so excited to welcome our newest
full-time member to the news for Jack's
team Mark Brunell will be joining us as
a sports analyst and insider many of you
almost all of you know him as the
Jaguars former star quarterback he's
gonna join the station in his new
capacity of beginning June the first
ball at the same time he is continuing
as head football coach at a Pisgah Bowl
school of Jacksonville so mark welcome
this is a great moment for us you've
been working with channel 4 for a couple
of years right now providing commentary
but now you're officially part of the
team I'm a sports anchor now no I saw
you I saw your heart I have a key card
yeah I don't have to saw your tweet
yesterday and it said that I'm a sports
reporter and analyst a lot of insider
like oh my goodness pressure I'm excited
about it like you like you mentioned
I've been with the station for a couple
years I last year doing the Monday
Morning Quarterback
in here we've worked together on that
and then of course the the Mark Brunell
show that colpepper and I hosted
together so I've been part of the family
for a while I think this is uh my role
will be expanded and I'm looking forward
to it it'll be a new challenge so it
would be fun I'm surrounded by a good
team and when I was surrounded by a good
team as an NFL quarterback I did pretty
well so I feel good going in so let's
talk about that first of all we have to
point out to all of the parents even
though I said it you're continuing your
role as head coach at Episcopal
absolutely you're not stepping down from
that no not at all imagine your schedule
around this I absolutely love coaching
at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville
I've been there five seasons going into
our sixth now and it's a good community
I've had a son graduate from there I've
got a young man who's a sophomore there
my youngest son Luke at my wife coaches
track and cross-country so we're a part
of the Episcopal family and plan on
continuing in that it's a great job the
opportunity to make a difference in the
lives of high school students that is
very rewarding to me and so I'm thankful
to channel 4 for the opportunity to be
able
to do both I'm gonna be a busy man but
new challenges lie ahead but I'm ready
to embrace them and I know that that job
certainly anchors you here and of course
this does as well but you know yesterday
I was posting about you joining our team
you know I had a more full-time basis
and I got a lot of just a ton of great
comments and one guy was like oh he's
gonna come on and you know he's gonna
wind up in the big time and I'm like you
know you've already been on ESPN you
already did that and that's the thing is
that you really wanted to come back here
and be local I I love this community
we've been here since 95 now we went and
played four different teams Redskins
Jets Saints but we always kept one foot
here this has been home since we moved
here my wife and I absolutely love the
Jacksonville area we love the people and
we have no plans to go to a bigger
market or another city this is home a
lot of friends here and it's just as you
as you both know it's a wonderful place
to live mm-hmm so you told me about
seven cities that you guys live 20 moons
that's a busy life and that's I guess
the life of an NFL player it's the life
of an NFL player I played 19 years you
do not get to stay at one place for 19
seasons
some guys have before in their careers
but I was very fortunate I landed some
very good spots was with some very good
teams I was able to go to New Orleans
and win a Super Bowl with them but
Jacksonville you know playing for the
Jaguars is those are my greatest
memories and the relationships that I
made there the friendships and will last
a lifetime it was a great experience and
that's the thing having all that
experience gives you a really inside
perspective when you're covering the
Jaguars and I know you talked about how
much fun it's gonna be for you to really
cover Blake bortles sure absolutely and
it's been fun watching him and seeing
him develop but what gives me a unique
perspective is that I was a young
quarterback in Jacksonville and went
through some growing pains and
eventually got to the place where I felt
comfortable and started winning some
games so I know what he's going through
I understand the pressures I understand
that the preparation of what it takes to
to play at a high level and so covering
Blake and and and of course being in a
locker room for a long time knowing how
it works and with the coaches and and
your team
so a little different perspective so
hopefully I can offer some some some
insight I am an insider now so I I've
got to ask you the meat and potatoes
here that so many people want to know
yes what do you think about the upcoming
season I mean a lot of us are still
devastated about getting that close to
the Super Bowl X - wasn't down by the
way but that's right I agree that
expectations are very high and they
should be the one thing I know is that
every year is different every team is
different and you can take some success
from the previous year like we had last
year last year and that momentum could
could launch you into 2018 and it will
but we've lost some key guys Marcedes
Lewis Paul paz Leslie core guys leader
guys it's hard to replace guys like that
doesn't mean that it can't happen but
we've got a good quarterback we've got a
very good running back our offensive
line is improved our defense you know
they're going to play at a very high
level be one of the top probably top
five defenses in the NFL so I feel good
about it like we all do I'm anxious to
get get it started as the players are
there working in OTAs right now and just
working to get better in preparation for
the season good things predictions I'm
not gonna make predictions but this
certainly is a playoff team that has the
opportunity to go all the way it'll be
fun to watch yeah and you know I know a
lot of people are really excited to have
your insight and you know now is really
a part of our daily newscasts but I got
to tell you my phone is I don't mean to
make you blush but my phone is lighting
up I don't know that I mean I don't know
that we've ever had as many women watch
sports that are about to because you see
these texts over here from my girlfriend
trying to steer it I knew that I
wouldn't exist during this energy okay
finally mark few people know Tom
Coughlin's in this city like you right
very true you're an original Tom
Coughlin's boy I mean you have seen him
through the good the bad and the ugly
sure what do you think about the future
with him as he tries to transform this
team along with the coaching staff let
me tell you that about Tom coffin but
this about Tom Coughlin I am forever
grateful to Tom he gave me the chance to
be the quarterback here I was up in
Green Bay my first two years back in up
Brett Favre got very little playing time
and he took a chance on me he brought me
down here traded for me and I was his
guy he was patient with me
taught me a lot about football obviously
he has gone on to have a Hall of Fame
career there's no question and if
there's any guy to leave this
organization it's Tom Coughlin his
expertise his his knowledge he just
knows how it's supposed to be built he
knows what it's supposed to look like
and that's what he did with our team
last year immediate success and he's
great for the community and it's not
just about football with Tom he's a
really good man it's done a lot for for
the community and we'll continue to do
so I can't say enough about him a very
good football coach and an even better
person and so with Tom at the helm good
things are coming we'll continue to to
be here in Jacksonville so I'm excited
he's a great man he has a great man
thank goodness he took that chance
because we love having you here thank
you very much he does a lot in the
communities really does off the football
field as well Mark Brunell thank you so
much happy to have you a part of our
team in its full circle because I'm born
and raised in Jackson Ross so I mean
I've been a Jags fan since day one so
it's really cool to be able to I
presented the anchor desk with you sir
very much thank you thank you so much we
shoot it