Brunell's age vs other qb's

[skinsfan93]

After reading article after article about Brunell along with the statements from my fellow Redskin's fan, I get tired of everyone bashing Brunell for his age. Yes, he's no spring chicken, but he played well last year and hopefully can stay healthy through the season. If not, Campbell will need to step up.

Back to my point....Brunell is 35 years old (will be 36 come Sept). Compare him to some of the other prominent qb's in the NFL and why is Brunell so over the hill and not much is said about the others.

T Green 35

Favre 36

Bledsoe 33

B Johnson 37

Warner 34

McNair 33

K Collins 33

Garcia 36 (he was a starter last year)

Kitna 33

Except for Favre, who still had nagging injuries, all of these guys have been hurt at one time or another just like Brunell. I just don't understand what the perception that Brunell should be in a wheelchair while there are plenty of other qb's who are the same age.

Your thoughts?

[Pimpey42000]

Brunell has good years left in him how many ???? but he can get the job done as long as Gibbs is still here thats why i thought he was brought here!!!

[Ghost of]

After reading article after article about Brunell along with the statements from my fellow Redskin's fan, I get tired of everyone bashing Brunell for his age. Yes, he's no spring chicken, but he played well last year and hopefully can stay healthy through the season. If not, Campbell will need to step up.

Back to my point....Brunell is 35 years old (will be 36 come Sept). Compare him to some of the other prominent qb's in the NFL and why is Brunell so over the hill and not much is said about the others.

T Green 35

Favre 36

Bledsoe 33

B Johnson 37

Warner 34

McNair 33

K Collins 33

Garcia 36 (he was a starter last year)

Kitna 33

Except for Favre, who still had nagging injuries, all of these guys have been hurt at one time or another just like Brunell. I just don't understand what the perception that Brunell should be in a wheelchair while there are plenty of other qb's who are the same age.

Your thoughts?

It's about expectations, not just age. It's also that he's not a particularly big guy and he's not a pocket passer. Leave Garcia off the list, he doesn't have much left.

The other guys are either disappointments (Collins) which have nothing to do with age, I don't think or are never-weres(Kitna.) Brunell has a track record which he has not matched in terms of consistency and he's not the pocket guy others on that list are/were.

So to answer your post, it's not JUST about age, it's about what people expect of Brunell vs. what they used to expect from him and that he is MORE reliant on declining physical skills because he will not just step up and deliver the ball, which is a skill that can last a lot longer. Look at Brad Johnson. He's got a pop gun for an arm these days but he's so accurate and heady that he doesn't NEED to run around or backpedal from the rush.

[TuckerF]

After reading article after article about Brunell along with the statements from my fellow Redskin's fan, I get tired of everyone bashing Brunell for his age. Yes, he's no spring chicken, but he played well last year and hopefully can stay healthy through the season. If not, Campbell will need to step up.

Back to my point....Brunell is 35 years old (will be 36 come Sept). Compare him to some of the other prominent qb's in the NFL and why is Brunell so over the hill and not much is said about the others.

T Green 35

Favre 36

Bledsoe 33

B Johnson 37

Warner 34

McNair 33

K Collins 33

Garcia 36 (he was a starter last year)

Kitna 33

Except for Favre, who still had nagging injuries, all of these guys have been hurt at one time or another just like Brunell. I just don't understand what the perception that Brunell should be in a wheelchair while there are plenty of other qb's who are the same age.

Your thoughts?

WELL,

Farve should have retired, he doesn't have more than 1 year left;

Trent Green may not have that great O line much longer, we'll see what happens then;

Bledsoe needs perfect protection;

NcNair hasn't been healthy for the last 4 years;

Warner has been shot the past 2 years;

Collins said he'll retire if he doesn't start so he's close;

Garcia has been shot for 2 years now; and

Kitna hasn't played in 2 years as a starter so we'll see this year.

All in all a bunch of over the hill guys who have lost it years ago or are about to. Brunell included.

[sknsgirl]

Seems like you do hear similar things about many of the others, certainly about Favre, Bledsoe, Warner, McNair, Garcia, and Collins. So...pretty much all of them. I just haven't heard much (old, young, whatever) about Kitna lately, or maybe I just haven't paid attention if/when he was mentioned.

With Favre it's different though b/c everyone just loves him so much and thinks of him as being on a different plane or something. (But obviously there was a lot of talk about him being old and having lost something!) As for Brad Johnson, for some reason folks have never given him much credit, or seen him as a real starter, despite his credentials or performance otherwise i.e. Super Bowl ring and turning the Vikings' season around last year). So that leaves...Trent Green, and there is some talk about him getting older, just not as much as the others. So I guess my point is that I disagree in that I do think there's lots of talk about the other guys on the list being old, too.

