Colt Brennan Blog

One guy (Sac. Bee’s Bill Bradley) predicts it:

3. For fantasy players, this year’s Ryan Grant will be former Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan, the Redskins’ starter by midseason.

Making things official, Colt Brennan survived the last round of cuts and is officially a Redskin.  From the Advertiser:

Among those released by Washington was quarterback Derek Devine, who was competing with Brennan for a backup spot.

Brennan was 36 of 53 for 411 yards with no interceptions and three touchdowns in the preseason.

The Heisman Trophy finalist likely will play behind Jason Campbell and Todd Collins.

On his team blog following Washington’s 24-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, Brennan said: “As far as my performance, I didn’t do anything bad or anything horrible. There were no major turnovers or mental errors on my part. But then again, I also didn’t do anything great.”

Thirteen players with local ties were either waived, released or saw their contracts terminated yesterday.

Lest there be any doubt Colt will make the team … From the Honolulu Advertiser:

Former University of Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan completed 13 of 18 passes for 119 yards in a 24-3 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars today in an exhibition NFL game played in Landover, Md.

Brennan, listed as the Redskins third-team quarterback after being drafted in the sixth round of April’s NFL draft, also rushed twice for 11 yards. He did not throw a touchdown pass and did not throw an interception.

Meanwhile, the Redskins offense was sluggish again with starting quarterback Jason Campbell completing just 1 of 4 passes for three yards and an interception.

His first pass was picked off in the first period, leading to Jacksonville’s first score — a 3-yard touchdown pass from David Gerrard to Reggie Williams.

Redskins coach Jim Zorn had decided to play his first-string offense for a series — perhaps two — only because he felt the players needed a boost of confidence after last week’s 47-3 debacle against the Carolina Panthers.

The move backfired.

Campbell was intercepted by Mike Peterson on Washington’s first play from scrimmage. The Redskins’ next possession was a three-and-out, prompting Zorn to send his starters back for a third series — and another three-and-out.

Given the poor performance of the Redskins starting offense, one of the biggest cheers of the night came when Brennan entered the game in the second quarter. Brennan, though still very raw for NFL, has excited fans by putting up good numbers against other teams’ backups all preseason and did so again.

Brennan drove the Redskins on an 8-play, 46-yard drive that led to the Redskins’ only score.

Brennan, who is behind No. 2 Todd Collins at quarterback, is battling Derek Devine for the No. 3 spot at quarterback.

Brennan played the final three quarters of the game. Devine did not play.

Teams are expected to make their final cuts to 53 players Saturday.

Panthers vs. Skins, Colt went 6-12, for 53 yards.  Colt played in two drives, driving the Skins to around the 30 in the first before stalling and turning the ball over on downs.  The second drive was a run-out-the-clock situation.

Overall, the Skins were blown-out 47-3.  Colt played the entire 4th quarter, and no other quarterback aside from Collins and Campbell were used.  Next week, the final pre-season game, Colt may get less playing time but has pretty much solidified his spot as the 3rd string quarterback.

Honolulu Advertiser columnist Ferd Lewis writes of Redskins head coach Jim Zorn:  “Why, people wonder, can’t Zorn and his assistants be more complimentary? Where’s the love in a 17-of-23, three-touchdown (no interception) start?  But they are missing the message. The love is there, if only you know where to look. What coaches, especially those at the college and pro levels, say is one thing. What they mean can be quite another.”

What Zorn says: “Maybe I want more, but I want better technique. I want him to use the kind of techniques that are going to take him further down the road. Remember we were talking differently last week after the Buffalo game: ‘Oh, Colt came down to Earth.’ Well, now he’s in outer space again.”

What Zorn means: “Great, I’m a first-year head coach and because of this rookie I could have a quarterback controversy on my hands in September.”

What Zorn says: “He has to become a more disciplined QB. Not risk as much as he risked in the game. This week it turned out to be a great performance, but it could easily have been the other way.”

What Zorn means: “He’s a coach’s dream: Even when he screws up he has the ability to make us look good.”

Is now online.  Check it out here:  http://coltbrennan5.com/

Against Buffalo, Colt took less risks, made shorter passes and, as a result, completed 4 of 8 passes for 37 yards with no touchdowns and no interception.  At least one pass was dropped.

AP writes:  “Quarterback controversy in the making? Hardly. Should Brennan have stayed in Canton an extra day to be measured for a Hall of Fame bust? Certainly not. But, just to be sure, coach Jim Zorn and his coaching staff have moved quickly to stomp out the Brennan hype.

… He’ll have to time to work on the flaws. The most probable scenario for 2008 is that Brennan spends the entire season holding the clipboard as the No. 3 quarterback.”

Of course, Colt holding a clipboard all year isn’t the worst thing in the world.  It’s not where you start the race, but where you end it.  And historically, rookie quarterbacks who play in their first year do poorly.  A more realistic path to an NFL starting job is learning your first few years in the NFL while working your way up the depth chart until you get your shot.  And Colt will certainly, eventually, get his shot.

Colt Brennan answers in the Washington Post.

One thing they call Hawaii is the melting [pot] of the Pacific. If you went to a Nebraska, or an Iowa or some places in the South, you know what you’re getting into. You know what the reputation is of the community and the people. When you get out to Hawaii you’re mixed with Polynesian descent from all over ¿ Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Hawaiians, obviously — people over from the mainland who acclimate themselves to Hawaii. You’re always getting this broad view of different people and cultures, and what they’re like from all over the world. You get this kind of universal experience while you’re out there.

The AP summary:

Rookie Colt Brennan, the former Hawai’i quarterback and Heisman Trophy finalist, threw two touchdown passes in the second half, leading new Washington coach Jim Zorn and the Redskins to a 30-16 victory over Indianapolis in last night’s Hall of Fame Game.

Winning seemed like an appropriate tribute to two of the Redskins’ most revered players, Art Monk and Darrell Green, who were inducted into the Hall of Fame along with former Kansas City cornerback and Redskins assistant coach Emmitt Thomas on Saturday. The other inductees were linebacker Andre Tippett, tackle Gary Zimmerman and defensive end Fred Dean.

“Taking my first snap, I went to the line, took a deep breath and thought to myself, ‘Just have fun out here tonight,’ ” Brennan said. “And I had a lot of fun.”

So did the huge contingent of Washington fans who turned Fawcett Stadium into a makeshift version of FedEx Field.

“Guys walking around you are Hall of Famers,” said Brennan on playing in the Hall of Fame Game. “When you get into that stadium — and it’s a real intimate stadium — you’re not blown away by it being the NFL. It’s normal basically. I felt really comfortable there. When it was my turn, I was chomping at the bit. I was ready to play football. It was a nice place to start out. It gives you a lot to get excited about what you’re about to take part of.”

The debuts of Zorn and Brennan produced exactly what the Redskins had hoped for — even if it was a meaningless preseason game.

“I’ve had such an up-and-down offseason since the (Sugar Bowl) game, with my (hip) injury,” Brennan said. “I was looking for something to go right for me. I was thinking, with this being my debut, it would be awesome if I could go out and do really well, and start off my new career on a good note. Luckily, that kind of took place.”