ASHBURN, Va. -- Todd Collins is the No. 2 quarterback for the Washington Redskins, with Mark Brunell demoted to No. 3.
The news was hardly a surprise, given that Collins has been working with the second-string unit during practice, but coach Joe Gibbs waited until Wednesday to inform his players.
"I was disappointed, but it's coach's decision," said Brunell, a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback who hasn't played third-string since he was with Green Bay in the early 1990s. "It could've gone either way simply because you have two guys that are certainly qualified to be a backup. Weird, maybe a little bit, but that's OK."
Collins, meanwhile, has thrown only 27 passes in the NFL in the last nine years. However, the 35-year-old veteran knows the offense well, having played for assistant coach Al Saunders in Kansas City.
"It won't change my preparation much," Collins said. "I just know I'll be one play away."
Brunell, who turns 37 this month, began last season as the starter, but lost the job to Jason Campbell. Brunell also had shoulder surgery in the offseason.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