[bubba9497]

because Brunell was injured at the end of the year.... expert can't see anything except the recent past.

[Hogie]

36 is not old at all for a QB. Look at guys who have had career years in their late 30s - Gannon, Beurlein and even Elway had his best years statistically at the end.

But nobody can deny that Brunell has SERIOUS injury concerns. Is it because of his age? Who knows.

[budski]

I still think we see Collins or whatever the backups name is before we see Campbell this year. Brunell I expect will get hurt, but he is good enough to get the job done, kinda like Kilmer was. He aint flashy but hes a fighter and hes got better targets this year.

[DWinzit]

36 is not old at all for a QB. Look at guys who have had career years in their late 30s - Gannon, Beurlein and even Elway had his best years statistically at the end.

You hit it Hogie. A couple years ago the last four teams standing going into the championship games all had QB's over 32. The 22 year old starter rarely happens. It is the savy veteran who can quickly read and diagnose defenses that is the starter.

[Langford78]

I think we will be just fine. Everyone knows that Gibbs prefers qbs with experience, and nobody will deny that Brunell has that. Yes, I worry about the injury bug biting Brunell, but injuries happen in football.

[chronicdesi]

Another big thing is McNair and Brunell rely heavily on their legs. The other QBs have always been pocket QB's (well except for Garcia, but he is done anyways). Teams got rid of McNair and Brunell for the same reasons, their LEGS were getting old. With all the running and hits they took during their prime years, you can't expect a whole team to rely on them for a whole season. The main reason you can't compare the other's with Brunell and McNair is simply the beating they have taken... With that being said, with more spread out reciever sets, better seperation by our recievers, and with quick draws and CP out of the backfield, I think there is less reason for Brunell to have to scramble.

[herrmag]

The reason people expect an injured Brunell is because that is what we have seen in his 2 years with this team. Why should we expect different this year? Anyone that says he can't play obviously missed last season. However, to assume that he will go injury-free this year is a bet I wouldn't take.

[Skinsfan1311]

However, to assume that he will go injury-free this year is a bet I wouldn't take.

That's a fair assessment, however, that can also be said about most of the QB's in the league...

[budski]

So who better to backup Brunell than a guy whos been in the system for four years, and a young scrambler he can tutor at the same time. We are golden.

[jeronimobrat]

So who better to backup Brunell than a guy whos been in the system for four years, and a young scrambler he can tutor at the same time. We are golden.

I'll take this logic assessment over any's!:applause:

[dadirtbags]

I'm not a huge fan of Brunell....but, I am a huge fan of Gibbs.... my only concern about Brunell was while he was in Jacksonville... he was out for a while (injured)....than he lost his starting job......rusty was an under statement his first year as a skin.....But last year he looked much better ......I think he will be fine this year as well...I still question how much that injury and riding the bench back in Jacksonville affected his game today...I'm still hoping Jason Campbell wins the job eventually this upcoming season so we can look towards the future.

[XxSpearheadxX]

It's about expectations, not just age. It's also that he's not a particularly big guy and he's not a pocket passer. Leave Garcia off the list, he doesn't have much left.

The other guys are either disappointments (Collins) which have nothing to do with age, I don't think or are never-weres(Kitna.) Brunell has a track record which he has not matched in terms of consistency and he's not the pocket guy others on that list are/were.

So to answer your post, it's not JUST about age, it's about what people expect of Brunell vs. what they used to expect from him and that he is MORE reliant on declining physical skills because he will not just step up and deliver the ball, which is a skill that can last a lot longer. Look at Brad Johnson. He's got a pop gun for an arm these days but he's so accurate and heady that he doesn't NEED to run around or backpedal from the rush.

Very very good analysis. I will cheer for Brunell, but I 100% agree.

[XxSpearheadxX]

36 is not old at all for a QB. Look at guys who have had career years in their late 30s - Gannon, Beurlein and even Elway had his best years statistically at the end.

But nobody can deny that Brunell has SERIOUS injury concerns. Is it because of his age? Who knows.

Come on, not old at all? You base that on three QB's with extremely long careers? The average age of a starting QB is nowhere near the late 30's.

36 is the same as 30 for a RB in my book. Drastic decline that is unable to be avoided. Except in a few freak cases like Sonny Jurgenson. BTW, to any old timers, did Sonny really play that old? I was too young, but it is freaking amazing to me.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

After reading article after article about Brunell along with the statements from my fellow Redskin's fan, I get tired of everyone bashing Brunell for his age. Yes, he's no spring chicken, but he played well last year and hopefully can stay healthy through the season. If not, Campbell will need to step up.

