AFC West: Mark Brunell
Mid-week mail call:
BFnHL from St. Louis wants to know if Mark Brunell could come to Denver and be a left-handed mentor for Tim Tebow.
Bill Williamson: It’s a good thought, but Brunell is still under contract with the Jets. But if he were to become free, I think Denver could look at it. Brunell is a fabulous mentor for a young quarterback and the fact that he and Tebow are both left-handed, that would be a plus. Because it is a bit awkward to have a left-handed quarterback, it would be helpful for the backup to be left handed as well. So, if Brunell becomes free, it could be something for Denver to consider.
Brian Shoberg from Minneapolis expects the Chargers to re-sign safety Eric Weddle.
BW: I think that is their goal. The Chargers will have several free agents, but Weddle is a priority. They think he is a key player on the top-ranked defense and he is good in the locker room. I also know Weddle wants to stay in San Diego. However, there will be interest elsewhere, so if he gets an overwhelming offer, Weddle could leave. But there is mutual interest between San Diego and Weddle, so they will try to find an accord.
Daniel from Nashville wants to know if I expect rookie Justin Houston to help the Chiefs.
BW: I think the third-round pick from Georgia has a chance to help Kansas City right away. He was expected to go in late in the first round, so he was a bargain player. Yes, there are some work ethic questions, but Houston has big talent. I think he will be given a chance to play both end and outside linebacker in the Chiefs’ 3-4 defense. He could be the complementary pass rusher to Tamba Hali the team has been looking for.
BFnHL from St. Louis wants to know if Mark Brunell could come to Denver and be a left-handed mentor for Tim Tebow.
Bill Williamson: It’s a good thought, but Brunell is still under contract with the Jets. But if he were to become free, I think Denver could look at it. Brunell is a fabulous mentor for a young quarterback and the fact that he and Tebow are both left-handed, that would be a plus. Because it is a bit awkward to have a left-handed quarterback, it would be helpful for the backup to be left handed as well. So, if Brunell becomes free, it could be something for Denver to consider.
Brian Shoberg from Minneapolis expects the Chargers to re-sign safety Eric Weddle.
BW: I think that is their goal. The Chargers will have several free agents, but Weddle is a priority. They think he is a key player on the top-ranked defense and he is good in the locker room. I also know Weddle wants to stay in San Diego. However, there will be interest elsewhere, so if he gets an overwhelming offer, Weddle could leave. But there is mutual interest between San Diego and Weddle, so they will try to find an accord.
Daniel from Nashville wants to know if I expect rookie Justin Houston to help the Chiefs.
BW: I think the third-round pick from Georgia has a chance to help Kansas City right away. He was expected to go in late in the first round, so he was a bargain player. Yes, there are some work ethic questions, but Houston has big talent. I think he will be given a chance to play both end and outside linebacker in the Chiefs’ 3-4 defense. He could be the complementary pass rusher to Tamba Hali the team has been looking for.
Mid-week mail call:
John from Englewood, Colo., wants to know if the Denver Broncos trade quarterback Kyle Orton and make Tim Tebow the starter, who I think it is the best fit as a mentor to Tebow, Jake Delhomme or Mark Brunell.
Bill Williamson: It’s not what I think that’s important, John, but it’s what new Denver coach John Fox thinks. If Orton is traded and Tebow is the starter, I think Denver will look for a veteran backup. If Delhomme ends up leaving Cleveland, I would think he’d be the favorite to be Tebow’s mentor. Fox and Delhomme have a long history together in Carolina and there is a mutual respect. I think it’d be a natural fit.
Jeff from Stamford, Conn., wants to know if the Chiefs would replace Matt Cassel with Donovan McNabb?
BW: No, I don’t see it. The Chiefs like Cassel and they are going to give him a few more years to prove himself. The Chiefs think Cassel has yet to reach his prime and they will work hard with him to help him improve. But the team did take Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi in the fifth round with an eye toward the future. But the immediate future in Kansas City revolves around Cassel.
David from Loveland, Colo., wants to know if the longer the lockout lasts, does it increase Nnamdi Asomugha's chances of re-signing with Oakland?
