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After the Washington Redskins surprising victory over the New York Jets, the game ball goes to an unlikely candidate — ‘Skins fourth-string quarterback Derek Devine. Why, you ask?

With a little bit more than three minutes remaining in the first half, Devine (who looks way more like actor James Franco in his NFL.com bio picture than should legally be allowed) dropped back on 3rd and 18 from the Jets 19-yard line and threw an interception. Redskins fans might not have liked Devine’s decision to stare down tight end Todd Yoder and get picked off by Jets defensive back James Ihedigbo at the time, but it’s because of that play that the ‘Skins were able to win the game and improve their record to 3-0 in meaningless preseason play.

Not following me? Keep up. We’ll get there.

“The Tasty Drink” Todd Collins was injured on the previous play, forcing Devine, the pride of Canby High School, into action. Instead of panicking, Devine stepped up and fired a telegraphed pass into the arms of Ihedigbo, who had exactly zero career interceptions prior to this play. Ihedigbo, who was clearly shocked to have the ball in his hands, then nearly lost the ball as he fumbled before recovering it again at the Jets 17-yard line. That’s when Jim Zorn and the Redskins coaching staff knew they had this game won.

Sensing just how this game was going to play out, Zorn had announced earlier in the week that he was altering his QB rotation. While ridiculous Redskins fans immediately held their collective breath in hopes that the next sentence was “Colt Brennan has been moved up to second on the depth chart and Todd Collins has been traded to Minnesota for Gus Frerotte,” the ZornStar had other plans.

Turns out he wanted Brennan to be the fourth string QB against the Jets. Not because he was disappointed with Colt, but because he wanted to see how Mr. Hawaii could handle running a two-minute drill at the end of the game. Once Devine lulled Ihedigbo and the Jets defense into a false sense of security, the table was set for the next chapter of “The Legend of the Colt.”

With 2:04 left to play, and the Redskins trailing the J-E-T-S JETS! JETS! JETS! (sorry about that) 10-6 in an uninspiring game, Brennan and friends sauntered onto the field to take over on the Redskins 20-yard line. First play – Brennan to wide out Billy “Brothers” McMullen for a 37-yard gain. After the two-minute warning, Colt hands off to running back Marcus Mason, who scampers for a 14-yard pickup. The ‘Skins go no huddle and set the final bait, as Brennan allows himself to be sacked for a loss of four yards.

On 2nd and 14 from the Jets 33-yard line, Brennan snaps the ball and … well, I’ll let Colt take over from here.

“I had two linebackers creeping, and I could see that the safety was off to the right,” Brennan told me after the game. “He wasn’t looking like he was really going to be covering someone and I knew they were going to blitz me. As soon as I got in there they were blitzing me hard, and we knew the blitz was probably coming. They came and my tight end came over the middle and luckily he was anticipating the ball. I kind of just threw it up there to just get the ball off. I didn’t throw a great ball, but the defender guarding him went for the ball and Jason [Goode] was able to bring it in, turn, and a guy missed the tackle. They had no one behind him because they had blitzed and we were able to get in the endzone.”

The one thing the classy Colt left out was that the defender who went for the interception and missed was, you guessed it … James Ihedigbo. It seems after getting his first taste of an NFL interception, he couldn’t help but go for it again. The only problem, Colt Brennan ain’t no Derek Devine. Ihedigbo passed up the safe play for the hope of a highlight and the rest, as the kids say, is history.

After the game I asked Goode, the rookie tight end out of Maryland, where this touchdown ranked on his career highlight list.

“This has to be top five, I’d say top five,” Goode said.

That’s when I asked if he realized that it was Brennan’s birthday, and that he had just given Colt a helluva gift.

“Oh is it,” Goode asked. “I guess I’ll have to get him another birthday present from friend to friend, from teammate to teammate.”

In the locker room I asked Brennan why no one else on the team seemed to know it was his birthday and was amused by his candid answer.

“I was afraid of what kind of hazing would happen to a guy on his birthday, so I tried to keep it hush,” said Brennan , who apparently isn’t familiar or very confident in coach Zorn’s no rookie hazing policy.

