Wednesday, July 10th /2002

RB Eddie George, Tennessee Titans

Height: 6-3  
Weight: 240  
Born: September 24, 1973, Philadelphia, PA  
College: Ohio State

Career Statistics:    

Chris Smith’s Thoughts:  

Ever Since his rookie campaign, Eddie George has been a workhorse for the franchise.  He has averaged 346 carries per season and until last year had been a good fantasy option.  Notice that I said a good fantasy option and not a great one though.  That is because in his six seasons as a pro, he has had one outstanding fantasy year (in 2000) and one great year in 1999.  All the rest were only decent and last year was below average.  His yards per carry have never been very strong (career 3.8 average) and it will likely reside around 3.8 again this season.  Another legitimate and too often forgotten about concern when talking about George and fantasy football is quarterback Steve McNair's ability to run the ball in when the Titans are inside the ten yard line.  McNair will vulture a  few touchdowns every season which hurts George a great deal.

Big bruising running backs tend to burn out quicker than the smaller, scat-back types of runners.  Does Eddie George already have too much mileage on his engine with 2079 carries in only six seasons?  Or is it possible for him to get stronger with age and have many more seasons as a viable fantasy option.  I believe the answer lies somewhere between lies lofty 2000 totals and is lousy production from last year.

George is a lock for 300 carries and all news out of camp so far has George both healthy and focused on big things this year.  The Titans have a relatively easy schedule and the progress of the Tennessee passing attack will take pressure off of him and the rushing attack.  He should certainly be in contention for a top ten finish at his position this year and is worthy of an early second round pick.

Quotes from the P.O.D. Thread in the forum: (make sure you click on the link that takes you to the thread.  There are many fantastic thoughts that I wasn't able to fit into this article).

Link to the thread: Click Here  

Positive Responses:

jjammer:

He should go in the mid 2nd round in most drafts, and those projections indicate that he'll be a pretty good value for where he'll be picked

The Monsoon:

Eddie also has proclaimed that he has not been this healthy since two and a half years ago. We all know that a healthy George is trouble for all other defenses, since this not only means that George is going to get his average per carry back up to around four yards, but the new threat of the Titans passing game does not allow defenses to focus on George.

Green Bay Jay:

Taking a look at his division, he's going to rack up some major yards against these guys.

Juicecore:

Cremrock:

I think Eddie George will rebound this year; the only question is by how much. His toe is healed, he's been stating that he's healthy, and most importantly, he's been able to launch into his typical off-season training regimen.

Sloppy Seconds:

I would say a solid top-10. Not too much more upside, but I don't think a lot of downside either. Rather consistant Eddie George.

lawnjockey:

Eddie will be just as good or better than any of his other seasons this year. Why? Because he is now back working out with the great strength and conditioning coach Dave Kennedy.

Mustang Man:

I look for George to have a bounce back year. It all points for it to happen. He got a fullback back to open holes (Comella). He is two years removed from his surgery (Toe). His team is a run first team. He is an every down back. He works out like a crazy man.

Negative Responses:

footballman_696969:

Last year George had the worst year of his career because of injuries. The big question this year is will George be back to stud form? The answer is no

Bird:

George will get the carries needed to be effective but not dominant. I see him as a 3.7 YPC plodder who can help move the chains.

MarshallPlan:

A downside, is that McNair will steal many short TD's from him, which is the difference between the Top 5 and the Top 10.

Woodrow:

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. As I touched on in the Edge James POD, as much as I appreciate in depth analysis, some things are simple. For me, it's about avoiding risk in the first few rounds and opting for high risk/high reward players for my bench.

As such, it's highly unlikely that Eddie George will find himself on my roster this season because I'm sure someone else will value him at his historical levels and draft him before I would consider it.

BLINDShaun:

Steve McNair has become the vital point of the Titans, the playbook will no longer be built around Eddie George and the running game. George will never be the focal point of the offense ever again, while he'll return stronger than last year for sure, he still won't pump out the numbers he did in the past.

Footballguy Projections:

P.O.D. average projections