On the same day that the first overall pick in the 2001 draft received a second chance at an NFL career, word emerged that the first overall pick from eleven years earlier would still like another opportunity, too.
Unlike Mike Vick, however, Jeff George needs no reinstatement from the league office to get back into the NFL.
He only needs a team that wants him.
“I feel like I can still play, and if there’s someone out there to give me a shot, that would be wonderful,” George said, according to IlliniHQ.com, via USA Today.
We’re not quite sure what to make of this. On one hand, it couldn’t be any more clear that the NFL isn’t interested. On the other hand, we still think the guy is better than more than a few of the slapolas who are littering the lower rungs of quarterbacking depth charts in the pro game.
The fact that he’s 41 is irrelevant to us. His arm by NASA/body by Lego (man, it still feels good to break that one out once in a while) makes him more like a pitcher, and they often continue to perform at a high level into their fifth decades of life.
In this case, however, we’re going to suggest that George lower his sights just a bit. The UFL is launching this year, and his one-time coach in Minnesota, Dennis Green, is leading one of the teams. George should call Green and ask for a workout.
Assuming Green wants to win football games, and assuming he remembers the impact that George had ten years ago after Green wisely realized that Randall Cunningham’s chariot had turned back into a pumpkin, Green should at least be intrigued.
We’re not saying that George will have a Tommy Maddox-style rebirth in the upstart league, but at a time when redemption seems to be the trend in the NFL, we’d love to see George get a chance to show whether he can still bring the heat.