Either way it was the perfect answer from young quarterback who continues to improve. It’s becoming more and more apparent why Hawaii has fallen in love with this kid. If he keeps it up he too may one day get a game ball.

[Editor’s note: Matt Terl, the Redskins highly-talented blogger, writes in to shed some light on the topic of Brennan and rookie hazing. “Colt got his stuff talcum powdered at the home game, so he’s understandably skittish. Not sure why no one covered that, but there you go.”]

(photos by Brian Murphy)

(photo by Brian Murphy)

And here you thought Brett Favre was the biggest name at the Redskins-Jets game tonight.

Football fans nationwide will be tuned in when the Washington Redskins take on the New York Jets this Saturday night at the Meadowlands, after the game was picked up by the NFL Network. That’s because Brett Favre will be making his debut, playing for a team other than the Green Bay Packers for the first time since the other George Bush was in office.

And while most fans will be watching to see how “Brett the Jet” fits in, I can’t help but think there’s a contingency of Redskins fans who wish Favre would have somehow ended up in D.C. Why? Because the district, more than anywhere else in America, loves a quarterback controversy. Whether we’re talking about Sonny versus Billy or even Brad Johnson versus Jeff George, this town simply cannot get enough of the QB drama.

When Jason Campbell went down with a dislocated his kneecap against the Chicago Bears last year, the coaching staff was forced to dust off “The Tasty Drink” Todd Collins, who hadn’t thrown a meaningful pass in a decade. The guy who had been brought into town to essentially be an extra coach on the field to teach Campbell and Mark Brunell Al Saunders’ vaunted 700-page playbook was asked to step in and lead a 5-7 team that was all but dead.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the 36-year-old Collins found backup tight end Todd Yoder for a huge touchdown pass in that Bears game and never looks back. The team closed the season with a four-game winning streak when anything less would have sent them home for the holidays, and miraculously carried the ‘Skins into the playoffs. The team got sent home a week later after the offensive line failed to arrive in Seattle, but that was more than enough for some Redskins fans to call for an open competition between Campbell and Collins for the starting job this season.

Thankfully, The Danny, Vinny Cerrato and the newly hired Jim Zorn didn’t listen. They said the minute Campbell was healthy, he would again be the starter. If Collins was to come back to D.C., it would be as a backup.

When I asked Campbell earlier this month what he thought about some fans calling for a QB competition, he didn’t hesitate to speak his mind.

“I didn’t feel like I did anything to lose it,” Campbell said. “You’re talking about a young guy – I’m going into my fourth year. I didn’t feel like I did anything to lose my starting job last year. We started out the season real strong, you know. We lost to the Giants at the end of the game and we go to Green Bay, played a great game and lost a heartbreaker. Like I said, we lost a lot of heartbreakers – in Dallas and in Tampa. All those games, we were in. We were right there. I don’t think it’s fair for people to say that. We got everyone healthy back on defense and offense and Todd did a great job keeping the team going into the playoffs.”

Here’s where it gets funny. Those same fans who called for Campbell’s head during the offseason have changed their tune. Campbell has been lights out for most of training camp and the preseason (prompting Peter King of Sports Illustrated to say Campbell turned in one of the best training camp performances King has seen in more than 20 years covering the NFL). During the ‘Skins first two preseason games, J.C. has completed 80 percent of his passes with one touchdown and no interceptions and has a sparkling 125.6 passer rating. Even more encouraging, Jason isn’t holding the ball as much (Campbell had 12 fumbles a year ago). No one is calling for him to lose the job anymore.

“The thing that I really was impressed with Jason last night [was that] he had two pocket scrambles,” said Zorn after the Buffalo game. “He was in the pocket, scrambled in the pocket and bought time, then drilled the ball very accurately. Those are things I’m looking for. We’ve been drilling those things. He made a couple of plays that were big-league plays that way.”

