Athletes - Jeff George

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	Athletes - Jeff George

Jeffrey Scott George (Born December 8, 1967 in Indianapolis, Indiana) was a National Football League quarterback.

Jeff attended Warren Central High School and the University of Illinois. He was the first overall draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 1990. Jeff has also played for the Atlanta Falcons, Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, and Chicago Bears.

College career

George always had a very strong arm, and it seemed that he was destined for NFL stardom. Yet, a pattern of controversy and failure followed him at every stop in his career, even as far back as college. He transferred after a year at Purdue because the coach who recruited him was fired, and the school didn't consult him about a successor. So he walked out, the schoolboy legend from Indianapolis leaving the home-state school and becoming a Fighting Illini. And then he left Illinois a year early for the NFL, angering his coaches.

Pro Career

Indianapolis Colts

What should have been a dream career with the Colts, who traded to make him the first pick in the 1990 draft and then rewarded him with the richest rookie contract in NFL history, turned ugly almost from the start. By the time it ended after four seasons with a trade to Atlanta, he had made vile gestures to the hometown fans, argued with coach Ted Marchibroda, and held out for 36 days trying to force a trade.

Atlanta Falcons

After four seasons with Indianapolis, the team that drafted him as their quarterback of the future, George was shipped to the Falcons, where he enjoyed moderate success as the ringleader of their run & shoot-themed offense. On September 22, 1996, in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, George threw a sideline tantrum to then-Falcons coach June Jones. Jones suspended George one game, but benched him for the remainder of the 1996 season. After the year, Atlanta dealt George to the Oakland Raiders.

Oakland Raiders

George looked like a perfect fit with the Raiders, who have always loved vertical passing in the Al Davis era, and whose fans seem to embrace players who have long since worn out their welcome in other NFL cities. And George did fit in, for a while: in 1997, George posted 29 touchdown passes with only 9 interceptions, plus a lofty 91.2 passer rating. Within a season, however, the offense had changed to Jon Gruden's West Coast scheme, a controlled-pass approach, and an ailing George, struggling with a groin pull, told a local radio audience he was finished for the year, which was news to the team. The Raiders then ended George's Oakland dreams when they signed free-agent quarterback Rich Gannon.

Minnesota Vikings

Next, George took his act to the Vikings, where he would sit behind incumbent QB Randall Cunningham, a player whose 1998 season was as otherworldly as the seasons scouts once predicted that George would have. Cunningham, however, struggled at the start of the 1999 season and was benched. Out of the wings stepped George, who in 14 games put up career numbers (23 touchdowns, 8.6 yards per attempt, a 94.2 rating), and, more importantly, led Minnesota to the playoffs. The Vikings chose not to renew George's contract after the season, and George ended up signing for less than market-value in Washington.

Washington Redskins

George had hopes of either returning to Minnesota as starter or signing with another team as their starting quarterback, but he waited too long to make a decision prior to the 2000 season, and as a result had to settle for being Brad Johnson's backup with the Redskins. Still, backing up the injury-prone Johnson meant that George would get some action, and sure enough, Johnson went down in week 9. George started versus Arizona in week 10 and played badly, prompting coach Norv Turner to rush Johnson back onto the field (at the demand of Redskins owner Daniel Snyder via hotline from the owner's box). This was a mistake, as Johnson re-injured himself against St. Louis the next week, this time for the remainder of the season. George had now gotten his wish: he was the Redskins' starting quarterback, and he put up respectable numbers for the rest of 2000, even after Turner was fired in favor of interim coach Terry Robiskie. After the season, Johnson departed Washington for Tampa Bay, leaving George as the Redskins' starter going into 2001.

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