The Minnesota Vikings have a new face sitting in on their quarterback meetings. Jeff George has returned to Vikings headquarters nearly a decade and a half after throwing his last pass for the franchise in the 1999 NFL season.
George's appearance led to an instant debate in Around The League circles: Is he there in a coaching or playing capacity? Both scenarios seemed entirely implausible. George's last NFL season was 2001, but his name still pops up once per year as he campaigns for another shot with a quarterback-needy team.
As it turns out, George is taking on a mentoring role with Christian Ponder, according to KFAN-AM, the Vikings' flagship radio station. Tom Pelissero of KSTP-AM confirmed that George is serving as a "guest coach" during organized team activities.
This is preposterous. George was the poster child for "coach killers" among professional athletes in the 1990s. We weren't in the locker rooms at the time, but George earned a reputation as a me-first narcissist worried more about his own statistics than helping his team win games.
Even if we look past George's cancerous impact during his playing days, it's still bizarre that a former quarterback primarily known for coasting on the strength of his once-in-a-generation arm is mentoring the considerably less-gifted Ponder on the finer points of the game.
The Around The League crew needs answers to the following questions: Has Jason Whitlockinfiltrated the Vikings' front office? What's next? The Chicago Bears bringing in JaMarcus Russell to mentor Jay Cutler?
Follow Chris Wesseling on Twitter @ChrisWesseling.
