Post by MizzouTiger on Jan 24, 2008 10:01:41 GMT -5
collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=764726
Colt Brennan Must Beat System Label
Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Football Analyst
MOBILE, Ala. – The best-known player at the Senior Bowl also represents one of the game's biggest mysteries.
Quarterback Colt Brennan broke 31 NCAA records while operating Hawaii's run-and-shoot system, but nobody knows what kind of success he might have running a more traditional offense.
"I'm one of those quarterbacks that's a big question mark," Brennan acknowledged after his South team completed practice. "I can be rising up the draft board or falling down depending on how I show up and execute."
How high could he rise?
Boston College's Matt Ryan, Louisville's Brian Brohm and Kentucky's Andre' Woodson are likely first-round draft picks who almost certainly will get taken ahead of Brennan. But there's no reason he couldn't be the fourth quarterback picked if he performs well this week and at the NFL Scouting Combine next month.
How far could he fall?
If Brennan struggles in Senior Bowl workouts and doesn't show much improvement at the Combine or during his Pro Day, he might not get taken until late in the second day.
That's why so many scouts will be watching Brennan this week to see how he adjusts now that he's lining up under center instead of working out of the shotgun on every snap.
"They want to see you take the ball under center, drop, set up, read the defense and make the play," said Frank Coyle of www.draftinsiders.com. "You don't have to do that when you sit in the 'gun.' "
Brennan isn't totally unfamiliar with the ins and outs of running a conventional offense. He played in a West Coast offense at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif., and spent a year working in a similar system at Colorado. But that still gives him much less experience working in a conventional pro-style offense than just about any other draft-eligible quarterback.
"I'm kind of going back to my roots root now," Brennan said, "but I need to get back into it. There are some rhythm things I need to get back. It's a learning process. I'm just glad to be here and glad to be experiencing it."
This is hardly the first time Brennan has encountered adversity. He has spent his entire career answering questions about his perceived shortcomings.
Brennan arrived at Hawaii only after he attended junior college following his dismissal from Colorado because of an incident that occurred in a female student's dorm room. He served seven days in jail and was convicted of criminal trespass and burglary charges.
He learned from that experience and developed into a model teammate at Hawaii. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting as a senior while leading the Warriors to an unbeaten regular season. Brennan was responsible for 146 career touchdowns, completed 70.4 percent of his passes and threw for 14,193 yards during his Hawaii career.
Yet all the while, Brennan heard charges that he was a "system quarterback" who simply piled up huge numbers against overmatched opponents.
"I loved playing that (run-and-shoot) system," Brennan said. "It did great things for me from a confidence standpoint. Now that I've moved on from that system, I feel like I can play in any system. That's why I think this will be a great week for me."
Brennan also hopes this week will allow him to clear up any concerns that teams might have about his character.
"This is a chance for people to get to know me as a person and learn about me, not just the system but obviously with the Colorado situation I went through," he said. "There are a lot of things people have to figure out about me. For me to familiarize myself with coaches and to come out here and practice and play - hopefully I can answer a lot of those questions."
The last performance of Brennan's college career resulted in more questions about his NFL potential. He was sacked eight times, threw three interceptions and fumbled twice in a 41-10 Sugar Bowl loss to Georgia. Brennan admitted after the game that the performance probably damaged his NFL draft stock.
He faced even more adversity this week before he ever stepped on a practice field. Brennan, who is 6 feet 2, weighed in Monday at only 185 pounds, which could raise concerns about whether he's big enough to withstand the physical pounding that comes from playing quarterback in the NFL. By contrast, the other two quarterbacks on the South team are the 234-pound Woodson and 225-pound Erik Ainge of Tennessee.
Brennan blamed his weight loss on a recent illness and said he hoped to bulk up to 205 or 210 for the Combine.
"I got the stomach flu last week when I was home in California," he said. "I lost a ton of weight. I thought I'd be able to gain it all back, but I guess I didn't."
The weight issue and the Sugar Bowl fiasco could lend credence to the notion that Brennan's nothing more than a "system guy" who can't succeed in the NFL. But at least one player who actually has lined up against Brennan doesn't buy that argument.
Alabama cornerback Simeon Castille had the unenviable task of slowing down Brennan and Co. in the Crimson Tide's 2006 season opener. Although Alabama won 25-17, Brennan threw for 350 yards and earned Castille's respect.
"I think he's as good as advertised," Castille said. "He makes good decisions. He's accurate with his throws. A lot of people say it's just because of the system that he runs, but I think he'll be able to adjust to an NFL-style system and be able to succeed."
Brennan now just needs to get a few NFL teams to feel the same way.
