Professional Football quarterback Mark Brunell is now with the Washington Redskins, and so the Washington Times has an article about him. It concentrates on the fact that Brunell is a Christian, and is not a very sympathetic article. The writer seems to purposefully try to make Brunell look as bad as possible.

Pray for a knee. God heals it. Pray for a win. God grants it. Score a touchdown, point to the sky and give thanks to your main man — J.C. It all seems a bit sanctimonious, as if the maker is a spiritual ATM and Notre Dame’s victories come courtesy of Touchdown Jesus.

Of course, it appears that Brunell might have made some things easy for the Times.

Some teammates didn’t understand. They mocked Brunell’s newfound piety. Where was the swagger, the toughness? Blessed are the meek. Turn the other cheek. Yeah, right. Godly athletes are soft.

Years later, Brunell heard the same whispers in Jacksonville. It irks him.

Brunell points to [Reggie] White, whose pass-rushing club move packed the punch of a cast-iron skillet. He points to best friend and former Jacksonville teammate, Tony Boselli, a punishing tackle who played on the black-and-blue edge of National Football League rules. He even points to Jesus, who, it should be noted, threw out parables and temple money changers with equal aplomb.

“[If] Jesus [played football], who knows? He’d probably be a linebacker,” Brunell says. “He was much tougher than people give him credit for.”

That’s the first time I heard “Play linebacker” as the answer to the question, “What would Jesus Do?”