Mark Brunell? Seriously?

by Dave Choate on Aug 5, 2007 1:41 PM EDT in Falcons News

One scenario would be to work a trade with Washington for Mark Brunell, who's set to backup Jason Campbell. Brunell worked with Petrino in Jacksonville and with quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave in Washington.

Another scenario would involve the Falcons going after former Denver starter Jake Plummer, who said he has retired but hasn't filed his paperwork with the league.

Jake Plummer could still be an effective backup in this league, and maybe a more effective starter than Joey Harrington. I wouldn't mind overmuch if the Falcons kicked the tires on him, but I'm guessing he's probably serious about being retired. But Mark Brunell? Yeah, he used to be pretty terrific, but it's been a long time since he's been anything other than average. I would like to see the coaching staff tell me that Mark Brunell is currently a better QB than D.J. Shockley with a straight face. His arm isn't up to what promises to be a pretty wide-open offense, and he's 37. I can't help but think that even Chris Redman would be a better option than Brunell; at least he's got the same noodle arm, but he's much, much younger. I hope this rumor is just fluff, because otherwise I'm going to question why the team couldn't get their hands on a backup QB with a little more gas in the tank.

I'm still advocating that the team either let Shock have the backup job or take a hard look at the Jaguars depth chart. Culpepper is off the market and may not have been a great option anyways, but there's no excuse for the Falcons not to be aiming higher than Mark Brunell. Unless they're really serious about getting Brohm next year, that is.

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The thing about Brunell

I think the thing about Brunell is that he really likes Musgrave, and had a pretty good year in '05 when they were together. One could argue he was better than Vick that year, and more deserving of the Pro Bowl.

And not to mention his past with Petrino. I too think Brunell is a questionable starter, but he's certainly less questionable than Joey Harrington. At least in the past 2 years, Brunell has led a team to the playoffs. Harrington hasn't done that in 5 years.

by Pudge on Aug 6, 2007 12:56 PM EDT reply actions

They Could Do Worse

Man, I don't know. I actually wouldn't mind Brunell so much. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Aside from the fact that he is older than Arthur Blank, I kind of like Brunell. I don't know how much of his losing the job in Washington was as a result of his play. I think a huge factor there was the fact that they just wanted to get the young Campbell on the field relatively quickly.

Let's matriculate the ball down the field boys.

by runningback on Aug 7, 2007 9:43 AM EDT reply actions