And Collins? Well, he’s not functioning at the same level without Saunders calling the shots. What was once automatic now seems slow and clunky. Instead of closing his eyes and knowing where the receiver should be, Collins now seems tentative delivering the ball. Collins struggles have given the same group of fans an unprecedented opportunity – the chance to call for a backup quarterback controversy. The same fans who anointed Collins the future would now like him to hold the clipboard while The Savoir … er … Colt Brennan waits in the wings behind Campbell. Thankfully, the Redskins front office continues to stick to the plan and ignore the uninformed masses. Can you imagine the circus in town if Favre had ended up in the maroon and black?

I readily admit that I am not a football expert. When I’m on the sidelines during a game I’m focusing on taking photos and trying to keep up with the flow of the game. I’m not breaking down plays or charting what coverages teams are in or what tendencies the coaches have. I happily leave that to the pros. Instead of attempting to fool folks into believing I know what I’m talking about, I figured we’d be better off turning the blog over to one of the pros. So, I present to you, the one, the only — Fred Smoot.

Here’s what the loquacious cornerback had to say about the Hall of Fame game and anything else that came to mind.

First preseason game is in the books. How you feeling?

“We feeling good – especially as a team,” Smoot said. “Guys came out there and made plays, especially a lot of the young guys. You know, in the NFL you’re only as good as the last person on your roster, so it’s important to have young talent, especially in the backfield. In the defensive backfield we have a lot of young talent.”

What did you see from J.T. Tryon?

“I’ve seen a lot from him since the first day he checked in for training camp,” Smoot said. “He’s gonna be real good. He can return the ball, plus he plays nickel for us. You know it’s gonna take a little while for him to catch on while he develops, but he’s catching on real strong.”

What about Chris Horton?

“Horton? Come on, two sacks,” Smoot said. “He showed he can play around the ball. All of us got things we need to get better at. Him learning in the league how to play the deep third and stuff like that, but I think he’s gonna be a great player.”

Can a veteran player like you get something out of a meaningless preseason game?

“Yeah,” he said. “Any time you come out here on a football field you can learn something new. This game, you never stop learning it. And me, especially early in the season, it’s good for me to get out here and get everything crisp. That’s why me and Shawn [Springs] made sure we came out here and played.”

I’m not going to let you get away with saying you’ve got to watch the game film first. How’d you do tonight?

“I did pretty good, besides dropping that pick,” Smoot said.

I wanted you to bring it up first. What the heck happened?

(Laughs). “You know, I dropped that thing,” Smoot said. “Maybe I was thinking about going a hundred before I caught the ball.”

So you already had the dance picked out and everything?

(Still laughing). “Yeah, you know what I’m saying. I had a dance picked out, but I didn’t make the play,” said Smoot.

That’s the preseason you, right? In the regular season …

“Most definitely,” he said. “I’m gonna make sure I get at least 50 balls after each practice. I can’t be doing that under the lights.”

What’s this we keep hearing about you not passing a conditioning test?

“Don’t believe it,” he said. “Don’t buy into that. It’s just a little joke me and my coaches are playing. I’m one of the best conditioned athletes on this team. Come on. I’m actually 17 lbs. lighter than I was when I checked in last year. I was around 197, now I’m 183. I’m in the best shape of my life.”

We’ll here’s your chance to get even. Tell me how the rookie head coach did in his debut.

“He did well,” said Smoot, declining to fire back at Jim Zorn for selling him out on the conditioning test. “He did well. He showed you a few things out there. The thing about it, I think he did a great job – especially with him being an offensive guru. Come on, I think our quarterbacks probably missed four or five passes out there today, man. Every one of them that got in looked like they’d been there before, even Colt Brennan. It’s his first game and he looked real well. We gotta catch up with the offense. They’re looking real good. On defense, we gotta make sure we ain’t the ones losing games.”

That’s not really something fans should spend too much time worrying about. The ‘Skins defense finished in the top 10 last year, and the addition of Jason “McDreamy” Taylor, as well as players like Carlos Rogers and Rocky McIntosh getting healthy in time for the start of season would suggest the defense has all the tools to be just as dominant in 2008.

