Lighten up: 'Old guy' Brunell is back in the huddle
By JOSEPH WHITE, AP Sports Writer
September 15, 2005
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- When Mark Brunell entered the Washington Redskins' huddle after Patrick Ramsey's injury, the first thing he did was lighten the mood.
``He always calls himself the old guy,'' center Casey Rabach said. ``He says, 'All right guys, the old guy's in here, we might need a little more protection,' something like that.''
Later, Brunell waved at himself when he appeared on the stadium's giant scoreboard, then did a little jig in the huddle to the music used by the ``Funky Four,'' a group of Redskins band members who dance on the field at the end of the third quarter.
``Mark's always good for something like that,'' H-back Chris
ey said. ``He's serious, but we're out there having fun, too. We'll be 10 plays into a drive, and he'll say, 'All right guys, I'm just going to fumble this one, because I'm tired and we'll get off the field.' Or 'I'll just throw a pick and we'll try to score in less plays next time.' ``
Levity on the field is just one of the differences in the offense now that coach Joe Gibbs has switched to Brunell from Ramsey, who struck a more serious tone in the huddle. Ultimately Gibbs' decision will be judged by how many games Brunell wins, but the immediate impact is the natural difference one would expect between a 13-year veteran and a fourth-year player still trying to find his place in the league.
``Mark's been around for eons, it seems like,'' Rabach said. ``He's kind of seen everything. He's experienced everything. He knows when to keep it loose, he knows when it's time to work.''
There were other differences noticeable Sunday in a 9-7 victory over the Chicago Bears, when Ramsey gave way to Brunell in the second quarter.
Ramsey, with his strong arm, was his usual feast-or-famine self. He completed a 52-yard pass -- longer than any Redskins quarterback completed last year -- but he had two fumbles and an interception.
Brunell excelled more at managing the game. He was mistake-free, didn't complete a pass longer than 23 yards and did just enough to beat a mediocre team. He threw for only 70 yards, which means he hasn't reached even 100 in five of his last six games.
The next day, Gibbs selected Brunell as the starter for Monday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys, even though Ramsey is healthy enough to play. The coach isn't expected to change his basic game plan for the new quarterback, but one concern is that Brunell hasn't practiced much with starting receivers Santana Moss and David Patten, who had worked mostly with Ramsey since the start of training camp.
``There's no right answer right now,'' Moss said Thursday when asked if he's practiced enough with Brunell. ``All I can say is we've practiced with both guys.
``No, we haven't played that much with him, we all know that. The best part is we played the last three quarters with him. To me, that was the start of what we have to do now. It's not like I'm going out there to catch the ball from my 5-year-old son who never threw a pass to me before.''
The quarterback switch has overshadowed everything else at Redskins Park this week, including the afterglow of the season-opening victory. Several players have expressed sympathy for Ramsey and surprise over Gibbs' quick hook, but there's no time to dwell on it with the team's biggest rival coming up.
``We've got to be focused,'' running back Clinton Portis said. ``We can't let a QB switch depress us. We can't let it get us down. Whoever's back there, we've got to roll with it.''
Brunell's humor should keep depression to a minimum, although he wasn't always a tension-breaker in the huddle. Until a few years ago, he was as serious as Ramsey is now.
``I was wound too tight,'' Brunell said. ``I think it comes with experience. You can make it a light atmosphere but at the same time be serious about what you're doing.
``We're not just a bunch of giggles out there. We work, but there is a time for a little levity, and I think it puts guys at ease. Some guys are so focused they don't listen to you anyway.''
