interview with brooks bollinger about sunday's game

[jetsrule128]

http://newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show_permalink/bollinger-excited-to-compete-against-jets-and-just-say-hello

Following three seasons with the Jets, quarterback Brooks Bollinger was traded to the Minnesota Vikings last August in exchange for defensive lineman C.J. Mosley and a sixth round draft selection. Bollinger was dealt after Chad Pennington won a four-way training camp battle for the starting position behind center.

"Especially in camp, I think Chad separated himself," Bollinger said Wednesday. "Chad played day-in and day-out consistent and handled all of things that we were doing with the multiplicity of that offense and handled it very well. I really feel that he separated himself on the field - not just like it was a fixed deal going in. He went out there and proved it

On helping the Vikings knowing the Jets’ offense…

You know as well as I do those guys (the Jets) are about as thorough as they come and I know what kind of job they do and I know how they operate. I don’t really know if there’s anything I can tell them, I mean obviously I’ve been around the personnel, but they just do so much on both sides of the ball and they do so such a good job of scouting themselves and changing things up, not showing the same look twice. What we were doing in training camp and what they’re doing now I’m not sure that they’re even close.

On his time with the Jets…

I feel good about it. I made a lot of good friends, got to work with a lot of good people all throughout my career there. I learned a lot about football, learned how to be a pro from some great pros. Both personally and professionally, while I was out there I got married and had my first child. There were a lot of things both off-the-field and on-the-field and I don’t have a bad thing to say about anybody that I worked with there

On the trade to the Vikings coming as a surprise…

You try to think about it and you try not to speculate about what could possibly happen, because there are so many variables and so many things that could happen. I thought that it was apossibility, I thought that if they did keep me around, and they talked about keeping four guys, I only had one year left on my contract so if they were going to get anything for me that would have been the time to do it. I thought that might have been a possibility and I thought them keeping me was a possibility and I thought maybe they’d wait it out and then cut me.

On get a new deal from the Vikings…

It is good to be somewhere where they gave me an extension. I felt like they came and actively got me and said, “Hey; you’re a guy that we want, you fit what we’re trying to do here.” Going through some coaching changes the last two years, when you’re the third quarterback and a sixth-round pick and the situation that I was in, it’s tough to survive those sometimes. When Paul (Hackett) left and Mike (Heimerdinger) came in, I made it through that one and then this next one got me. It was good to not be cut and have someone say, “Hey this guy is on the market, let’s throw him on the roster” but to have someone say, “We want this guy on our team,” that was a good feeling for me.

On starting against the Jets if hadn’t been injured…

It would have been fun. You never know what happens and it’s kind of the same situation where you have to put your head down and wait for an opportunity to arise. I haven’t seen any of these guys since I was their teammate. I mean I left work one day and that was the last time I saw them. I’m excited to both compete against them and just say hello and see some familiar faces.

On sensing the Jets would be this successful this season…

I’m not surprised. So much in this league depends on who stays healthy and getting a few breaks here and there. I knew a couple of things, I knew that they’d be well coached and I know the work that they put in and they definitely put in the sacrifices to be successful. They have a lot of talented players on that team. Am I surprised that they are there? No not at all. They’ve done a great job this year in finding a way to win football games.

On being in Minneapolis…

It’s great to be back close to family. My parents are about three hours northwest of here and her (his wife) family is like 10 minutes up the road. It’s great with a son, to have help and for them to be able to spend time with him as he grows up, it’s nice.

On what they saw in Bollinger that made him want to acquire him…

I’ve known Brooks back to his University of Wisconsin days. He was our red shirt freshman quarterback when we went to the Rose Bowl in 1993. He’s a coach’s son, he has very good skills and athletic ability, he has great mind. We played the Jets every year in the preseason at Philadelphia and I was able to kind of follow him. I remember a 75-yard drive during the preseason that he took down the field, which ended up beating us in the preseason, which is no small thing, when you think about who you’re playing with at the end of the game. He has incrementally gotten better as he’s been in the NFL.

