Gas in the tank: Brunell (sponsored by big oil)

[MTK]

Brunell still holds the key
June 22

Washington Examiner: "And that is perhaps the biggest question surrounding the Redskins’ offense as it nears training camp: How much does the 35-year-old Brunell have left?"

[gibbsisgod]

i'm not sold on #8 making it through the whole season in one peice, and when he misses time, he will never get the job back

[MTK]

I remember seeing something earlier in the offseason about Brunell undergoing some different types of training during the offseason to help strengthen his legs. His legs are key, anytime he has a bad knee, bad hammy, it just ruins him. Hopefully the training will pay off.

[scowan]

I think Brunell is tougher than you guys are giving him credit for. He knows this year is probably his best opportunity ever to get to a Super Bowl. He know Campbell is waiting in the wings, and my bet is that he plays his butt off this year.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

I hope I'm right, I went with enough to take us all the way to the promise land. As long as our o-line does it's job and he doesn't take anymore shots directly to the knee, I think we can manage our new receiving core very well. I'm crossing my fingers though.

[BrudLee]

The wealth of weapons we have will afford Brunell more time than he had last year - no one is sending the house and leaving (Portis, Moss, Randle El, Lloyd) uncovered.

I want Campbell ready for more than just age-related issues, though. Injury strikes old and young players without mercy.

[That Guy]

i'm a bit iffy on it. Having him train better and practice less iss a very good idea, but he hasn't made it throught an entire season in good shape in years (and i'm not counting last year cause of how bad he got at the end).

The best thing would be to see campbell do what ben did and remove all doubt. Since that's unlikely though, there's really no choice but to grin and bear it.

[Schneed10]

Two words: game management.

It always, ALWAYS gets overlooked. Brunell will be successful for us primarily because he can avoid turnovers. And Matty's right, the health of his legs are of paramount importance. He's AWFUL when his legs hurt (see 2004 and 2005 playoffs). He's the type of QB that needs to get his entire body involved to get enough zip on the ball, he can't rifle the ball off his back foot like Brett Favre. So he needs those legs healthy to plant, drive, and follow through with his delivery.

When the legs are healthy, there honestly aren't more than 10 QBs in the league I'd rather have than him. But when they're banged up, I hope Campbell is ready.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by scowan

I think Brunell is tougher than you guys are giving him credit for. He knows this year is probably his best opportunity ever to get to a Super Bowl. He know Campbell is waiting in the wings, and my bet is that he plays his butt off this year.

I don't think anyone really questions his toughness. Personally, I think the guy is tough as nails. He played his first year with Skins through some injuries. It's just that they make him more ineffective.

If left up to Brunell he would never sit on the bench for any reason.

[Mc2guy]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

If left up to Brunell he would never sit on the bench for any reason.

I don't think any player would ever voluntarily bench themselves. It's in their blood to always want to play through injury or slump.

That said, I hope Saunders is more cognizant of Brunell's penchant for poor play when injured and sits him down quickly when it's obvious that he's not 100%. Gibbs is so loyal to his vet that I think he leaves his in their too long when he's hurt. Hopefully Saunders is comfortable enough in his #2 QB, whomever that ends up being, to go to him quickly when Brunell gets a hammy or knock on the knee.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by Mc2guy

I don't think any player would ever voluntarily bench themselves. It's in their blood to always want to play through injury or slump.

That said, I hope Saunders is more cognizant of Brunell's penchant for poor play when injured and sits him down quickly when it's obvious that he's not 100%. Gibbs is so loyal to his vet that I think he leaves his in their too long when he's hurt. Hopefully Saunders is comfortable enough in his #2 QB, whomever that ends up being, to go to him quickly when Brunell gets a hammy or knock on the knee.

Good assesment. I think if there is a knock on Gibbs it could be he's loyal to a fault.

[mheisig]

I know it's cliche, but it all starts with the O-line. If our line protects Brunell he'll be perfectly fine for a long time. Unfortunately at his age if too many defenders get through he's not going to last long.

Unless ARE, Lloyd, Thrash and Cooley all crap out on us, I really don't see the opposing D blitzing alot or putting 8 in the box. Hopefully they'll have to drop at least 4 or 5 to covers the WR threats. If that's the case, I'm confident our line can protect Brunell and he'll make it as long as anyone else will.

The really scarey situation is if the line can't protect Brunell and he gets banged up. Then we put Campbell in, with no experience, behind a line that couldn't protect the first guy. That's bad news unless Campbell is friggin' amazing.

[mheisig]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

Good assesment. I think if there is a knock on Gibbs it could be he's loyal to a fault.

Don't say that around Southpaw or other Ramsey-lovers

[Daseal]

I voted for none in the tank (though I actually meant to pick the middle option, but more to the pessimistic part of that, so I'll accept the he's done.

Never been a Brunell fan since he's been in Washington. That said, it is Gibbs MO to get a veteran QB to take them to the Super Bowl, I just question if Brunell still has it. I hope he does.

[MTK]

I'm not too worried about the OL.

If they're all healthy we'll have a rock solid group.