Mark Brunell got his first NFL coaching job when Dan Campbell hired him as Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach in 2021. What Brunell obviously brought to the role is playing experience, with 17 seasons as an NFL quarterback and a big chunk of that as a starter, most notably for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Just months into working with Jared Goff, Brunell put himself out there with a lofty comparison for the Lions' signal caller.
“I’ve been impressed with Jared from Day One,” Brunell said. “Let’s start with the person. He’s a hard worker. He has a great attitude. He’s a very good leader."....
"He has a lot of qualities that I saw in Drew Brees" Really, the passion for the game, the work ethic, the leadership. There are some similarities there, which is great to see.”
About a year after that, Brunell praised Goff again for the work he had done that spring. As much credit as Ben Johnson gets for elevating Goff, Brunell's role as Goff's position coach shouldn't be dismissed.
Mark Brunell praises Jared Goff again
As offseason work wound down for the Lions, Brunell had an opportunity to speak to reporters. Via Nolan Bianchi of the Detroit News, Brunell noted where Goff is better than any quarterback he has seen.
“I don’t know what they say about Jared’s arm talent. I can tell you this: It’s the best I’ve ever been around, the best I’ve seen,” Brunell said. “His accuracy, his ability to put the ball exactly where he wants it, I’ve never seen anything like it. I really have not. What’s being said and who is he being compared to? I don’t know. I can speak from my experience and it hasn’t dropped off at all."
“He’s made some throws this spring that, the coaching staff, we’re looking and scratching our head like, ‘How did you do that?’”
The term "arm talent" is easy to attach to sheer arm strength and throwing deep passes. But Brunell didn't say that about Goff, instead noting his accuracy and ball placement, which is truly more important that sheer uncorralled arm strength. Backed by data from last year, we know Goff is pretty good throwing to all areas of the field.
Brunell stretched a little toward hyperbole to praise Goff's arm talent. But the overall praise is still duly noted, as Goff continues to evolve as a quarterback after once being easy to cast aside.