European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 01, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday August 1.19931, sports the stars and stripes Page 27 George finds the heat s on by Walt Morrisset Especial to the stars and stripes Liere May be other player who Are faster than me. There May be players stronger than none works harder than Fornier Heidelberg an Stanford linebacker Ron George at Heidelberg High school Las february. Suwanee a. Fast for Ward to late july where George s work ethic is being putto the test Here in the Suwanee Sauna. It s 86 degrees with heat Index of 106 after you fac Tor in the humidity. I m honestly surprised Athow much work it is George said after practice with the Spe Cial teams and linebacker drills. The Talent increases so much after College. There Are no bad players. It s a 7 a.m.-9 . Work mentality. It s very competitive very physical and very aggressive be cause players Are fighting for their careers and their Liveli George is one of 80 players encamp. League rules require the Falcons to Cut to 60 players by aug. 24 and 47 by aug. 30. The Active roster grows to 53 on aug. 31 with players signed who have cleared waivers. Five More players can be signed to the practice squad. The Falcons open the preseason in the Georgia dome against Miami on Friday an will Stan the regular season at Detroit on sept. 5. Atlanta signed Pierce Holt anal pro defensive end from san Francisco to Anchor the de sense and he is the Only one in Camp with a guaranteed con tract. So George said his task is Clear. For me to make the team someone has to be Cut. For every Rookie or free agent who makes the team someone who was Here last year has to go. Because of that you really Cut through the shroud the Glamour and grand mirages that surround professional football. The Chase is gotten to quit quickly out there on the nil practices can be Monot Onous. George helped cover Norm Johnson s kickoffs Overand Over again. And practice Rushing through gaps on the offensive line Over and Over again. You d think this would get Bor ing for a Guy with an economics degree from Stanford. You do get bored because the drills get mundane George said. But the coaches Tell us to treat each play As a separate entity. Everything is filmed Ever Frame is watched by someone who will decide if you will be Here in september. You stray a Little bit think ing Boik what it will be like to play on Soldier Field then you get hit and that knocks you Back into about those hits. He s had his share of Bon crushers Al ready. I be had a headache for fou Days now he said. The men Are bigger stronger and hit harder. I Learned the first Day that i was among men George is optimistic about his chances to make the team but he s not flying his parents an frenetic Pace a Heidelberg s Ron George. Very competitive Bob and Margaret George from Heidelberg just yet. My dad will be Here at the end of August but Well wait and Sec what happens in sep tember before my mom comes he said. He has t fallen victim to pranks veterans play on . They shave Heads and make rookies do tricks at the training table he said. I watch around every Corner George said that if he make the team hell probably play on special teams first. I think any Rookie opens upon special teams George said. I Hope that on the base defense can play outside linebacker and on the Nickel pass defens package i can be one of the outside pass rushers because that s what i did so Well in col lege Butkus award finalist All Pac 10, second team All Ameri can. I can say with a Little bit of reservation that i can be a contributing Factor not just be on the Atlanta Falcons roster. But Well have to wait until sept. 5." editor s note fomer Smipes sports Morissens joined it Stal of the Ati Jurta journal Constitution in May. Hell chock in with periodic re ports on George s Rookie season in 9 nil by Denneil. Freeman Austin Texas a Heball was wobbly and overthrown so the receiver had to make plunging one handed catch. No this was t All pro Michael Irvin with the acrobatic fingertip grab. It was injured Dallas Cowboy quarterback Troy Aikman who does t Catlike he had Back surgery on june 19.Aikman is so far ahead of his expected rehabilitation Pace that he has coach Jimmy John son shaking his head and Doc tors worried the cowboys super bowl map is going too far to fast. He s amazed me Johnson said. He s looking really the Antsy Aikman already Hasset a tentative Date for his play ing comeback. It s aug. 21against the Houston oilers in the s working like everyone forgot he threw four touchdown passes in the super bowl and got $50,000 for saying i going to Early in he s up practising his backpedal in a harness and tossing a. Medicinebull. The harness helps Aikman rebuild his Back he s out on the Field making longer passes each s already up to 30 Yards with a tight spiral. Worried Trainer caution him not to Cut Loose with 50-Yard throws. I can throw the Ball 30 to 35 Yards no problem Aikman said. The Back feels Good. Every Day in my rehab i