Shaking the Brunell Stigma

[FullbackIsKey]

OK, i've been reading the boards and reading the papers and listening to the commentators all year long, and they all sem to agree that Brunell suddenly became some sort of star for us. Not True. Brunell played marginally better this year than he did in 2004, the year that we all wanted to break brunell's legs to take away his last fleeting skill. He continued to throw short passes into the dirt, high, and behind his guys, or leaving the reciever out to dry over the middle, and most of the deep balls were still consistently too short or way off target.

I'm just tired of hearing everybody stroke brunell's ego all the time, yes, he played smarter and didn't stumble around so much like a JV QB, but he wasn't great. Santana Moss was great. You hear Gibbs talk about Moss's ability to turn in mid-air and catch balls all around him and diving all over the place to make catches. Well, he had to display those skills because Brunell's passes were all over the place. Wouldn't you rather hear Gibbs talking about how pretty it is to see Santana pull away from the CB as he runs down an 70 yard bomb and catches it right in stride? Yes, you would, but instead you hear about Moss's amazing contortion ability.

Does anybody else see through the media darlingness of Brunell this year? Don't get me wrong, I was glad to have him this year, he definitely helped by making a few decisions that a younger player may not have made, but this year he won't even be able to throw as well as he did last year, and that's just gonna hold back Moss, and as a result Portis. I can only hope, as bad as it may sound, that Brunell gets clotheslined(not injured, though) in game 1 this year and gets benched for Campbell, like gibbs did to ramsey.

I will admit that I lost much of my Brunell animosity when he restructured his deal, as his cap charge was my biggest qualm with his tenure here. Since he's cheaper now, I don't really care so much that he's here, In fact I'd like to see him stay for another year or 2 as Campbell's backup, but only in that role.

[DCsportsfan53]

Somebody else want to take this. I've spent so much energy trying to defend Brunell I think my head will explode if I try it again.

[Doodie987]

i used to feel that way in a sence....but he was one of the leading QB's of the NFC...he had a 89% QB rating...and it was higher until he hurt his leg...he had so few bad games all year...and in those games look at the conditions...(wheather or wtvr it was)

but he played great ball this year...you cant compair him to 2004....he ran,passed, and playd just under pro bowl level....if he had kept his #'s up he would have played in the pro bowl in my mind...and him re-doing his contract was a contribution to the team...he took one for the team and not every will do that...

i dno

~jake

[Doodie987]

there you go

[RedskinsFanatic]

OK, i've been reading the boards and reading the papers and listening to the commentators all year long, and they all sem to agree that Brunell suddenly became some sort of star for us. Not True. Brunell played marginally better this year than he did in 2004, the year that we all wanted to break brunell's legs to take away his last fleeting skill. He continued to throw short passes into the dirt, high, and behind his guys, or leaving the reciever out to dry over the middle, and most of the deep balls were still consistently too short or way off target.

I'm just tired of hearing everybody stroke brunell's ego all the time, yes, he played smarter and didn't stumble around so much like a JV QB, but he wasn't great. Santana Moss was great. You hear Gibbs talk about Moss's ability to turn in mid-air and catch balls all around him and diving all over the place to make catches. Well, he had to display those skills because Brunell's passes were all over the place. Wouldn't you rather hear Gibbs talking about how pretty it is to see Santana pull away from the CB as he runs down an 70 yard bomb and catches it right in stride? Yes, you would, but instead you hear about Moss's amazing contortion ability.

Does anybody else see through the media darlingness of Brunell this year? Don't get me wrong, I was glad to have him this year, he definitely helped by making a few decisions that a younger player may not have made, but this year he won't even be able to throw as well as he did last year, and that's just gonna hold back Moss, and as a result Portis. I can only hope, as bad as it may sound, that Brunell gets clotheslined(not injured, though) in game 1 this year and gets benched for Campbell, like gibbs did to ramsey.

I will admit that I lost much of my Brunell animosity when he restructured his deal, as his cap charge was my biggest qualm with his tenure here. Since he's cheaper now, I don't really care so much that he's here, In fact I'd like to see him stay for another year or 2 as Campbell's backup, but only in that role.

AMEN, AMEN.....AMEN !:logo:

[TLusby]

Wouldn't you rather hear Gibbs talking about how pretty it is to see Santana pull away from the CB as he runs down an 70 yard bomb and catches it right in stride?

Did you watch the Dallas game? I believe Mark threw two passes that were as perfect as any pass that the great Joe Montana ever threw. Mark played above average and made some nice throws last year. He isn't the future and that's why Gibbs gave up this yea's first rounder to get a head start developing our future QB. Give it a rest on MB!

[Ghost of]

Somebody else want to take this. I've spent so much energy trying to defend Brunell I think my head will explode if I try it again.

