Daniel, Ganz, Brennan Competition Should Be Interesting
13 comments so far
May 7, 2009 by
Among the major stories leading up to the NFL draft was whether or not the Washington Redskins would move up to grab USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. The ‘Skins failed to land Sanchez and instead decided to wait and look at undrafted free agent quarterbacks. They signed Missouri’s Chase Daniel and Nebraska’s Joe Ganz.
Those who follow the ‘Skins will tell you that Jason Campbell (barring any trades) will likely be the starting quarterback this year and veterans Todd Collins will be the top backup. So the real competition at quarterback will be for which young player can make the roster as the third quarterback.
Colt Brennan came out of Hawaii in 2008 as a Heisman finalist and having led the team to an undefeated regular season. He was drafted in the sixth round of the NFL draft and played impressively in the preseason and became something of a fan favorite. He would seem to be the favorite to make the Redskins roster given his experience and stature (he’s 6’3”).
Chase Daniel led Missouri to two straight Big 12 North titles, but regressed a bit as a senior after finishing as a Heisman finalist in 2007 along with Brennan. At just 6’ tall and after throwing 18 interceptions as a senior he went undrafted. He also got into a bit of hot water for a twitter he sent late in the draft. He said he was hearing he might go to the Redskins but might be better off going undrafted. A popular DC area radio personality took him to task for the remarks and Daniel retorted which only drew further attention to the message. While the PR snafu is hardly insurmountable, it hasn’t endeared him to the public.
Ganz has been the most under the radar player. Not as nationally known as Daniel, Ganz finished only slightly behind Daniel in pass efficiency and led Nebraska to nine wins and a Gator Bowl victory. Listed at 6’1” he might even be taller than Daniel. Daniel seemed to decline over the last four games of the season and threw eight interceptions. Ganz got better throwing just three. If Brennan doesn’t live up to his role as favorite, Ganz could very well beat out Daniel. His experience in a West Coast offense can't hurt.
And the longer term prospects for the Redskins third quarterback aren’t all that bad. Campbell seems likely to depart after the 2009 season and Collins is too old to be anything more than a stopgap starter. If he practices well enough, the third quarterback could very well find himself the starter in 2010. Stranger things have happened.
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Joel Schmidt May 07 09
The whole of Husker Nation is pulling for you, Joe! Here's to one of the classiest underdogs out there!
Great post, guys. Thanks for helping to move these summer days along to get back to fall.
caveman99 May 07 09
Missed the boat a bit on this one I think. First of all Joe did not get a contract, just a camp invite. Second he has already been told he will not get a contract or a second round invite from the Redskins. His opportunity in Washington is done for now.
Steve May 07 09
caveman,
Ouch.
Why then did the Omaha World Herald report that Ganz had signed a free agent contract with the Redskins, if he never did?:
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=3918&u_sid=10620405&u_rss=1&
Do you have a link/source about him not being invited? I can't seem to find one.
Bob May 07 09
There are no articles specifically stating that Ganz was not signed after a tryout (though there usually aren't in these cases). But one clue is that he's not on the online roster: http://www.redskins.com/team/
but note that fellow free agent QB Daniel is listed on there.
As for OWH. I think there's an initial rush to be the first to report where the undrafted players go, the technical facts such as whether a guy was signed or just invited to a tryout are missed sometimes.
Heck, early reports had Steinkuhler going to a completely different club (Bengals instead of Jets). First reports also had Ganz going to the Bucs insead of Washington.
JBLING22 May 07 09
He signed a futures contract, which pretty much means he signed to go to rookie camp, and thats it...
madeinhawaii May 07 09
I remember how Colt Brennan got his start at Hawaii. Tyler Graunke had edged Colt out as the starting Quarterback for the new season. But Tyler couldn't handled the pressure. In a futile attempt to stop the USC onslaught, Coach June Jones put Colt in to see what he could do. Too late for any victory, Colt steadily moved the ball against a very powerful USC team. He remained cool, calm and poised. He played like he was the winning quarterback, not like a player unhinged by a lopsided score against a seemingly insurmountable opponent.
Time and time again, we saw Colt come back from two or three touchdowns in the second half. Shades of Joe Montana.
Hawaii got clobbered against the solid defensive play of Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. Hawaii's Oline had no answer to Georgia's defensive front 4. This was understandable. With a spread offense, the receivers need time to run their patterns and the Qback needs time to make his reads and let the ball fly. Georgia effectively eliminated that "time."
But with a PRO O-line, there should be more than enough time. Few QBs made their reads as fast as Colt, and fewer have such a quick release.
So if that's the kind of QB you want leading your team. Colt is your man.
Joe Smith May 08 09
Wishful thinking on authors part. Daniel will make team and had no defense and pressed a litte in '09 season. He will make the team. You're nuts thinking the fans don't already like him in DC. They love his attitude and competitive spirit. You better do your research much better.
Steve May 08 09
Joe,
What qualifies you to speak for the citizens of DC? Do you live there? Because I actually do. The Big O and Dukes show (the one with host Chad Dukes who got into the twitter face-off with Daniel) is a popular area show that does a fair amount of sports content. No one seemed to take issue with Dukes point of view here in D.C. There were plenty of Missouri fans who did (big shocker there).
caveman99 May 08 09
Steve,
Here is a link to the Washington Post story that explains that Joe was just a Non-roster invitee to camp the past weekend.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/the-allure-of-the-qb-position.html
As far as making the team, I don't think it is set in stone that Joe won't make it. However he doesn't have a contract and Chase does, hence Chase is the only one listed on the Redskins roster right now.
http://www.redskins.com/team/
tom May 08 09
OHHHHHHHHH Burned!
Greg Morrow May 08 09
Once again, this is another reason why I like college more. Though I watch the NFL network much more than any college type shows. Just better breakdowns. If it wasn't for Joe, I wouldn't care anymore about the 'Skins QBs that I do about Buffy's.
Height simply isn't the issue in college, because it's a little easier for college QBs to create lanes and get rid of the ball. Easier for receivers to create space, too. Sure, college guys still get it batted down. But in the League, a play breaks down faster and "outside contain" has a much more ruthless meaning for QBs.
The '01 San Diego Chargers featured 3 QBs, who were 6-0 or shorter. Doug Flutie (the starter) at 5-10. Another former Canadian Leager, Dave Dickenson at 5-11 and rookie Drew Brees at 6-0.
Great guys. But as a fan, it could make you a little annoyed. You KNEW the team wasn't going to be any good and you knew the Coach didn't have a chance.
I mean, at least be an honest 6-1. When Nebraska had it's pro day, Joe was listed at 6-0, which I think is closest to accurate.
His rookie bio has him listed at a whopping 6-3! I'm sure he swears he's 6-2.
Greg Morrow May 08 09
Actually, I mean Joe's recruiting bio.
Also, you can credit Flutie with teaching Brees the "jump pass."
Jerry Jul 24 09
Colt is from the WAC guys its the weakest division. If he really is good, he wouldn't be sitting as #3 QB.