What it's like to be you
Ed note: thanks to the Colt Brennan Blog I did find a link to this story, so much for the myth of the blogger knowing teh intertubes. -Ben
Washington Redskins rookie sixth round draft pick Colt Brennan is fresh in town and just saw his first action as a professional quarterback on Sunday in the Hall of Fame Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Although Colt was a sixth round pick and questions linger at the pro level over his size and whether his success in at the University of Hawaii was due to June Jones' (and Jerry Glanville's) run and shoot system or to Colt's innate abilities, he has a huge following and will loom large on the Redskins roster as long as he is around (Todd Collins watch your back).
I noted a piece in Monday's Washington Post that for some reason is not posted on line, a Sports section interview with WaPo reporter Mark Viera in the regular page E2 WHAT IT FEELS LIKE... piece. Since there is no link to share, I have reprinted this piece in its entirety:
Washington Post Monday 4 August 2008 Page E2
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE... to go to college in Hawaii
Rookie quarterback Colt Brennan, the Washington Redskins' sixth-round draft pick, did not live the typical college experience, even by the standards of a college athlete. He starred at Hawaii, where he broke 31 NCAA records, including career touchdown passes (131).
It's just real different, real unique from qhat you expect in college. When you go to a place like Hawaii, what you substitute is that college experience in the sense that it's not a college town. It's kind of tucked right outside a giant city [Honolulu] and a lot of people that go to the school commute from all over the island.
It's like a giant junior college, in a sense. Now the thing you get in return is that you live in Hawaii. You're five, 10 minutes from the beach.
What I really enjoyed is there was city, you could go to the country, some of the most beautiful spots in Hawaii on the North Shore [or] beaches like Sandy Beach and Makapu'u. Basically it's just a lifestyle and an atmosphere you can't find anywhere else in the United States.
Even though you might have a college dorm situation or college living experience or college town experience, you had this great affiliation with the island and the people and you learn about a different culture and a different way of life...
One thing they call Hawaii is the melting [pot] of the Pacific. If you went to a Nebraska, or an Iowa or some places in the South, you know what you're getting into. You know what that reputation is of the community and the people. When you get out to Hawaii you're mixed with Polynesian descent from all over - Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Hawaiians, obviously - people over from the mainland who acclimate themselves to Hawaii. You're always getting this broad view of different people and cultures, and what they're like from all over the world. You get this kind of universal experience while you're out there.
-Interview by Mark Viera
Here's to hoping Colt is a more accomplished quarterback than the last Redskins QB to wear number 5.
Colt Brennan slinging one Sunday in the Hall of Fame Game: Mark Duncan / AP photo from here. Heath Shuler from here.
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