Brink takes his shot

PULLMAN – Alex Brink has been the underdog before. Five years ago, when he first walked on the Washington State University campus, he was a 180-pound quarterback offered a scholarship because another quarterback had decided to transfer.

There were questions about the skinny kid from Eugene, Ore., and whether he would become a starter, let alone a star at WSU.

After 40 consecutive starts as the Cougars’ quarterback, after WSU career passing records in attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns, after finishing his career in the Pac-10’s top 10 in passing yards, touchdown passes and total offense, there are still questions.

Just not the same ones.

Now they are about his NFL future – whether the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Brink will stick with the Houston Texans, who made him the only Washington State player drafted last April, a seventh-round choice by a team with four quarterbacks under contract.

The 23-year-old has an important booster in his camp.

“I see a guy who I think can play in the NFL as a quarterback,” said Kyle Shanahan, the Texans’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “He’s got enough ability where I think he’s capable to be a backup and eventually work to be a starter.”

Brink, for his part, is upbeat after his first minicamp in Texas.

“It was good,” he said last week. “It was a pretty eye-opening experience. They throw a lot at you in the first couple days. The playbook is about 8 inches thick or so. But it was fun. It was definitely a fun experience.”

Fun wasn’t a word thrown around much by Brink during last year’s 5-7 campaign. But it was the way Brink handled the season’s adversity that caught Shanahan’s eye.

“What I liked most about him is he was fearless in games. He was not gun-shy,” said Shanahan, who also praised Brink’s quick release, his ability to deliver the ball on time and to stay in rhythm no matter the speed of the game.

“He let the ball go. He didn’t see ghosts, he didn’t watch the rush. He took a lot of hits with his protection in college and was under duress most all the time from the pass rush and would hang in there, take a hit in the face just to … deliver a ball to a receiver.”

Now back in the Lone Star State at what is termed in NFL-speak “optional team activities,” Brink is trying to justify the Texans’ draft choice and earn a spot, any spot, on the fall roster.

“It’s good for me,” he said of all the practice that comes before the official start of training camp in July. “We practice for four days a week so it’s a little different from college. You know, it’s our job now, so that’s what we do. We get up in the morning and go to work. It’s early mornings, it’s long days but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a great chance to learn some things and play some football.”

At the recent minicamp, Brink mainly watched as starter Matt Schaub and veteran Sage Rosenfels took most of the snaps.

“Mostly mental for me,” Brink said of his first pro experience. “I didn’t take a ton of reps. I think that was by design. At the quarterback position, you have to handle a few more things before you can get out there on the field and be successful.

“I got to stand around and watch Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels – they’re a couple really good players. I was glad to watch them, to learn from them a little bit.”

He was joined on the sidelines by Shane Boyd, a practice squad addition last season, and Quinn Gray, who was with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the past five years before signing as a free agent in March. With few quarterback spots available, Brink is fighting to stay employed.

Last season the Texans kept two active quarterbacks (Schaub and Rosenfels) with Boyd on the practice squad. This year, Shanahan said, they may keep three active QBs and another on the practice squad. Brink aims to be one.

“I feel like if I get my opportunity, gain some experience and, obviously, it will take some time, but I feel like I can be a good player in that league,” Brink said. “It’s different. I know a lot of people talk about my arm strength, and I didn’t see too many throws all weekend that I couldn’t make.

“It’s a lot of anticipation and it’s a lot of understanding what defenses are going to do to you, which is, you know, I think my strength.”

Notes

Five other Cougars were signed to free-agent contracts following the April draft: safety Husain Abdullah (Minnesota Vikings), defensive lineman Ropati Pitoitua (New York Jets), receivers Michael Bumpus (Seattle Seahawks) and Charles Dillon (Indianapolis Colts) and tight end Jed Collins (Philadelphia Eagles), who was signed as a fullback. … The NFL doesn’t allow rookies to return to a team after the postdraft minicamp until the school’s graduation ceremonies. WSU’s semester system helps in that regard as graduation passed early in May. … Bumpus was quoted in the Seattle Times following minicamp as being impressed with how the Seahawks’ veterans treated the rookies. “You see these guys on TV and think they’re established guys who don’t have to take care of the rookies,” he told the newspaper. “Complete opposite. Bobby Engram probably taught me the most.” … According to the Chicago Tribune, the Vikings signed the most free agents with draft-level ability, including Washington State’s Abdullah.