Colt Brennan Plans to Prove in the Preseason That He's a Starting QB

To veteran NFL players, the preseason is a necessary evil, a four-game stretch in which they get paid peanuts (relatively speaking) and just hope they don't get hurt. But to young players trying to prove themselves, the preseason can represent a major opportunity. And Redskins backup quarterback Colt Brennan says he's going to make the most of that opportunity.

In fact, Brennan -- who played very well in the 2008 preseason but never saw the field in the regular season -- sounds like he thinks that with another good preseason in 2009, he could be ready to take the starting job (currently held by Jason Campbell) in 2010.

Here's what Brennan said on Sporting News Radio's The Monty Show (via PFT):

"I gotta step in this year," Brennan said. "They've already made it clear that they're going to play me a ton in the pre-season and we gotta play four very talented teams and talented defenses and that's going to be my test. ...

"Right now it seems like it's in everyone's hands," Brennan said. "For Jason Campbell it's his last year, it's in his hands to go out and earn that second contract and earn that for him. And for me in the preseason it's my chance to go out there for the second year and prove that I belong and have a great preseason and show that I belong and maybe could be a starter one day."

I think Campbell is the Redskins' quarterback of the present and of the future, so I don't think there's a whole lot Brennan can do in the preseason to become the starter in Washington. But I do think Brennan can parlay some impressive preseason performances into an opportunity to start elsewhere, much as Matt Hasselbeck did when he was stuck behind Brett Favre in Green Bay. Brennan has the right attitude toward preseason preparation.