Colt Brennan -- WWBWD? (What Would Bill Walsh Do?)

Courage to keep at it, never quitting, always believing there’s a chance: Come back wins—21 to 0 in the first quarter, 28-7 at the half against University of Washington, and an overtime win against San Jose State—Brennan believes his team can still win, no matter how dire it looks. Never give up, never say die—even in the Sugar Bowl after 8 sacks, being rushed and knocked down, Brennan only left the game when he was forced by coaches to stay out because of a possible concussion. I’d say it takes courage for a QB to do those things.

Courage to do the right thing, even to the detriment of the start if his career: “Brennan said he was only told recently that he would require surgery.  His agent, Bruce Tollner,  said there was some debate whether to release the information. But  it was Brennan who insisted on notifying National Football League officials.  The 50 or so scouts attending Pro Day were told of Brennan's condition right before the weigh-in session. Each received a letter detailing the chronology of Brennan's injury and treatment." "'I didn't want to hide anything,' Brennan said.  'I wanted to be honest.'"

“’They said because you’ve been pushing it you haven’t given it a chance to heal. They said we can do a very small procedure, clean it out, fix it up; you’ll be down for about two months and be better than ever. I just talked it over and went over everything and I thought, “Let’s just do it.” I could sit here and hide the injury and do what some people might do, hide it from coaches, get drafted and then deal with it down the road. But that’s a no win situation for anyone. Maybe this hurts my draft chances, maybe it doesn’t, but   I wanted to show some integrity …’”

“After the NFL Scouting Combine,  interest increased in Brennan. Now, Brennan acknowledged, teams will have to accept that he will not be at full strength for at least eight weeks.

’I know people were writing I was up there until the Georgia game,’ Brennan said, referring to UH's blowout loss in the Sugar Bowl. ‘When everyone thought I would be a high-draft choice, I told myself it only matters what you do after you get drafted. Now that I'm in this position, it still holds true.

All I need is a team to give me a chance,’ Brennan said. ‘I know that faith and just the way my life has turned out, I know I'll be on that football field on Sundays.  I just know it.’"

Courage, determination, and perseverance—a never quit, but BELIEVE attitude that helped lift his team to spectacular come-from-behind wins, and an undefeated season. Courage to do the right thing, even though it might be detrimental to himself. Courage to take full responsibility for losses instead of blaming someone else. Courage to play in the Senior Bowl, even though he was hurt, and 20 pounds under his normal weight due to illness. On the field or off—Colt Brennan has set himself apart in the courage category.

So here’s what I think Bill Walsh would say: “If you’re thinking about ‘stealing’ Brennan in a later round, think twice. Brennan is a special quarterback, the kind that doesn’t come around very often—the kind with the accuracy, intelligence, and courage it takes to win football games and take teams to the next level. He might be gone before you know it.”

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