Defying logic will do that to you.

The original poster was correct. Another poster here had the numbers, but since Oct 30th, Brunell was simply not that good. This is a case of people falsely attributing FANTASTIC Portis performances plus fantastic defensive outings to the "leader" of the team. Someone else has said and I agree that if Brunell didn't get taken out of that Giants game (due to his injury) we were on our way to losing our hold on that game (and missing the playoffs.)

I mean, I had Seahawk fans laughing at the dude while watching the game. He was pathetic after his injury, no better than he was last year. He had a very good stretch earlier in the year but our team wasn't even winning those games (not his fault, though he liked to eat the ball or 'throw it away' on 4th down end of game plays for some reason.)

TheSteve had the numbers but they did not support the positive perspective on Brunell. But because Gibbs kept him in or there was no better option (in his opinion) people will make all kinds of justifications for it. let's just hope JC is ready to break out and 'save us.'

[More Complete]

He won us some games with his legs. He did what no one thought he could do more than a few times. Twice in the first Dallas game (deep to Santana). Give credit where credit is due.

[DOOG]

"Since he's cheaper now, I don't really care so much that he's here, In fact I'd like to see him stay for another year or 2 as Campbell's backup, but only in that role."

His deal was not redone...once they got the CBA done that deal did not go into affect. Brunells arm looked pretty good in the cowgirls game, Campbell will have to BEAT OUT BRUNELL DOMINATELY to be the starter, Gibbs will stay with him until he cant walk, he loves the Vet at that position...

[CPstretch]

brunell should have made the pro bowl. he had one of his best years statistically. he led us to the playoffs and had a MUCH better year than in 2004. he showed that his arm still had something left and im sure could duplicate his 2005 performance in 2006...but we wont need him to

[Taylor 36]

I Know what you mean, like in the first Dallas game, neither of those two bombs were even close to Moss. If Moss hadn't have flown and twirled with a double summersolt, the ball would have just hit the turf. :doh:

Look, Brunell did have some bad passes. So did Peyton Manning and every other QB in the league. Moss caught less than a third of Brunell's completeions this year, killing the arguments that a) Brunell doesn't spread it around (something that is hard to do when your receivers are either injured or can't catch a ball placed in their hands/chest) and that Moss's skills were the only thing that made Brunell look good.

You can look at any QB on any team from any era of the league and you will notice that their completions and career percentages don't reflect their accuracy as much as the receiving unit they had at their disposal. Brunell accomplished what no QB has accomplished in 6 years (George, Banks, Mathews, Wuerfel, Ramsey) and that was lead us into the post-season and help us win a playoff game.

It is time to give the guy credit. It is no mystery why he was one of the top QB's in the league for most of the season, and why many analyst thought he was shafted by not getting selected to the Pro Bowl. One WR does not do that for a QB.

[FullbackIsKey]

Did you watch the Dallas game? I believe Mark threw two passes that were as perfect as any pass that the great Joe Montana ever threw. Mark played above average and made some nice throws last year. He isn't the future and that's why Gibbs gave up this yea's first rounder to get a head start developing our future QB. Give it a rest on MB!

yeah, i was glued to the set, but on the first TD pass Moss had to run almost 20 yards flat across the field to make the catch, something that coles could never have done in '04.

edit:

and the route was a post, not an in.

[Big Weirdo]

Brunell has one or two more years in him. After that it's time for Campbell to start.

[Gregpeck99]

Brunell is an ugly-looking QB and Gibbs is a ****tush on offense. The Skins need a new look and attitude and they are going to get one in 2006 with Campbell/Saunders!

[Enter Apotheosis]

Brunell's not consistent and he wears down quite a bit as the season progresses. HOWEVER, saying he is anywhere near as bad as he was in 2004 is just not true. He looked like a solid starting veteran QB for us this past season and did better than a number of other starters out there.

[DCsportsfan53]

Brunell has one or two more years in him. After that it's time for Campbell to start.

I'd never thought I'd get to see the day when an Eagles fan is more sensible than a lot of Skins fans, who knew? I'm still just shocked that so many people can still feel that way about him after this year. I don't even know what else to say, my jaw drops in utter confusion when I read these posts. Hail Mark Brunell, best Skins QB in 10 years beyotches.

[Extreme]

i used to feel that way in a sence....but he was one of the leading QB's of the NFC...he had a 89% QB rating...and it was higher until he hurt his leg...he had so few bad games all year...and in those games look at the conditions...(wheather or wtvr it was)

but he played great ball this year...you cant compair him to 2004....he ran,passed, and playd just under pro bowl level....if he had kept his #'s up he would have played in the pro bowl in my mind...and him re-doing his contract was a contribution to the team...he took one for the team and not every will do that...

i dno

~jake

if the qb rating goes on a scale up to 158.3, then a 89% qb rating would mean his qb rating was 140.9, which would obviously blow the old record out of the water. that was not the case, as we all know. Brunell himself, I must agree, did make much smarter decisions. On the other hand, it was with a lot of help from his beefed up supporting cast that made him look better than he actually was. In a sense, it was an illusion.

