FanHouse JeffGeorge

Jason Whitlock is known as much for his unhealthy love of high school teammate Jeff George as he is for speaking his mind, even if it might not be in his best interest.

By those standards, his most recent FoxSports.com column is relatively benign, although Deion Sanders -- the target of Whitlock's ire -- might feel differently.

Forty-Niners first-round pick Michael Crabtree finally signed his contract this week after spending all preseason and the first month of the season pimping Subway subs. Turns out part of the hold-up wasn't with Crabtree's agent, Eugene Parker, but with his "advisor," Primetime. At least according to Whitlock, who affectionately refers to him as Deion "Master D" Sanders.

The Minnesota Vikings finished the 1998 season with 15 wins. The offense averaged almost 35 points a game (best in the league) with a 35-year-old Randall Cunningham under center, two big-play receivers in Cris Carter and Randy Moss, and a steady run game led by Robert Smith and Leroy Hoard.

And Brian Billick was the brains behind it all. He would parlay his successes as the Vikes' offensive coordinator into a head-coaching gig with the Ravens. Billick's offensive philosophy in Baltimore never produced anything approaching what he was able to accomplish in Minnesota, and by the time he was fired nine years later, he was known as much for his inability to develop a franchise quarterback or find a deep threat at wide receiver as he was for the organization's 2000 Super Bowl win.

So it is with some irony that the man behind Kyle Boller weighs in on the Vikings' current stable of quarterbacks now that Brett Favre has temporarily* announced his retirement.

Jeff George and Brett Favre came into the NFL in the early '90s, but that's where the similarities end. George, the first-overall pick in 1990, was known more for his mercurial disposition and unfulfilled potential; Favre, a 1991 second-rounder was, until last year, one of the league's most popular players and a Super Bowl champion.

Both players are currently out of the NFL, although Favre's return is imminent (because, well, that's how he rolls). The 41-year-old George, who last saw the field in '01, would gladly welcome a chance to play again. I suspect Jason Whitlock fully supports this.

Via IlliniHQ.com:

When the season ended, nobody could've imagined that the Denver Broncos would trade their 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback. Yet a month after Jay Cutler learned that the organization had contemplated making a deal for Matt Cassel, that possibility might finally be realized.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who admitted to to being "very disappointed" in the way Cutler has handled the situation from the outset, issued this statement Tuesday:

We're a month into the Broncos-Cutler standoff, and here's what we know: Jay Cutler is a sensitive sort, and new head coach Josh McDaniels might be in over his head, at least when it comes to dealing with moody Pro Bowl quarterbacks. Yet through it all, public opinion seems to be firmly behind the organization.

I have no idea how this turns out, and at this point, I don't care; I just want it to end so we can get back to the important stuff: Terrell Owens, Michael Vick and Brett Favre's impending return to the sport he loves so much. But before moving on, I just want to point out that Jeff George, perpetually on the comeback trail, has weighed in on the situation and, shockingly, supports Cutler:

An interesting out-of-nowhere storyline this NFL offseason has been the drama surrounding the Denver Broncos and their quarterback situation. Just a quick rehash: Apparently the Broncos had discussions about trading Jay Cutler and nabbing Matt Cassel as his replacement. In the aftermath, Cutler's been publicly whining about the potential move. My personal opinion is that Cutler needs to just shut up and turn the page.

Mel Kiper, ESPN's long-time draft "guru" -- in quotes because he misses badly as much as he hits -- definitely agrees with me. He also thinks Cassel is better than Cutler, but that's not why we're here. He seems to have way too much personal disdain built up toward Cutler.

Jason Whitlock and Jeff George go way back. High school teammates at Warren Central in Indianapolis, they took separate paths after graduation (Whitlock to Ball State, and later sports journalism; George to the University of Illinois before being the first-overall pick in the 1990 NFL draft). But through it all, Whitlock has been one of George's loudest -- and most persistent -- supporters.

Take this Page 2 column from October 2002 that begins: "Being Jeff George's No. 1 fan is perhaps the most emotionally draining job in sports." There are other examples, of course, which help paint a portrait of a man who really loves George. So much, in fact, that in his most recent Kansas City Star column, Whitlock lobbied for Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to sign his former high school teammate. And he wasn't kidding.

Bill, I'm not crazy. Yes, I'm in the tank for Jeff George. We grew up together on the east side of Indianapolis, and we take loyalty very, very seriously.

He's not perfect. He mishandled his career and talent. But the dude is 40 now and still wants to play. He can get the ball to Randy Moss and stretch a defense.

Matt Cassel can't carry you for a full season. You need a veteran backup who can fill in when Cassel struggles or carry the load for a game or two.

Lost in all the talk of the Redskins coaching search is this little tidbit: Vinny Cerrato has been promoted from team owner Dan Snyder's glorified squash partner to Executive Vice President of Football Operations. Unsurprisingly, it's a newly created title (something the front office is very good at), and his duties now include: personnel, team roster, scouting and salary cap management.

Anybody with even a passing interest in Redskins football knows this is kinda curious. The Washington Times' Ryan O'Halloran adds some context to all of this:

The people I contacted around the league were not astounded but still amused by Vinny Cerrato's promotion... Cerrato had been in the background the last four years because Joe Gibbs handled the roster with beaucoup input from Gregg Williams and the other assistants. Now it's Cerrato's turn (again) to shape the roster exactly how he and Dan Snyder like it.

It's also a clear sign that The Danny is itching to re-enter the NFL fray after also playing a supporting role to Gibbs since 2004. As one reporter friend said last night, "If I'm a Redskins fan, I'm not sleeping well."

Here's the deal: when the Bears beat the Packers in the Freezing Wind Bowl last week, it locked up homefield throughout the playoffs for the Cowboys. With one game to go in the regular season, the Redskins, Saints and Vikings are vying for the last NFC wild-card spot.

If Washington wins, they're in. Minnesota will need to beat Denver in Week 17 and then hope that Dallas can muster up the energy to give the 'Skins a game. In most cases, when a team has a postseason bid wrapped up and a few ailing starters, it's Operation Shutdown. But Minnesota's hopes aren't dead yet. Even if Tony Romo gets pulled for backup Brad Johnson:

Traded by the Vikings to Washington before the 1999 season, Johnson spent two years with that franchise. He led the Redskins to the playoffs in his first season and was named to the Pro Bowl, but Washington decided to go with Jeff George following 2000 and Johnson left as a free agent.

Johnson's feelings toward the Redskins and owner Daniel Snyder were made clear after he led the Vikings to a 19-16 victory in the 2006 opener at FedEx Field. As Johnson dressed in the visitor's locker room following that Monday night game, he donned his old Redskins jersey and proudly headed toward the team bus with the grin of a Cheshire cat.

That's the thing about Jeff George. He has the potential to screw you out of the postseason even when he's not playing. Actually, if Brad Johnson is performing at the same level as he did with the Vikings last season, the Redskins will be playing next week. It doesn't matter how much he hates Dan Snyder. Plus, if Minnesota hadn't laid an egg last week, this wouldn't even be an issue.

So remember how Jeff George offered his services to the quarterback-starved Vikings? Well, George was rebuffed. With extreme prejudice.

Sean Jensen of the Pioneer Press reports that Vikings coach Brad Childress had this to say when asked whether he'd be interested in George and whether he thought George was on the downside of his career:

"Probably maybe go to a fantasy camp or something like that," Childress said. "Downside would probably be - I think - kind."

George said Childress's statement "kind of catches me off guard." It strikes me as a little mean-spirited, but it probably accurately reflects the general sentiment around the NFL about George.