Falcons Sock It To The Raiders
Jeff George’s motivation to play well was sitting in the Georgia Dome in the lap of his wife, Teresa.
“It was my first game my son got to watch me play,” George said Thursday night at Atlanta. “I couldn’t let him down.”
He didn’t.
Playing after only four practices, George completed 17 of 24 passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, sparking the Atlanta Falcons to a 27-6 exhibition victory over the Oakland Raiders.
George was elated that his son, 4-month-old Jeffrey David, was in the crowd of 30,553 for his first appearance since ending his holdoout last week by signing a one-year, $3.6 million contract. He becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season.
George connected with Eric Metcalf on an 11-yard scoring pass just over 5 minutes into the game and hit Tyrone Brown on a 48-yard scoring play less than 3 minutes into the second quarter to give the Falcons (1-2) a 17-0 lead.
Oakland (1-3) scored on a 29-yard field goal by Cole Ford midway through the second quarter, four plays after Jeff Hostetler connected with Raghib Ismail on a 46-yard pass to the Atlanta 11. Jeff Jaeger added a 31-yarder with 4:45 left in the game.
Hostetler, who also played only the first half, struggled. He completed four of 12 passes for 81 yards and one interception, and was sacked three times.
Mobley doesn’t want to be bad guy
Denver Broncos rookie John Mobley, fined $10,000 for a preseason hit on 49ers backup quarterback Gino Torretta, wants to start the season with a clean slate.
“It gives me a bad-boy image that I don’t want,” Mobley said Wednesday. “For a rookie, that’s not good to have. That’s something that I don’t want to be portrayed as by anybody - not by fans, friends, not by anybody. That’s just not my style.”
Mobley hit Torretta during the Broncos’ opening preseason game against San Francisco.
Dent leaves marks
It hasn’t taken long for veteran Richard Dent to demonstrate that his days of tormenting opposing quarterbacks aren’t over.
The Indianapolis Colts completed training camp at Anderson University and moved to the team’s complex in Indianapolis with Dent figuring to play a major role in their defensive plans for the upcoming season.
The 6-foot-6, 266-pound defensive lineman has three of the six sacks recorded by the Colts while playing less than a half in two games as a reserve. The three sacks resulted in 24 yards in losses and he’s also forced a fumble and broken up a pass.
Martin sentenced in drug case
Former Dallas Cowboys defensive star Harvey Martin pleaded no contest to felony cocaine possession in exchange for probation, a fine and participation in a drug treatment program at Dallas.
Martin, 45, will pay a $1,000 fine and spend nine months in drug rehab while serving seven years’ deferred probation, said court clerk Susan Johnson. If Martin avoids new offenses during the sentence, his record will be cleared of the drug charge.
Fans want Stewart
Kordell Stewart is the fans’ favorite to be the Steelers’ quarterback; Mike Tomczak appears to be coach Bill Cowher’s.
Stewart is a big leader over Tomczak and Jim Miller in several fan polls, and also is the undisputed leader in merchandising. His No. 10 jersey outsells all other Steelers, and neither Tomczak nor Miller even has a jersey on the market.
But with one exhibition game remaining before the Sept. 1 opener at Jacksonville, Tomczak has the edge because of experience. He has started 53 games in 11 NFL seasons with four teams.
Biakabutuka, Panthers reach deal
Running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka has agreed to a seven-year deal with the Carolina Panthers worth more than $12 million, two broadcast stations reported Thursday night.
Biakabutuka, drafted eighth out of Michigan, will fly from his home in Canada this morning to Charlotte to finalize the agreement, according to radio station WFNZ in Charlotte.