BW: In a way, yes. If a new collective bargaining agreement is worked out in the next month or so, I don’t think the timing will have much effect on Asomugha’s future or any other free agent. But if the lockout extends well into the season and the season is cut in half, I’m not sure what would happen. There has even been talk that potentially all the prospective free agents will be property of their 2010 teams in some scenarios. It’s hard to believe, but, yes, the longer the lockout goes, the more complicated free agency gets.
John from Englewood, Colo., wants to know if the Denver Broncos trade quarterback Kyle Orton and make Tim Tebow the starter, who I think it is the best fit as a mentor to Tebow, Jake Delhomme or Mark Brunell.
Bill Williamson: It’s not what I think that’s important, John, but it’s what new Denver coach John Fox thinks. If Orton is traded and Tebow is the starter, I think Denver will look for a veteran backup. If Delhomme ends up leaving Cleveland, I would think he’d be the favorite to be Tebow’s mentor. Fox and Delhomme have a long history together in Carolina and there is a mutual respect. I think it’d be a natural fit.
Jeff from Stamford, Conn., wants to know if the Chiefs would replace Matt Cassel with Donovan McNabb?
BW: No, I don’t see it. The Chiefs like Cassel and they are going to give him a few more years to prove himself. The Chiefs think Cassel has yet to reach his prime and they will work hard with him to help him improve. But the team did take Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi in the fifth round with an eye toward the future. But the immediate future in Kansas City revolves around Cassel.
David from Loveland, Colo., wants to know if the longer the lockout lasts, does it increase Nnamdi Asomugha's chances of re-signing with Oakland?
BW: In a way, yes. If a new collective bargaining agreement is worked out in the next month or so, I don’t think the timing will have much effect on Asomugha’s future or any other free agent. But if the lockout extends well into the season and the season is cut in half, I’m not sure what would happen. There has even been talk that potentially all the prospective free agents will be property of their 2010 teams in some scenarios. It’s hard to believe, but, yes, the longer the lockout goes, the more complicated free agency gets.
Tebow coming to Denver out of left field
May, 19, 2010
5/19/10
12:00
PM ET
By
Bill Williamson | ESPN.com
Ron Chenoy/US PresswireThere are mixed opinions about the challenges of having a left-handed quarterback like Tim Tebow.“I don’t get a chance to talk about left-handed quarterbacks much,” Huard said. "You don’t see it much. I go to a lot of youth football camps and the quarterbacks are almost always right-handed. It seems all the lefties are playing baseball. ... I’m interested to see Tim Tebow because we lefties are hard to come by.”
Huard, now a college football analyst for ESPN, is a member of a rare club. He was a southpaw gunslinger as a backup in Seattle and Indianapolis from 1999-2004. The NFL is a right-handed quarterback’s game. Only 12 left-handed quarterback have started more than 50 NFL games.
The only lefty currently slated to be a starter in 2010 is Arizona’s Matt Leinart and his status is far from solid. The only other left-handed quarterbacks currently in the NFL are backups Mark Brunell, Michael Vick, Chris Simms, Pat White and Tyler Palko.
Besides Brunell and Vick, the last truly successful left-handed quarterbacks were Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Young and Boomer Esiason. Other successful left-handed quarterbacks throughout the years include Ken Stabler, Jim Zorn, Bobby Douglass and Frankie Albert.
Being left-handed is one of the reasons Tebow enters the NFL with such intense interest. The intrigue is not just whether the former Florida quarterback can prove he simply wasn’t a Saturday star with an awkward delivery. People are eager to see if Tebow can become the next lefty to succeed in the league.
“I have no doubt that he can,” said Houston quarterbacks coach Greg Knapp. "I know it can happen."
Knapp would know. He coached Young in San Francisco and Vick in Atlanta.
“I’ve seen it firsthand,” Knapp said. "Don’t tell me left-handed quarterbacks can’t make it in this league. I know it can be done.”
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Bill Williamson
Williamson joined ESPN.com in 2008 after four seasons covering the Denver Broncos for the Denver Post. He previously covered the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.