Aikman said he had feared the hernia cd disc in his Back was a ticking bomb. It had been wearing Down Over a period of years and when i did those squats with the weights it pushed things Over the Edge he said. At first thought the problem was muscular. But it sure was t. Jurf Jenova cock had this same operation four years ago and he seem Fine. I Don t want Long term problems because i wan a nor Mal life after i get out of foot Aikman is a picture of impatience at the Cowboy training Camp at St Edward s University where the boredom of two a Day practices drags on. A frustrating he s Hopes to begin prac timing with the team following London exhibition game against Detroit aug. 8. Hell be in Cali fornia working out under the watchful Eye of the doctors who operated on him. There s been no pain so i encouraged he said. I plan to play in the last preseason Gam and possibly the one before what drives Aikman is his experience two years ago when he was injured and Steve Buerle Istook control of the team in the playoffs. Watching someone else quarterback this team in t fun for me Aikman said. I be lived through that Aikman then took off to Runyon a Treadmill. Run Troy run. Hell keep running until he sout on the Field with the team in Frk stadium on sept. 6, Start ing against the Washington redskins. To be there he said. Old pros gearing up for Ano Taylor takes his time by Mike Freeman the new York times Madison no. Over the lust year Lawrence Taylor has played More Golf than football. He will never make any Golf Hallof Fame but he is destined to make a trip to football s. To Many he is the greatest line Backer in history. Last year Taylor the nation Al football league s career sack Leader with 126.5, missed nearly half the season when he Tore his Achilles Tendon in the ninth game. The injury forced him to think about retiring. But Hewan t ready for the greens yet he decided to return to football and now the question become which Taylor will show up this season. And How quickly can Heget Back in the flow i m smart enough to know Totake it one Day at a time and be smart about it Taylor said. Really Don t expect to be the same player i was years ago from Day 2. I m just taking my time and trying to get As Many reps As possible on the leg. I not baying it in any Way. I m trying to take every Drill the same Way i would if i was in Camp last year before i had the injury. The Achilles itself will be ready when the season starts. I m just working on my conditioning and my timing. Those Are the things you want to Breagy for that first game. I m not worrying about this week or next week. And when i think of the practices we be had eve though the legs Are tired and that happens every year i surprised that i m in better condition than i was. Look Forward to being realty by the time the season Taylor has been pleased wit the Way the Achilles has held up and the coaching staff is Happy As Well. But the 34-year old linebacker said that when Heran the first Lap i could feel it a Little bit but by the end of the Day so Many other things were sore i did t even worry Tippett rejuvenated giants Lawrence Taylor patriots Andre Tippett by Terry Price the Hartford courant Smithfield. . Andre Tippett is the last of the super bowl new England patriots. Time Trade and trauma have left Tippett the last vestige of a past that has far More dark Days than shining moments. Yet Tippett also is a vessel through which a better future May flow. The reason Patriot coach Bill Parcells. If you appreciate football like a lot of a do you appreciate Bill Parcells Tippett said last week at the patriots train ing Camp at Bryant College. He s the kind of Guy who s going to get it All out of you the kind of Guy who motivates play ers. He s the kind of Guy who knows football. I be always had a great appreciation of him. I be Lieve in fits concept. I believe in what he believes for the past 12 years Tippett 33, has been the patriots answer to Lawrence Taylor another linebacker of High repute who was a key member of two new York giants super bowl Cham Pion teams coached by Parcells. Tippett who has been selected to five pro bowl teams is in the Twilight of a Fine career. He has few regrets except per haps that a coach such As Par cells did not come along sooner. Yes i wish i was a lot younger now said Tippett who is playing for his fifth coach with the patriots. I wish i was Back in my Rookie year but you can t change time. I m going to have to go with what i have arid try to work As hard As i be done in the past and try to do a Good Tippett established a patriots record with 18.5 sacks in 1984 and followed with 16.5 in 1985. His numbers have fallen the past six seasons but Tippett who is the patriots All time sacks Leader with 91.5, led the team in sacks last season. Parcells is not the kind of coach who will give a player a spot on the team if he does t deserve it. But he is the kind of coach who recognizes the value of Veteran leadership which almost assures a key role for Tippett for at least one More season. J
