Parcells confident with George as his running back

IRVING, Texas — Everybody is wondering what, if anything, running back Eddie George possibly could have shown the Dallas Cowboys in the preseason to make them think he can still do it.

Make that almost everybody.

The man who matters insists we don’t know what we don’t know about George.

“It’s the same, really, with every position,” Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said when asked if running backs, like quarterbacks, have to earn his trust to have a role. “But that’s not where Eddie George is. He’s been a consistent player. He’s played 128 (consecutive) games. He doesn’t fumble. I know a lot of things about Eddie George that I don’t know about a lot of people, and those are all positive. … I don’t know why we’ve got this Eddie George watch on here now. I don’t think we should.”

Parcells’ faith in the 30-year-old back seems somewhat misplaced. George was left for done by Tennessee in the off-season, and appeared to validate that decision with his preseason play. He rushed for 51 yards on 24 attempts, which is a paltry 2.1 yards per carry. That looks salty, not paltry, when compared to the 1.2 yards-per-carry average he would have without a 23-yard run against Oakland.

“I don’t know whether the word is faith. Here’s what I’ll say to you: Only you people … ,” Parcells said, not quite finishing a thought. “Nobody ever asked me what my vision was for the guy.”

So what’s his vision?

“I already had my vision,” Parcells said. “I’m now into application.”

Application is the nitty-gritty determining of how to divide the 30-plus rushes the Cowboys are likely to attempt in any given game. Because what the preseason proved beyond a reasonable doubt is the Cowboys are not the New York Jets or the San Diego Chargers or even the Cincinnati Bengals. They don’t have a carry-the-mail back like Curtis Martin or LaDainian Tomlinson. They don’t have a Rudi Johnson. They have a committee.

They have a promising rookie who was basically called a wuss by his coach this week (Julius Jones); a converted fullback Parcells swears will die if he gets 15 carries a game (Richie Anderson); and a 10,000-yard rusher whom nobody seems to think has another 1,000 yards in him (George).

So does anybody believe the Cowboys can run the ball better this season?

“Yeah,” Anderson said, almost laughing. “Sure. We got Eddie George. He’s got 10,000 yards. We got Julius Jones. I don’t know what he’s going to be as a player, but I think he’s done pretty good so far and he can be pretty good. Don’t you think we can?”

Not with George 2004. He has lost a step.

“Man, you panic quick,” Anderson said.

Not with Jones. He did not play in Thursday’s game against Kansas City because of “soreness,” raising questions about not only his durability but his toughness.

“He’ll be all right,” Anderson said. “We’ll be all right. We’ll be fine. We’ll be able to run the ball. Just watch.”

There is a difference, however, between being able to run the ball and being a dominant running team. Which is what the Cowboys need to be. Parcells said in training camp the offense was going to have to continue playing a certain way to win. The certain way is smash-mouth, ball-control, which keeps their defense — including those shaky right cornerbacks — off the field.

“I guess we really haven’t proven that thus far in the preseason, but then again, I don’t think we’ve shown all our firepower yet,” tight end Dan Campbell said.

Parcells let out a little firepower Thursday when he unleashed Anderson, who looked about 25 and capable of carrying the ball 25 times a game for 100 yards. There also have been flashes with Jones, who despite the soreness issues, is highly regarded by Parcells and is believed to have the potential to turn into one of those mail carriers.

They also have George, whom Parcells believes has a role on this team.

Those who argue that Parcells is violating his own rule — at some point in the preseason, every veteran player has to prove they can still do the job — by keeping George — who has proved nothing — are missing the point. George has proved he can do the job Parcells has for him. He has shown he is good for 10 to 12 carries a game.

The question is, is George good with 10 to 12 carries a game?

“I haven’t thought about it,” he said. “This is his (Parcells’) ship. This is how he runs it. And I just want to be a part of a winning situation.”

He said exactly the right thing. Anybody who has followed George’s career knew he would. But the reality is he could have taken a lesser role in Tennessee. He asked to be released and signed with the Cowboys to be the featured back.

He wants to prove himself so he can earn a long-term contract to play here or elsewhere next season.

Which is why there is an Eddie George watch to begin with.