On if Bollinger will be the number two quarterback this week…

I don’t know; he’s going to try and come up and do some things at practice. With all those guys, it’s a fight to get into Sunday. He was our emergency guy last week, I don’t have anyway of knowing how he’s going to respond to going a little bit harder.

*QB Chad Pennington (calf),

QB Brooks Bollinger (shoulder)

Ok, in terms of injuries, Brooks (Bollinger) is going to try to do some things today. Obviously he can wear those pads. He needs to do a few more things and get a little bit more active, so he'll try to get some things done. He's throwing the football a little bit, but you have to see if he can do it against full speed guys

Q: Would it be ideal if Bollinger was able to get back this week and Tarvaris Jackson could go back to the third spot?

A: You know I'm truly comfortable any way it goes. He just needs to be able to go in and win the game. It's different than an emergency quarterback who only is able to play in the fourth quarter or if your first two are knocked out, so I'm comfortable either way.

: So you really you just want him to be healthy enough to be able to compete with Jackson?

A: Correct. Compete is not the right word; they compete every day. All three of those guys compete. I just want him to be able to be healthy enough to play in the game.

Q: What things does he do that attract you to Brooks Bollinger, from a quarterback standpoint?

A: We had a good look at a tape right before he came here, where he played against the Redskins in a two-minute situation. I can remember a couple of years ago; Philadelphia played the Jets every year, home and away because of the proximity. I watched him take a ball 75 yards with about a minute left in a preseason game but still there is some orchestration that goes on. He studies it, he works at it. He's got a keen mind. His dad was a coach. To me that's always an extra. He's seen him come through the door either elated or dejected, so some of those things.

Q: What do you see as his future in the NFL? Will he be able to compete for that starting spot?

A: He could compete for a starting spot. Obviously we feel like he can win games or he wouldn't be on the roster right now. We traded for him so we feel like he can win.

Q: What were your impressions of Brooks Bollinger and have you ever felt like his size was a problem for him?

A: I really like Brooks. I think he is just a great person. He is really smart. He is one of the toughest guys, pound-for-pound, that I have ever seen. He played a lot of games here last year and took some hits and always got up. I think he's got good arm strength. I can't say enough nice things about Brooks Bollinger.

Q: How do you use C.J. Mosley and how much does he play?

A: C.J. played more last game than he has in a while. He actually had a really good game. He had four tackles and an assist. He's making some progress. He was inactive for quite a few games but he's kept working at it and that's what we liked about C.J. when we made the trade. It was difficult because we obviously really liked Brooks, but we liked C.J. as well. I think that the intangibles that he has are going to help him quite a bit.

Q: What are your impressions of Brooks Bollinger as a quarterback?

A: He's a great guy, man, just an awesome guy off the field. He's someone that works hard and pays attention to details, and any time you have a guy that's willing to work hard and go out and do anything to help a ball club, you can't help but like him.

[Gainzo]

128: If you are going to post articles please state the source. A simple url does the job.

[serphnx]

Great, Chad is a practice warrior. I want a guy that stinks it up in practice and is lights out during real games. I don't think Tom Brady even practices much, at least not before games. Peyton comes out and throws for like 3 hours, Brady comes out and throws 3 passes and he's done practicing on game day. We obviously know which one wins in the playoffs though.

[124]

Q. Brooks, what have you done about your stalker Fred Jetstone?

A. He followed me here and although he resides in Minnesota, I have a 2 city restriction against him. Sometimes though I see shadows at night in my house and I get scared, I mean comeon, I'm only roughtly 5'9, 5'10 and I hear he is a big boy.

[jetsrule128]

On how he

[Verde]

Q. Brooks, what have you done about your stalker Fred Jetstone?

.

That whole Bolly worship was strange. HAD to be fake.

[jetophile]

On Brooks Bollinger as his other moniker, George Jetson: "From Clipboard to Canton." Snort.

[Jetlag]

"He was our red shirt freshman quarterback when we went to the Rose Bowl in 1993. "

Is that even possible???