New offense, new start for determined QB Croyle
RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- Don't ask me why, but I think Brodie Croyle can make it as quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs.
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| Brodie Croyle 'just needs to get a chance,' coach Herm Edwards says. (US Presswire) |
But that's not what I like most about Brodie Croyle. He has been through the pressure cooker before and conquered it while at Alabama. Now, he's not only determined to persevere again, he might finally have found an offense that allows him to succeed.
Let's start first with Alabama. Croyle was heavily recruited by the school where his father was a star defensive end and his sister a homecoming queen. In fact, he was so heavily recruited that when he made his official visit there the athletic director lined up some distinguished alums to meet him.
"There was Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler and Lee Roy Jordan," said Croyle. "I grew up there, so I knew exactly who it was when I walked in. I just sat there for an hour and listened to them."
Croyle stayed at Alabama and, like his father, starred there. It wasn't easy. He suffered through coaching changes but wound up setting a passel of school records nevertheless, including most career passing yards, completions and touchdowns.
"There's a lot of pressure that comes with playing at Alabama," he said. "You can either make your career and live there happily ever after, or, if you go in and struggle, you better find another state to live in. That's how it was there, and that's how it is in the NFL -- especially in Kansas City. But I accept it, and I wouldn't expect it to be any different."
I like that. So do the Chiefs' coaches. They admire Croyle's resolve to make it in the NFL -- just as he made it at Alabama -- and they're convinced it won't let him fail.
"He got his chance last year," said coach Herman Edwards, "but, really, it was tough. He was put in a hard situation and he put his chin out there, got hit and never tried to put it on someone else. That told me a lot."
Edwards believes in Croyle so much he didn't have the team draft a quarterback, and he didn't have management go looking for a veteran backup to serve as a safety net. He wants Croyle to play and play now -- believing the more experience he gains the better he ... and the Chiefs ... become.
"He's going to make mistakes," said tight end Tony Gonzalez. "He's young, and the growing pains will be there. But the quicker he gets through that the better off we'll be.
"It's no secret that a lot of our season's success is riding on that position, and he's got to come out and perform. But he's tough and accurate, and he's always calm and cool. I don't know if he doesn't feel the pressure or he doesn't show it, but he's just going to go out there and do his thing."
Of course, he will. That's what happened at Alabama, and the results speak for themselves.
