talk about how great the Cowboys are. So here it is.

Anyone that says anything bad about the Cowboys and isn't a fan will be killed and eaten. By sycamore.

today, they signed Eddie George to a 2.2mil contract with up to 3mil more in incentives. Just what the doctor ordered, I think.

Ready For Eddie; Cowboys Sign RB


Nick Eatman
DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer
July 23, 2004, 11:03 a.m. (CDT)

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys were prepared to enter training camp with only three healthy running backs, who had a total of 358 rushing yards.

Now the Cowboys can add more than 10,000 yards to that total, with the signing of Eddie George, an eight-year veteran who gives immediate experience and credibility to the position.

Now George certainly won't be the team's long-term answer, signing just a one-year deal, reportedly worth $2.2 million. The veteran back is expected to receive a $1.54 million bonus to report to training camp, along with his $660,000 minimum base salary.

And signing George doesn't diminish the Cowboys' faith in rookie Julius Jones, the second-round pick from Notre Dame. Jones will likely get plenty of opportunities to prove himself, only now the Cowboys have more of a fallback in George.

Before this signing, the Cowboys had just Aveion Cason and ReShard Lee to back up Jones, now that Erik Bickerstaff is out for the season after rupturing his Achilles last month.

George, who was released by the Tennessee Titans Wednesday for salary cap reasons, still thinks he has a few years left in the tank. And while that has yet to be determined, the Cowboys are in a position, both financially and from a roster need standpoint, to take a close look.

And why not take a chance on a running back who just surpassed the 10,000-yard rushing mark in just eight seasons?

George, who turns 31 Sept. 13, rejected the Titans' attempts to reduce his base salary to $1.5 million. George was willing to accept a reduced contract, but wanted at least $2.5 million in base and security beyond the 2004 season.

Quickly after releasing George, the Titans agreed to a one-year deal with free agent running back Antowain Smith, who helped the Patriots win a Super Bowl last season. Smith, a player the Cowboys were keeping an eye on, signed for just $660,000 with the Titans and is expected to compete for carries with both Chris Brown and third-down back Robert Holcombe.

George, who actually started his career in Texas when the Titans were the Houston Oilers, is the franchise's all-time leading rusher. He is also the only running back in NFL history to record more than 300 carries in each of his first eight seasons. While his foot has been a concern the past two years, George has never missed a game in his entire career.

The former Heisman Trophy winner (1995) out of Ohio State, George has earned four trips to the Pro Bowl, but none since 2000.

George averaged just 3.3 yards per carry last year, the second-lowest average of his career (3.0 yards in 2001). His longest rush from scrimmage was only 27 yards.

But despite his numbers being on the decline, the Cowboys, especially with Bill Parcells in charge, might be a good spot for George to land. Parcells has a history of squeezing life out of aging backs, as he did with Ottis Anderson, who joined the Giants when he turned 29 back in 1986. While Anderson was more of a role player for his first two years with the club, Anderson rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and had 33 rushing touchdowns in a three-year span, including 1,023 yards and a career-high 14 touchdowns in 1989 at the ripe age of 32.

Parcells also milked production out of Keith Byars with both the Patriots and Jets in the mid-1990's. Byars played two seasons in New England and then finished his career with the Jets at age 35. That season he caught 26 passes as a third-down back and scored three touchdowns.

And before the Cowboys signed George, don't forget Parcells was willing to let the 32-year-old Anderson get a few more carries.

So signing George makes sense for the Cowboys, who have plenty of salary-cap room available. Also, they have the need to add another back.

Especially one with more than 10,000 career rushing yards on his resume

I know you Eagles fans are probably pretty pissed off about this. WIP seemed to think that there was a chance in hell of Andy the Dandy getting him into the teal hat, but alas, there is a star on his helmet now. sux for u.

How 'bout them Cowboys!?