With the Vikings winning, cut George some slack

Sporting News, The, Nov 22, 1999 by Dan Pompei

When Jeff George and the Vikings got together last April, the concept of underachievement threatened to be redefined. Instead, George and the Vikings have brought out the best in one another. George has led the Vikings to four straight victories after they started the year 2-4 with Randall Cunningham as the team's starting quarterback.

There is no reason George can't continue to win games for the Vikings and lead this team into the playoffs, maybe even far into the playoffs. For this season, this freeze frame, George is perfect for this offense, much in the manner that Cunningham was perfect a year ago. I would not go so far as to suggest he will be perfect for the Vikings next year, however.

But, for now, let's revel in the moment

George has improved the Vikings because he has been able to distribute the ball better than Cunningham. The offense still isn't as efficient as it was last year, and it won't be as long as Baltimore's Brian Billick is coaching guys with wings on their helmets instead of horns.

Cunningham's problems began with Billick's departure and were exacerbated when opposing defenses regularly started rolling coverages to receiver Randy Moss. When the play called for Cunningham to throw to the double-covered Moss, Cunningham would either force the ball to Moss or fail to read the rest of the field properly. He was overwhelmed when teams blitzed. He took 15 sacks.

George, conversely, takes what the defense gives him. He scans the field before he throws and looks at multiple receivers. He quickly identifies which way the safety is cheating and goes the other way. That worked for a 47-yard touchdown to Moss against the Cowboys. "Jeff does a good job of reading defenses and going to the next option," Cowboys defensive coordinator Dave Campo says. "He can get the ball to somebody else when defenses take Moss away."

The performance of receiver Cris Carter illustrates the difference between Cunningham and George. Carter is too crafty and tough to be covered one-on-one by most comers, but Cunningham failed to capitalize on that. With Cunningham as the starter, Carter was averaging 62.2 receiving yards a game. With George as the starter, Carter is averaging 121.3 receiving yards a game.

It got to the point last Sunday that the Bears were more concerned with Carter than Moss, and they rolled coverages Carter's way frequently, leaving Moss with single coverage. George responded by throwing a whopping 21 passes to Moss, 12 of which were caught in the Vikings' 27-24 victory. A number of the throws were on sight adjustments with Moss running hitch routes. George has this deal going where he eyes his receivers as a way of telling them to change their mute.

It isn't just that George is making better decisions. He's also physically superior to Cunningham in terms of being able to adjust. With Cunningham's windup motion and long release, time is wasted. The ball leaves George's hands a fraction of a second after recognition.

"He can read through the progressions and get rid of the ball on a dime with that quick release," Lions free safety Mark Carrier says. "He flicks the wrist, and the ball is there real quick. When you get a quarterback off his initial read, as a defender you usually have time to adjust With him, you don't."

Because George can go to more than one receiver, defenses have been attacking him less and emphasizing coverage more. The Cowboys, for instance, blitzed and zone-dogged George only 20 percent of the time.

Together, George and the Vikings' receivers take defenders out of the game. When you combine a quarterback with a quick delivery and zip on the ball with receivers who extend for the catch, there aren't many opportunities for defenders to make plays on the ball. Of course, George also can chuck it long, a prerequisite for working with Moss. He has the touch to throw a fade, which his receivers can catch better than most

George also is an accurate passer who hits receivers in stride. That promotes yardage after the catch. Carter talks about how he's no longer catching balls with his back to the defense. He's able to make a reception, hit a seam and pick up extra yards. Of Carter's 141 receiving yards against the Bears, 80 were the result of running after the catch.

When it comes to passing, George has few peers. One NFC personnel director says George is the closest thing in talent he's seen to Dan Marino. Yet three teams have given up on George, and his record as a starter before this year was 37-71. Before Sunday, he had never won four games in a row.

"He's talented, but I'm not going to jump up and down and blow whistles," Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache says. "He's not Superman. You have to remember he's driving a Mercedes, not a Pinto. You don't end up with that many dubs if you are the total package."

Toughness is not one of George's strengths. And when defenders close in, George sometimes just kind of gives up and curls into a fetal position.

This season, George appears to have suffered from pre-snap confusion at the line. He has burned a lot of timeouts. But part of the reason for that may well be that his coaches aren't getting in the plays quickly enough.