Colt Brennan Must Beat System Label
Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Football Analyst
MOBILE, Ala. – The best-known player at the Senior Bowl also represents one of the game's biggest mysteries.
Quarterback Colt Brennan broke 31 NCAA records while operating Hawaii's run-and-shoot system, but nobody knows what kind of success he might have running a more traditional offense.
"I'm one of those quarterbacks that's a big question mark," Brennan acknowledged after his South team completed practice. "I can be rising up the draft board or falling down depending on how I show up and execute."
How high could he rise?
Boston College's Matt Ryan, Louisville's Brian Brohm and Kentucky's Andre' Woodson are likely first-round draft picks who almost certainly will get taken ahead of Brennan. But there's no reason he couldn't be the fourth quarterback picked if he performs well this week and at the NFL Scouting Combine next month.
How far could he fall?
If Brennan struggles in Senior Bowl workouts and doesn't show much improvement at the Combine or during his Pro Day, he might not get taken until late in the second day.
That's why so many scouts will be watching Brennan this week to see how he adjusts now that he's lining up under center instead of working out of the shotgun on every snap.
"They want to see you take the ball under center, drop, set up, read the defense and make the play," said Frank Coyle of www.draftinsiders.com. "You don't have to do that when you sit in the 'gun.' "
Brennan isn't totally unfamiliar with the ins and outs of running a conventional offense. He played in a West Coast offense at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, Calif., and spent a year working in a similar system at Colorado. But that still gives him much less experience working in a conventional pro-style offense than just about any other draft-eligible quarterback.
"I'm kind of going back to my roots root now," Brennan said, "but I need to get back into it. There are some rhythm things I need to get back. It's a learning process. I'm just glad to be here and glad to be experiencing it."
This is hardly the first time Brennan has encountered adversity. He has spent his entire career answering questions about his perceived shortcomings.
Brennan arrived at Hawaii only after he attended junior college following his dismissal from Colorado because of an incident that occurred in a female student's dorm room. He served seven days in jail and was convicted of criminal trespass and burglary charges.
He learned from that experience and developed into a model teammate at Hawaii. He finished third in the Heisman Trophy balloting as a senior while leading the Warriors to an unbeaten regular season. Brennan was responsible for 146 career touchdowns, completed 70.4 percent of his passes and threw for 14,193 yards during his Hawaii career.
Yet all the while, Brennan heard charges that he was a "system quarterback" who simply piled up huge numbers against overmatched opponents.
"I loved playing that (run-and-shoot) system," Brennan said. "It did great things for me from a confidence standpoint. Now that I've moved on from that system, I feel like I can play in any system. That's why I think this will be a great week for me."
Brennan also hopes this week will allow him to clear up any concerns that teams might have about his character.
"This is a chance for people to get to know me as a person and learn about me, not just the system but obviously with the Colorado situation I went through," he said. "There are a lot of things people have to figure out about me. For me to familiarize myself with coaches and to come out here and practice and play - hopefully I can answer a lot of those questions."
The last performance of Brennan's college career resulted in more questions about his NFL potential. He was sacked eight times, threw three interceptions and fumbled twice in a 41-10 Sugar Bowl loss to Georgia. Brennan admitted after the game that the performance probably damaged his NFL draft stock.
He faced even more adversity this week before he ever stepped on a practice field. Brennan, who is 6 feet 2, weighed in Monday at only 185 pounds, which could raise concerns about whether he's big enough to withstand the physical pounding that comes from playing quarterback in the NFL. By contrast, the other two quarterbacks on the South team are the 234-pound Woodson and 225-pound Erik Ainge of Tennessee.
Brennan blamed his weight loss on a recent illness and said he hoped to bulk up to 205 or 210 for the Combine.
"I got the stomach flu last week when I was home in California," he said. "I lost a ton of weight. I thought I'd be able to gain it all back, but I guess I didn't."
The weight issue and the Sugar Bowl fiasco could lend credence to the notion that Brennan's nothing more than a "system guy" who can't succeed in the NFL. But at least one player who actually has lined up against Brennan doesn't buy that argument.
Alabama cornerback Simeon Castille had the unenviable task of slowing down Brennan and Co. in the Crimson Tide's 2006 season opener. Although Alabama won 25-17, Brennan threw for 350 yards and earned Castille's respect.
"I think he's as good as advertised," Castille said. "He makes good decisions. He's accurate with his throws. A lot of people say it's just because of the system that he runs, but I think he'll be able to adjust to an NFL-style system and be able to succeed."
Brennan now just needs to get a few NFL teams to feel the same way.