How Mark Brunell relates to newly-acquired QB Jared Goff
Anthony Lynn has experience working with the Lions’ new quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell, and Lynn talked about it during his introductory press conference with Detroit media.
“I’ve been with Mark twice in Jacksonville and New York. By the time he was in New York, he was already coaching, to be honest with you,” Lynn told reporters. “I’m excited to work with him. He’s a high-character man. He played in this league at a very high level. Mark, he’s been low, and he’s been high. I think he can relate to anybody that we bring in here. And that’s a big part of teaching, is being able to relate, and Mark definitely can do that.”
Brunell may be the most qualified assistant coach to address what the Lions are about to embark on in regard to their quarterback situation.
Jared Goff is being brought in to lead a team that is undergoing a rebuild, which typically means a new, young quarterback is also likely to join the organization via either the NFL
Draft or free agency.
“What I hope resonates with the quarterbacks I get to coach is the fact that I’ve been in their shoes,” Brunell told the Lions’ team website in a recent interview. “But, where I think this will really hit home for these guys is that listen — I’ve been
traded, I’ve been cut, I’ve been benched, I’ve been booed, (and) I’ve been told, ‘You’re just not what we want.’ I’ve been kicked to the curb. I’ve gone through just about anything an NFL quarterback can go through.”
Many of the league’s winning organizations have achieved success by building up their rosters and then turning to a young, talented quarterback to take the franchise to the next level.
“So, sure, I can identify with Jared Goff, or whoever is our starter. But, I can also identify with the kid who’s just new to the building, who’s young and nobody really expects to even make a team,” Brunell said. “I’ve been that guy, too. I think players can respect that. I hope they can, at least.”
Detroit never truly had a quarterback behind Matthew Stafford for ex-Lions quarterbacks coaches to develop, dating all the way back to when Stafford arrived in Motown back in 2009.
Now, with Brunell a part of the coaching staff, the hope is his vast experiences in the league can translate to quarterbacks evolving and improving, due in part to their relationship with a coach that has literally seen it all.