Brunell is driven by a desire to win a Super Bowl, and not much else more than that is keeping him going. When he gets hurt and wants to stay in the game, we get beaten down, which is not a show of toughness on his part, it is a little bit of selfishness. When you see that an injury is hindering you, give the ball to another guy. Brunell doesn't like the role of backup, so even when hurt, his ego will not allow him to step aside.

Restructuring his contract showed he was a bigger man than most in the league, but let's be real, his wallet is padded just fine. In my opinion, he still makes more than he should, but that's alright, a lot of players do.

What I would like to see, is Brunell become our qb coach after playing a year at backup to Campbell, letting him get the hang of things. Brunell is a great leader, and guys listen to him, I'll give him that. But that does not make up for fading abilities. Brett Favre is a perfect example.

Honestly, everyone in here likes to talk about his 3,000+ yards, 23 tds, etc. but seriously, what would his stats be like if he didn't have Cooley and Moss going above and beyond normal route running and catching to make the plays they do? It is more than a coincidence that hardly anyone else made a nice catch or two this year. As for Sellers making big plays.....come on, he's a big target, anyone could hit him.

So while I agree that it is time for Jason Campbell to step in and be our leader on the field, we still could use Brunell as a leader in the locker room and on the sidelines.

[Thirtyfive2seven]

Wow, OBVIOUSLY you didnt' use the search function. If you did you would see that there are 1000000 other posts on Mark Brunnel. What makes this post so special that it needs its own thread???????????

[Enter Apotheosis]

Hail Mark Brunell, best Skins QB in 10 years beyotches.

That I disagree with. When we had Brad Johnson, he was a bit better. You could also make a case for Trent Green (he only had one full season as starter but he had an 82 passer rating and we all know how he turned out).

[FullbackIsKey]

Wow, OBVIOUSLY you didnt' use the search function. If you did you would see that there are 1000000 other posts on Mark Brunnel. What makes this post so special that it needs its own thread???????????

because I've been back to posting for about 2 weeks now and haven't seen anything about mark brunell still sucks.

[No_Pressure]

Brunell is an ugly-looking QB and Gibbs is a ****tush on offense. The Skins need a new look and attitude and they are going to get one in 2006 with Campbell/Saunders!

Oh yes Joe Gibbs sure doesnt know offenses.

Have you been living under a rock or something? :doh:

[Peregrine]

2 passes dont make a season. Did brunell play better last year? How could he not lol. Yes, he did his job, didnt turn the ball over, and threw the short pass. Brunell however is not capable of throwing anything other than the screen, and the bomb that Moss makes an amazing catch on. its not gonna matter who else we get to play WR if we dont have a QB that can throw 20 yard routes. He did a good job last year, but 2 passes dont make you a great QB. Campbells turn.

[DCsportsfan53]

That I disagree with. When we had Brad Johnson, he was a bit better. You could also make a case for Trent Green (he only had one full season as starter but he had an 82 passer rating and we all know how he turned out).

I'll agree that as a Chief Grenn has been better but I'm not sure he was as a skin. You may be right about Brad, though, he did take us as far as Mark did. I guess you could probably say they're about even. Brad's at a disadvantage because he had Norval coahing him so who knows how good he could've been as a skin?

[scruffylookin]

I just wish people who defend Brunell would stop with the "he led us to the playoffs nonsense".

Clinton Portis

A much improved Oline performance

Defense

That's what "led" us to the playoffs and the defense won us a playoff game.

Brunell was along for the ride in the second half of the season.

All I want is a legit open competition between JC and Brunell in training camp. If Brunell proves to be the better QB for us, fine but he shouldn't be handed the job. With his performance over the second half of the season and the playoffs he hasn't earned that kind of security.

[No_Pressure]

2 passes dont make a season. Did brunell play better last year? How could he not lol. Yes, he did his job, didnt turn the ball over, and threw the short pass. Brunell however is not capable of throwing anything other than the screen, and the bomb that Moss makes an amazing catch on. its not gonna matter who else we get to play WR if we dont have a QB that can throw 20 yard routes. He did a good job last year, but 2 passes dont make you a great QB. Campbells turn.

Then what about 262 passes, 3,050 yards, and 23 touchdowns? Thats better than we have had since 1999, I think it deserves some kind of respect...though I do think Campbell will turn out better and I cant wait to see him play.