Ron Paul, Rick Santorum Suggest Foul Play From Romney Campaign
WATCH: Whitney Houston's Biggest Interview Moments
For most of the preseason, New York Jets veteran backup Mark Brunell looked his age with some anemic performances. But in Thursday night's preseason finale at Philadelphia against the Eagles, the 39-year-old flashed back to his younger days as a Pro Bowl quarterback with the Jacksonville Jaguars and completed 11-of-17 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Prior to that performance, Brunell was lending some credence to third-string quarterback Kellen Clemens' claims that he was better suited for the backup role and should have been given a fair chance to compete for the job. Although, Clemens could not compete with the intangibles Brunell brings to the table as a mentor to second-year QB Mark Sanchez, he believed his skill set was superior.
Brunell, who used his legs and strong left arm to turn the Jaguars from an expansion afterthought into a perennial playoff team, moved around well on Thursday night and made up for an earlier underthrown pass to Santonio Holmes by hitting him for a 51-yard touchdown pass. His other scoring pass came from two yards out to Jeff Cumberland.
"The old guy's still got it in him," said Holmes, who will miss the first four regular-season games due to a league-imposed suspension for violating the substance abuse policy. "We're definitely excited to have him around. He's been a big inspiration to our team."
Last year, Brunell finally earned that elusive Super Bowl ring as the backup to Drew Brees, and Brees to this day continues to praise Brunell for the leadership he brought to the team and for how much of a help he was in the quarterback room. The Jets are hoping that he has the same impact on the young Sanchez, and as a bonus they want to know that he can still deliver in a pinch should Sanchez get hurt.
New York signed Brunell back in July when he placed himself on the free agent market after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. He immediately had to play catch-up in learning another new offense. (He also played for the Washington Redskins or fourf seasons after being traded by Jacksonville in 2004.)
"I'm real pleased with the progress and feel comfortable with the offense," Brunell said. "Any time you learn a new offense it takes time to get comfortable. But I feel like I'm there now."
Once the final roster is set, Brunell's contract will be worth $1.5 million and that will help him with creditors back in Jacksonville. He actually spoke by phone with from Philadelphia at Section 341 creditors' meeting at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Jacksonville, as reported in the Financial News & Daily Record.
Money can be the greatest motivator after all.
Jets' Backup QB Mark Brunell Finds 'Fountain Of Youth'
Sep 3, 2010 – 3:59 PM
Adele Wins Album Of The Year
Obama Sending Ambitious Plan To Congress
Greek Protests Continue As Lawmakers Debate Severe Austerity Measures
Mystery Disease Kills Thousands
Country Considers Bills Lifting Gay-Marriage Ban
Updates On Whitney Houston's Autopsy
The Week's 5 Juiciest Apple Rumors
Quake Rocks Costa Rica
Michael Smerconish: A Response to Sean Hannity
Huff TV: WATCH: Arianna Talks Safety Net Benefits On CNN's 'Your Bottom Line'
Blogger Faces Possible Death Penalty For Tweets
Bomb Attack Targets Israeli Diplomat In India
Costa Concordia Video Shows Crew Reactions To Cruise Crash
GOP Bill Would Strip Workers Of Overtime, Minimum Wage Protections
Mitch McConnell Not Accepting Obama Compromise
Syrian Forces Rocket Homs As Arab League Meets In Cairo
Paul Ryan On Obama's 'Accounting Trick'
Sarah Palin 'Not Convinced' Of Romney's Conservatism
Mitt Romney Once Backed Provision He Now Decries
Some States Using Funds From Foreclosure Deal To Close Budget Gaps
