He still has a house in Jacksonville, not to mention hundreds of memories. It’s where he plans to live when his playing days are over. It’s the franchise he’ll be forever linked with. And it’s the place where his number might someday be retired.
But Mark Brunell is clear: It was time to leave Jacksonville three years ago and Washington isthe place he wants to be.
So it’ll be a little strange when Brunell faces his old team Sunday. He did not practice Wednesday because of a laceration on his left elbow. He’s expected to practice either Thursday or Friday and play on Sunday. Backup quarterback Todd Collins took all the snaps in his place.
In a group session with Washington reporters Wednesday, Brunell simply said it was “different” for him in Washington than in Jacksonville, where he spent nine seasons, still owns more than two dozen passing records and led the team to two AFC Championship Game appearances. But a day earlier he elaborated on the differences with the Florida Times-Union.
“If I had a bad game in Jacksonville, people would think, ‘Oh, he’ll bounce back next week,’ ” Brunell said. “If I have a bad game here, it’s ‘Get the [Jason Campbell] kid in there or get someone else [as starting quarterback].’
“The expectations here are such that if the offense doesn’t do well, they’re looking at one position [quarterback]. They’re rough up here, but I’m not going to pull a [Jeremy] Shockey and fire back.”
The end to Brunell’s career in Jacksonville was set in motion when the Jaguars drafted Byron Leftwich in the first round of the 2003 draft. Brunell suffered an infection in his elbow after three games, sidelining him for two months and handing the job to Leftwich. In the offseason, Washington traded for him.
“That was one of the more difficult things I had to deal with,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. “Mark was a great player here, one of the all-time greats. He handled it very well. I told him at some point when he retires, he’ll come back and we’ll retire his jersey.”
Brunell would like that — someday. Clearly, his time in Jacksonville left an impact.
“It was more than just playing for the Jaguars,” he said. “We felt connected to the community and had done a lot of things off the field. To leave when you thought you would finish there was really difficult, but that’s the business.”
Week 4 Notes
» Cornerback Shawn Springs, who is listed as doubtful and is highly unlikely to play Sunday, visited Dr. William Meyers in Philadelphia Wednesday. It was a scheduled checkup. Meyers performed the initial surgery on his pelvic area on Aug. 15. When Springs had the surgery, he was expected to miss four-to-six weeks; Wednesday marked the sixth week. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Joe Salave’a (calf) practiced and is expected to play Sunday.
» Right guard Randy Thomas has devised a system to eliminate penalties by his offensive linemates. He wants to punish their pocketbooks for every infraction. The fines aren’t substantial — a holding penalty is only around $25, for example. It’s more about pride. “But Randy made the rule if we win, we don’t have to pay,” left tackle Chris Samuels said. There’s one bonus: the best hit by an offensive linemen receives a $50 bonus. Samuels got that one Sunday, for his block on a screen to tight end Chris Cooley.
» One reason Cooley has not caught as many passes as expected through three games? He’s staying in to block more often than the coaches anticipated. In offensive coordinator Al Saunders’ system, typically the protection falls on the five offensive linemen. “We’ve had to keep him in to help the tackles on occasion,” Saunders said. “[Also] the depth of our drops and the timing of our routes are not at the level where we’d like to be, so we’ve cut back on five- and four-receiver routes.”
