NFL

Chase Versus Colt: Redskins' Third Quarterback Battle Continues

Posted Aug 26, 2009 2:00PM By Matt Snyder (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Redskins, NFC East, NFL Training Camp, NFL Quarterbacks

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Chase Daniel Colt BrennanAfter a strong showing during the 2008 preseason -- specifically the nationally-televised Hall of Fame game -- Colt Brennan became the apple of many Redskins fans' eyes. Forget the investment and talent of Jason Campbell, or the fact that Todd Collins had a three-game winning streak to lead the 'Skins on an improbable '07 playoff run; masses of Colt fanatics pined for the decorated collegiate star from Hawaii to lead their troops at some point.

After not seeing any regular season action in 2008, Brennan was thought to be ready to battle Collins for the backup role this season. Instead, he's struggled and found himself fighting for his life to save a roster spot against Washington's new flavor of the preseason, Chase Daniel.

"Well I have always said that Colt [Brennan] is just trying to battle with Todd [Collins] for the No. 2 spot," head coach Jim Zorn said, "I think that we saw that Todd was not willing to bow down and give up his No. 2 spot. So the competition right now is for the No. 3 spot, and Chase is making a statement about that."

That statement Zorn is referring to would be Daniel's current preseason stat-line. He's completed 6-of-8 passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over. Sure, it's a small sample, but that's all we have to go on at this point. Meanwhile, Brennan has been nothing short of dreadful, sporting a 17.6 quarterback rating in his limited action. Daniel's 134.4 rating is higher than the other three Redskin signal-callers' ratings combined.

"I think [Daniel] had a very productive game," Zorn continued. "He did a lot of good things. He had big scramble for a first down and showed that he could move around out of the pocket. He was accurate on most of his throws. He knew what to do, and I think he will continue to improve. So, he helped himself and there is a little battle going on there."

Of course, it is only the preseason and Daniel has the luxury of facing a bunch of third-stringers -- just like Brennan did last season, which is inspiring a bit too much zeal among the Redskins faithful over a third-string quarterback battle. Zorn believes the increased enthusiasm and intensity comes from these players.

"They are playing against other guys that are trying to make the team, too. One of the things that we try to build into them is that, really this is their season," the second-year head coach explained. "For these guys, this is it. This is their regular season. They get fired up for a chance to compete. They're very focused and they go for it. It's a lot of fun to call especially when you're having a lot of success on the field with them, with the other guys in the mix as well."

The battle is far from over, but it is precisely that: A battle for a roster spot. Todd Collins, according to Zorn, is firmly entrenched as the backup quarterback. That means either Brennan or Daniel will be looking for work in a few weeks.

"Colt is going to play this week some, and get another look as well. We will see what happens with the final game. We'll let both those guys play again and see what we got. It will be a hard decision," stated Zorn.

While the decision may seem insignificant to outsiders, many would argue this is the type of thing that makes the preseason interesting. It's a nice primer for the real thing, which is still weeks away.

Tags: chase+daniel, ChaseDaniel, colt+brennan, ColtBrennan, jason+campbell, JasonCampbell, jim+zorn, JimZorn, todd+collins, ToddCollins

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