(photo by Brian Murphy)

As previously noted, Redskins fans have quickly found a place in their hearts for rookie quarterback Colt Brennan.

Maybe it’s due to the fact he broke 30 records during his time at Hawaii or maybe it’s because he sounds like a kid who knows how to have a good time. Either way, ‘Skins fans are more vocal about Brennan than any team has ever been about a third-stringer QB.

When Todd Collins threw his first incomplete pass during the Hall of Fame game (on 3rd and 4 during the team’s first drive of the second quarter), more than just a few Redskins fans at Fawcett Stadium let it be known that they’d rather see Colt in the game.

By the time Brennan actually got onto the field, you would have thought Rudy was finally getting a shot to play for Notre Dame by the ovation he received. And of course, Colt had a strong showing — completing 9 of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Redskins bench warmers to a victory over the Colts scrubs. I joked after the game that a couple more outings like this and the ‘Skins might have the first-ever back-up quarterback controversy.

Since he’s quickly becoming one of the most talked about players on the roster, I decided to track down Brennan to find out exactly what this kid is about.

Point blank – what’s the reason so many fans seem to be taking to you so quickly?

“I think people are really infatuated kind of with the fact that I came from Hawaii,” Brennan said. “That seems to be the focus of most questions and the most asked about thing. Hawaii is such a unique place and such an awesome place, and for me to go out there and have success I think people have been really excited about seeing something different. It seems like traditionally it’s about the SEC, the Big 10 and the PAC 10, and for me being from Hawaii, it’s different. People like different sometimes.”

What did you know about the Redskins before they drafted you?

“They always had one of the best franchises and fanbases in football,” Brennan said. “Ever since Mr. Snyder took over they’ve gotten a great reputation as far as being one of the best football franchises in the NFL, so I knew I was headed to the right place when I got drafted here.”

I know you weren’t pleased being drafted so late, but how fortunate do you consider yourself ending up here with a head coach who was a pretty good quarterback in his day?

“That’s kind of the silver lining, as far as the draft process,” he said. “I really meant it when I said all that really matters to me is where I end up, and I couldn’t be more pleased about the franchise and the team. We’re loaded with talent offensively. We have a great coach in Coach Zorn, and I’m just really excited about my opportunity. Coming in, people aren’t expecting to see something right away. They’re going to give me time to develop and I couldn’t be any happier with where I ended up.”

What kind of feedback have you gotten from the coaching staff on your throwing motion and your mechanics? Are they happy with everything?

“Mostly with me it’s been about my footwork,” Brennan said. “Getting the muscle memory back, especially after surgery and not being very explosive. When I first got here, he kind of touched on my release and wanted to see what he could do. But to be honest, as time has progressed and everything, he’s really kind of backed off that. He said, ‘All that really matters is that you get it from point A to point B.’ Guys in the NFL like Phillip Rivers, Vince Young and Tony Romo — some of those guys have lower releases than me and it hasn’t stopped them or deterred them from being successful.”

What kind of quarterback did the Redskins get when they drafted you?

I’d say that basically I’m a football player,” Colt said. “I’ll never forget guys like Drew Brees and Brett Favre were football players first. Yeah, they were great quarterbacks, but I think what made them great was that they were football players first. I love the game and I love having fun out there. I might be a little unorthodox, but I’m a great football player. I always have been, and hopefully I always will be.”

He’s got the resume. He gets results. He’s already got the fans. Now, if we could just get him to stop sporting the visor …

(photo by Brian Murphy)

Can’t get enough Homer McFanboy? Well then, you’re in luck, sir.

In addition to your regularly scheduled programming, you can also head over to Skinscast this morning and listen to our latest Redskins podcast. In this episode we talk about everything from the Hall of Fame ceremony to the Colt Brennan Experience. By the end of the show, we end up arguing (no surprise there) over which rookie pass catcher will have the biggest impact on the 2008 season (I’ll give you a hint – he’s not very good with alarm clocks). So click the link and go check out the show – if for no other reason than to hear John actually hit puberty halfway through the show. Good times.