QB’s battle for backup position

By Brian Hunsicker

Published: July 23, 2008

ASHBURN — Colt Brennan stayed on the field after Wednesday’s morning practice, working on throws and then taking a break to sign autographs — hardly an expected activity for a rookie, and a sixth-round draft pick at that. One press conference was complete and another was wrapping up by the time Brennan made his way back into the Washington Redskins’ locker room.
Derek Devine had no such difficulty; he too stayed behind for some post-practice work with Todd Collins. But after several touch passes, the only thing between Devine and the locker room was the thick July air.
For all the differences of their Wednesdays, the two are fighting for a common reward: a roster spot. When the final cuts are made on Aug. 30, one will remain as the Redskins’ third quarterback.
For now, both mostly stand on the sideline during the team portion of practice, giving way to starter Jason Campbell and backup Collins as they prepare for the season. Brennan and Devine will get their chances in the upcoming preseason games.
Both have their positive attributes as well as drawbacks. Brennan comes from a run-and-shoot offense at Hawaii, where he was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. But for all of his success there, head coach Jim Zorn — a former quarterback himself — has found plenty that he needs to improve on.
“I think he’s very awkward in where he’s going to be,” Zorn said on Sunday, “just because everything is new to him: Dropping back in a disciplined manner, being efficient with his feet. And how to hand the ball off, reaching. Even underneath the center, being quiet under center. There’s a lot of things he’s learning right now and he’s got a long way to go, but I like what I see.”
Brennan also benefits from pure economics. As a draft pick, the Redskins have more money invested in him than Devine, a free agent who signed with the Redskins in early May.
Zorn did say he did like Brennan’s scrambling ability; he also has greater name recognition, which came from setting 31 NCAA records and leading the Warriors to a BCS bowl game. That won’t play a role when the coaches decide the winner, though.
Devine is as anonymous as Brennan is notable, and he’s OK with that.
“People say what they want to say, I’m not too really worried about it,” Devine said on Wednesday. “I’ve been grinding, I’ve been putting my time in, so I’m going to come out here and study my playbook and do my thing and, to be honest, let God take care of things. There’s a lot of injuries, a lot of things that happen. You never know how the roster’s going to roll out. You never know.”
Devine has experience with Zorn that Brennan lacks. After completing his career at Marshall, Devine signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent, working with then-quarterbacks coach Zorn.
Though he was waived just prior to the start of the regular season and didn’t latch on with another team, Devine found a home when Zorn came to Washington.
“He’s got, really, one of the strongest arms out there — strength-wise, arm speed or ball speed — he ranks there with Jason Campbell,” Zorn said.
“He’s very smart, so he understands the offense. He’s got a real strong arm and he’s accurate. The one thing that I liked about him last year is some guys can throw hard but it’s hit or miss whether the ball’s going to be there. He can throw hard, much like Jason, and actually hit what he’s throwing at — which is a real plus for me,” Zorn added with a smile.