Brandon Weeden Talks About His Week with the Shanahans

Except for RG3, I think Brandon Weeden had one of the best interviews of the day. He was honest about his weaknesses and handled the multiple questions on his age with complete grace. After hearing him speak, I'm very confident this guy could start week one for a team with success. As Zac Boyer reported, Redskins QB Coach Matt LaFleur met with Weeden on Thursday night. To the interview:

What was it like working with Mike Shanahan at the Senior Bowl?

It was a great week. It was new system so they understood and they worked with us. Footwork stuff. The fundamentals. They give a lot of feedback and they are constantly coaching the whole time. I enjoyed it. It was a great week, and I took a lot away from it.

What was some of the feedback they gave you?

They were impressed with my arm strength, my accuracy. Stuff like that. More than anything, something small was, I play with a good base. I think that's kind of important for a quarterback, especially in the NFL with all the arm angles and stuff you've got to throw the football with. So, I think they thought my base was pretty good, stuff like that. As the week went on, I got more and more comfortable with the offense. I got more and more comfortable with the system, calling plays in the huddle, because that offense is kind of terminology driven. There's a lot of wordy plays. But as the week went on I felt more comfortable. I think overall, I had a pretty good week.

How did you evaluate yourself in that game?

Not bad. I'd like to have the last throw back. I played the first quarter, played pretty well, threw the ball pretty well. But I sat on the sideline for three quarters and froze, then I had to go back in in the fourth. I came out, threw one pass and interception. So, the game wasn't like I had planned, but the week leading up to it was really, really good.

On half the QBs in the NFL being younger than him...

A lot is getting put into my age and rightfully so. That's really the only red flag I really have. And fortunately for me, that's really the only I have to worry about. And fortunately, it's a small issue. I'm not worried about it. I don't' think a lot of teams are worried about it. It's a tough question to answer. I feel like with all these great quarterbacks, I belong in the middle with all of them. So if I was a few years younger, you never know, maybe I go a little bit higher. But I don't think at the end of the day when it comes to draft time, it's going to be that big of an issue.

On if he's mentally prepared...

I think so. Playing college football is not easy. I started playing professional baseball at 18. So I think to go out in the real world... I drove to Tampa as an 18-year-old and was just on my own. I was able to overcome that and do some good things there. But yeah, I think as a 22 year old, all these guys are mature guys. They wouldn't be here if they were not. They're all mature, good players with a good head on their shoulders, and I think that's what it takes to play in the NFL. From a maturity standpoint, I've already been a pro. That's what I've been telling teams, and they agree with me. In baseball, you guys know, it's a game of failure. I've failed, and I've had some success, and I've kind of ridden the roller coaster.

It's the toughest position to play in all of sports. I think, again, the maturity factor really helps me have an opportunity to play right away if I'm needed to.On older quarterbacks...

Someone asked him a comparison to Weinke question. After responding to that, there was a pause, so I asked Weeden if he knew Roger Staubach was a 27 year old rookie?

Roger Staubach, you've got Kurt Warner, I can go on. You've got Rich Gannon. Think of it, there's a lot of guys. You look back at my time at Oklahoma State, I didn't get hit. My body's extremely fresh. No injuries. I'm healthy. Everything's good. I think I've got a lot left in my tank. Those guys played into their late 30s. A ten-year career in the NFL is a great career, and I think I've got every bit of that. And barring any injury, I think I can play for a long time.

And the quote of the day when asked about his age again...

I can change a lot of things, my footwork, throwing motion, release, this and this and this. I can't change my birth certificate. I wish I could pull a Danny Almonte, but I can't do it...unless one of you guys can help me with that. (laughing)