Sept. 29: Mark Brunell

[Art]

Thank you for all the questions you asked on such short notice. There were only a few minutes between practice before meetings to run through as much as possible. Short chat but a very good one compared to last year when he was not in as good a mood . So, to the chat:

From bigbaby

what is the problem with getting the ball down the middle of the field?

Are you scared of throwing interceptions?

Mark Brunell

That’s a good question. You’d always like to get the ball down the middle of the field but that is dependent on the coverage you get. If you’re seeing a lot of Cover-2 then naturally the weak spot of the defense is down the middle. If you have a safety in there the receivers don’t like it when you throw in there because a lot of times they get their head knocked off.

TheGix2

How happy are you having CP back?

Mark Brunell

CP makes a huge difference for us obviously. He’s our best running back. He plays very physical. The best thing about CP is not only his running ability but when he doesn’t have the ball. When he’s blocking for the passer, when he’s blocking downfield for the other guys who do have the ball. He’s a great team player and we’re real fortunate to have him.

Leonard Washington, fans in general.

JURRASIC MARK!!!! Does it bother you when fans or others think of you as old?

Mark Brunell

What’s his name? Leonard? Tell Leonard to shut up (laughter). No, I don’t mind. It’s funny, when you lose a game you’re old but when you win a game you’re experienced. There’s a big difference. It depends on how the team goes so I guess that’s usually how people think of me.

Inigo Montoya

Mark, thank you for last season and our first trip to the playoffs in what has seemed like forever.

Joe Gibbs is my idol, what's it like playing for him? Who is more impressive, Joe the man or Joe the coach???

Mark Brunell

It’s a real privilege to play for him. Hall of Fame coach. He’s been to four Super Bowls, won three of them. I tell you what, I describe Coach Gibbs this way, he’s a very, very good coach, but he’s an even better person.

jnhay

There weren’t many times in Houston where you threw the ball downfield. Was that more a product of the defense taking away the deep ball or more of the game plan wanting to focus on time of possession and limiting mistakes?

Mark Brunell

Most of the time the coverage determines where we throw. We have what we call progressions and on each pass play there’s a progression. We throw the ball dependent upon what we’re seeing by the defense. You never know until after the snap what they’re going to do many times so you just try to distribute the ball accordingly.

Art, the man, the myth, the legend

Can you tell us what you think about Jason Campbell as a player?

Mark Brunell

Jason has a bright future. He’s a hard worker. Very athletic. He’s a smart player. Works really hard. Can’t say enough about him. He’s a good kid and I really do mean that. He’s got a really bright future in this league.

Closing statement by Mark Brunell

We certainly appreciate the support of our fans. We’ve got the best fans in the NFL and we’re going to need that 12th man this week because we’ve got a tough game. Stay in it. Stay with us. Hopefully we’ll make some big plays and give the fans reason to cheer.