Back to my point....Brunell is 35 years old (will be 36 come Sept). Compare him to some of the other prominent qb's in the NFL and why is Brunell so over the hill and not much is said about the others.

T Green 35

Favre 36

Bledsoe 33

B Johnson 37

Warner 34

McNair 33

K Collins 33

Garcia 36 (he was a starter last year)

Kitna 33

Except for Favre, who still had nagging injuries, all of these guys have been hurt at one time or another just like Brunell. I just don't understand what the perception that Brunell should be in a wheelchair while there are plenty of other qb's who are the same age.

Your thoughts?

I think five of the guys you listed are pretty much done as players.

Johnson might be an exception because I don't think he's logged the same number of minutes as the rest. Rich Gannon was in the same boat where he really did not become a full-time starter until much later in his career.

Also, only Favre and to a lesser extent McNair were "scramblers."

[herrmag]

So who better to backup Brunell than a guy whos been in the system for four years, and a young scrambler he can tutor at the same time. We are golden.

How about a guy that has some recent, real game experience? I don't mind the fact that we picked up Saunders' old back up. However, it's a little disconcerting since he hasn't played very much......

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

36 is not old at all for a QB. Look at guys who have had career years in their late 30s - Gannon, Beurlein and even Elway had his best years statistically at the end.

But nobody can deny that Brunell has SERIOUS injury concerns. Is it because of his age? Who knows.

36 is not old for a QB? That's crazy talk.

You can find exceptions to any rule. Nolan Ryan was a better pitcher at age 43 than he was at age 33. Roger Clemons had an ERA under 2.00 in his 40s. Curt Schilling is still good.

That doesn't mean that you should go out and field a team with five pitchers in their 40s.

Most QBs - including Elway - begin their decline at around 32 and really start to fade at around 35. Elway was not a "great QB" at the end his career. He was just on the best team he had ever played for. Maybe that's the case with Brunell. But you could also argue that Brunell on his best day never approached Elway.

[skinsfan93]

36 is not old for a QB? That's crazy talk.

You can find exceptions to any rule. Nolan Ryan was a better pitcher at age 43 than he was at age 33. Roger Clemons had an ERA under 2.00 in his 40s. Curt Schilling is still good.

That doesn't mean that you should go out and field a team with five pitchers in their 40s.

Most QBs - including Elway - begin their decline at around 32 and really start to fade at around 35. Elway was not a "great QB" at the end his career. He was just on the best team he had ever played for. Maybe that's the case with Brunell. But you could also argue that Brunell on his best day never approached Elway.

I kinda of disagree. Elway was statistically better when he was younger but he really knew how to run a team as he got older. You could say the same about Gannon or a guy like Simms. Heck, look at Doug Williams. I think you can have a old qb but one who brings other intangibles besides still having a strong arm.

[The Full Monty]

I admire Brunell for his passion and skills, but I'm afraid it is unrealistic to expect him to last the whole season and every time someone hits him low I will hold my breath and hope they don't hurt his legs. His legs are his game.

[IrishOrange15]

T Green 35

Favre 36

Bledsoe 33

B Johnson 37

Warner 34

McNair 33

K Collins 33

Garcia 36 (he was a starter last year)

Kitna 33

Except for Favre, who still had nagging injuries, all of these guys have been hurt at one time or another just like Brunell. I just don't understand what the perception that Brunell should be in a wheelchair while there are plenty of other qb's who are the same age.

Your thoughts?

There's a perception that most of these guys should be in a wheelchair as well. In fact, Skins fans love to point out how old Bledsoe is. The thing with Brunnell is that in the last four seasons he's been either injured or banged up and it affects his play greatly. He's had that reputation while he was in Jacksonville and most Jaguars fans (yes, they are out there) will tell you that he's bound to get injured since that happened all of the time in Florida.

The good news for Skins fans is that they showed that the average age of a Super Bowl winning QB was just under 34 years old. People don't realize how old some of the better QB in the league are each season. However, the average age for Super Bowl QB's has probably become much younger with Brady winning 3 Super Bowls and Roethlisberger (only 23 years old) winning the past Super Bowl.

As a Cowboys fan, I think Brunnell is somewhat dangerous with the right supporting cast. But whether or not he can stay completely healthy for the entire season is a big question mark in my mind.

Rich.........

[drowland]

36 is not old at all for a QB. Look at guys who have had career years in their late 30s - Gannon, Beurlein and even Elway had his best years statistically at the end.

But nobody can deny that Brunell has SERIOUS injury concerns. Is it because of his age? Who knows.

It depends on the player more then age. How they play and how they take care of the bodies.

Look at McNair. He's only 33, but his style of play over the years has subjected him to a lot of hits. I'd say he's more used up then some of those older guys.