Analyze This (Brunell Article from NFL.com)

[mooby]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/9007623

good article on NFL.com about the best revitalized qb in the NFL. Guess who everyone picked. Nice to see some recognition these days.

PAT KIRWAN "It's only Week 8 and 13 teams have made a change at quarterback. Most of the changes were due to injury but some were done to spark a change in the fortunes of the club. Kelly Holcomb clearly changed the direction of the Buffalo Bills and his 2-1 record is just what the doctor ordered. It's too early to tell if Jeff Garcia can do the same for the Lions. Josh McCown never knows if he's starting or sitting, but he is the only QB to win a game for Dennis Green in Arizona. Alex Smith is getting sacked every four pass attempts and can't be evaluated until 2006. The best of these quarterbacks by far is Mark Brunell. He loses his job in 2004, looks old and unable to run or throw, yet he comes back this season and looks like he drank from the fountain of youth. He's ranked 13th in the league in passing yards, has thrown 12 touchdown passes to just two interceptions and has a 98.3 passer rating. What's not to like about Brunell?"

VIC CARUCCI "Mark Brunell, by a long shot. He isn't the same quarterback he was last season, and that's a very good thing for the Redskins. Brunell's passing arm wasn't healthy in 2004, which is the main reason it looked to many of us as if it had nothing left. Joe Gibbs was wise to stick with Brunell for another year to see how he would perform once, or if, he reached full capacity. The quick hook on Patrick Ramsey showed Gibbs' conviction that Brunell would come through if given a second chance to start. Although Brunell mostly plays within himself and keeps mistakes to a minimum, he can make the big throws when necessary. He still might not have the strongest of arms, but it hasn't prevented him from consistently connecting with the game's foremost deep threat, Santana Moss. And that gives the Redskins a dimension that should keep them a serious contender for the NFC East crown."

GIL BRANDT "For me, it comes down to Drew Bledsoe and Mark Brunell. A case can be made for both based on what they've done through the first seven weeks of the season: Both have led their teams to winning records and both have positive stats; each has passed for 12 TDs (although Bledsoe has played one more game); both have passer ratings above 94. That said, having to make a choice of only one, my choice would be Brunell. He seems to be in a rhythm that I think is necessary for quarterbacks to be successful. The Redskins are the second-ranked team on offense overall in the NFL this season after they finished 30th overall in 2004. They are averaging 22.5 points per game, up from 15 in 2004. And they have won four of their first six games -- it took them twice as long to win four games last season. This week's game against the Giants will be a big test because Brunell played eight years under Tom Coughlin while with the Jacksonville Jaguars. I feel certain that Coughlin knows Brunell's strengths and weaknesses and will try to exploit those weaknesses."

BOOMER ESIASON "Mark Brunell has found the fountain of youth and has regained his confidence. It all began Week 2 in Dallas with two long strikes to his new favorite target, Santana Moss. Prior to those two passes, I thought it may have been over for Brunell, but confidence obviously goes a long way."

ADAM SCHEFTER "Mark Brunell has been a godsend, the Comeback Player of the Year, Lazarus and simply the best new/old starting quarterback this year. Other than Joe Gibbs and Brunell's family, who thought that a player who looked so washed up at the end of his career in Jacksonville and last year in Washington could be this effective? He is throwing the ball as well, if not better, than he did during the height of his career in

[BigSKINBauer]

yeah just saw that a couple minutes ago. ALL HAIL AMAZING BRUNELL

I was reading a board that was for all fans and there was a thread about comeback player of the year. it seemed evenly split with moss, brunell, and steve smith. Some also said bledsoe but it was clear that people were discussing the first 3. I would definatly say brunell just due to how f'n bad he was last year. Steve smith was injured, i don't think that is "comeback" material. Brunell was so so so soooooooo bad last year, this is a huge comeback

[MTK]

It's pretty simple, Brunell is the obvious choice right now.

No QB has made such a dramatic turnaround and has had such a huge impact as Brunell.

[Big C]

like to see the new brunell avatar lol

[dblanch66]

I like it but these are the same "columnists" that constantly undermine the Redskins.