The Guy The Vikes Should Have Signed: Jeff George. Just Ask Him.

Jeff George and the pet caterpillar he keeps on his upper lip are ready to come back to the NFL and chuck it DEEP.
So according to the Pioneer Press, Jeff George thinks he can come back and light it up. Not that this is breaking news or anything, I mean this guy will be able to throw a wad of toilet paper through drywall from 50 yards on his 80th birthday. The league may never see a bigger arm than Jeff George. And while it may not be worthy of a post that Jeff George wants back in the league as this story seems to re-appear every year, it is the manner in which JG made his intentions known is certainly worthy of note. It's not as if George was sitting at home stroking his stache when the phone rang and he picked up and said he'd listen to deals. Oh no. What actually happened is that George was watching Vikes games on the ol' boob tube and after seeing a couple QBs get dinged up--and because he's been throwing to his buddies in his backyard 3 or 4 times a week so he's in tip top shape--he realized that this was the perfect opportunity to pounce. So he did what any reasonable ex-QB would do, he called up the Vikes play-by-play announcer George Allen and asked him to gauge the interest of Vikes coach Brad Childress in retaining JG's services (as if the announcer is going to be able to read the Childress' proclivity for taking fliers on 40+ rocket armed QBs with no conscience just by calling games). The interview that follows from this turn of event is pretty solid. In particular, I enjoyed this quote from George:

"With a running back like Adrian Peterson, I would be licking my chops," George said later. "With that running back, you need someone who can throw that deep ball, and I know I still can. I don't care about the talent at receiver."

I guarantee you that while giving that quote over the phone George was massaging his balls or staring at himself nude in the mirror wearing eye black or doing all of that at the same time. Maybe it's just me but this reminds me a little of a guy from last year you all may remember. Talented wide receivers be damned, all Minnesota needs is a guy who can throw it DEEP! And Jeff George thinks Jeff George is your man to get that ball deep. And he's probably right. Sadly, Jeff's salesmanship has slipped in his old age and the Vikes foolishly went with Koy Detmer instead. And now Jeff has to stew at home and wait for the next round of injuries to pop up. Personally, I could see him ripping it up in Baltimore and injecting some life in a team that still has a shot at the playoffs. Thanks to Jeff and the confidence oozing out of his nuts, at least we know he's ready.