Cowboys quickly lasso RB George
Running back Eddie George agreed to a contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, two days after being released by the Tennessee Titans.
“He’s a great fit for us, and he will complement an offense that will be about power running,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said.
George signed a one-year deal that includes an immediate $1.5 million bonus, which was what the Titans wanted to pay him for the entire season. Add in his base salary and easily reachable incentives and he could make upward of $4.5 million, more than he would have made under his previous deal with Tennessee.
George also is motivated to raise his market value when he becomes a free agent again next season.
George was cut Wednesday, at his request, after he rejected Tennessee’s final bid. He left the Titans after eight seasons and more than 10,000 yards.
“I see (the Cowboys) coming up on the rise,” George said at a news conference introducing him. “There was a lot of places to look at, but I see that Dallas is committed to the run, and I think I can help with that.”
George’s only free agent visit was to Dallas. Negotiations moved so quickly because the relationship works well for both sides.
The Cowboys had plenty of room under the salary cap and, a week before opening training camp, they were still looking for a veteran running back to ease the burden on Julius Jones, a second-round pick from Notre Dame who was expected to be the starter.
Regardless of who starts, both will get plenty of carries. The better George does — and the Cowboys are certainly hoping his competitive nature and desire to prove he’s still an elite runner will draw out his best — the slower they can bring along Jones.
Although George has never missed a game in his 128-game career, he’s been slowed by injuries typical for someone who’s averaged 21.4 carries per game. He turns 31 in September.
Bryant’s fate will come to light
The Cowboys, meanwhile, know they will be without safety Darren Woodson for all of training camp. They find out next week whether receiver Antonio Bryant will ever be back.
Woodson has a herniated disc in his back. If all goes as expected at a doctor’s visit Monday, he’ll have the disc removed Tuesday and be sidelined up to eight weeks.
Bryant’s status has been iffy since he threw his sweaty jersey in the face of coach Bill Parcells during a practice last month. Bryant was angry about his role, fearing that the arrival of Keyshawn Johnson would mean fewer balls for him to catch.
Parcells and Bryant haven’t spoken since but have a face-to-face meeting early next week. That conversation will go a long way toward determining whether Bryant will be among the players reporting to training camp in Oxnard, Calif., on Friday.
NFL considers TV changes
Three months before the start of the NFL season, TV negotiations that have been expected to result in a 3- to 5-percent increase in rights fees, NFL officials are continuing to float ideas for changes in the deals’ packaging that could bring larger increases.
The process has been moving since February, and possibilities for the deals that will begin in 2006 include:
•ESPN taking over “Monday Night Football” from ABC.
ABC reaches 20 million more households than ESPN, but ESPN has two revenue sources — ad sales and cable subscriber fees.
•NBC making a strong run at ABC for Sunday night games.
•One network taking the entire Sunday afternoon slate shared by CBS and Fox.
•Kickoffs of the Sunday day games moved back an hour.
•A cable network, possibly USA, FX or TNT, showing late-season games on Thursday and Saturday nights, starting on Thanksgiving.
The NFL’s current eight-year deals, worth a total of $17.6 billion, expires after the 2005 season. Negotiations with the incumbent rights-holders — ABC, CBS, Fox and ESPN — are expected to start in October.
Extra points
Running back Bruce Perry has agreed to a four-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Perry, a Philadelphia native, was the Eagles’ seventh-round pick in the 2004 draft. He ranked fourth on the all-time rushing list at the University of Maryland and rushed for 713 yards and six touchdowns in nine games as a senior. … Former Pro Bowl center Barret Robbins was released by the Oakland Raiders, a week after he and two other players were fined three game checks for testing positive for the steroid THG. … The Minnesota Vikings released punter Eddie Johnson. Johnson, a sixth-round draft pick in 2003, struggled all last season and was replaced late in the year by Leo Araguz after dropping snaps in three consecutive games. The Vikings also signed punter Filip Filipovic and receiver Ryan Hoag. … The New England Patriots signed free agent tight end Matt Cercone. The 6-foot-4, 252-pound Cercone was originally signed out of Arizona State as a free agent by the Minnesota Vikings in 1999. He also spent time with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Barcelona Dragons of NFL Europe. … The Green Bay Packers signed free agent defensive end Tyrone Rogers. Rogers played five seasons in Cleveland and had 108 tackles, including 12 sacks.