Brodie Croyle John Brodie Croyle ( ; born February 6 , 1983 ) is a former American football quarterback . He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League ( NFL ) in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft . He played college football for the University of Alabama from 2002 to 2005 . Despite being hindered by knee injuries in his senior season in high school , Croyle was a highly recruited prospect by Louisiana State University , Florida State University and the University of Alabama . On the night Croyle was ready to announce his decision to attend Florida State , he changed his mind and chose Alabama , his father ' s alma mater , instead . In Croyle ' s four years playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide football team , he set numerous school records , and was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award . Croyle led the Crimson Tide to the 2006 Cotton Bowl Classic and was named the game ' s offensive MVP . Though he saw little playing time in his rookie season in the NFL , Croyle shared the starting position with Damon Huard in 2007 . On November 18 , Croyle started his first game as the Chiefs ' starting quarterback against the Indianapolis Colts . Croyle remained the Chiefs ' starting quarterback for the remainder of the season despite losing all six games that he started . He was the incumbent starter heading into the 2008 regular season , but suffered a shoulder injury in the Chiefs ' first game . Croyle returned in Week 7 but suffered a torn MCL and was ruled out for the remainder of the season . Croyle began the 2009 season once again as the Chiefs ' starting quarterback , filling in for an injured Matt Cassel . Croyle was released by the Chiefs in 2011 and later signed with the Arizona Cardinals . On May 21 , he announced his immediate retirement from professional football . Early years . The son of John Croyle , a former defensive end for the University of Alabama , Croyle was born on February 6 , 1983 . He attended high school at Westbrook Christian School in Rainbow City , Alabama and became a Super - Prep All - American selection in football . In his sophomore season , Croyle passed for 3 , 787 yards and 44 touchdowns . That same season he passed for 528 yards and 7 touchdowns in one game . Croyle had an equally successful junior year passing for 2 , 838 yards and 38 touchdowns . Croyle led his team to the state championship that year , but the team lost by a field goal . Entering his senior year , many scouts had Croyle ranked as high as the # 2 quarterback in the country behind Joe Mauer . However , Croyle ' s high school career ended abruptly in the first game of his senior season against Glencoe High School after a hit by an opposing player tore Croyle ' s anterior crucial ligament , causing him to miss the remainder of his final year . When he graduated , he held the Alabama state records for career passing yards with 9 , 323 , and career touchdowns with 105 . He set marks for most passing yards in a single season , passing yards in a single game , touchdown passes in a season , and touchdown passes in a game . College career . Despite the knee injury , Croyle received interest from members the Southeastern Conference and the Atlantic Coast Conference , including Louisiana State and Florida State . Croyle showed interest in playing for Florida State due in part because of the team ' s offensive coordinator , Mark Richt . Croyle initially showed little interest in playing for Alabama after their head coach , Mike DuBose had recently been fired , but once Richt took the head coaching job with the Georgia Bulldogs , Croyle followed in his father ' s footsteps . On the night before he was to announce his college decision to play for Florida State , Croyle announced that he would instead play for the Alabama Crimson Tide . Interestingly enough , the Crimson Tide were not fazed by Croyle ’ s rather serious ligament tear , for they felt he would heal well enough that his talent still warranted a spot on the roster . Croyle graduated early from high school and enrolled at the University of Alabama in January 2001 . After red - shirting his freshman year at Alabama , Croyle earned a spot as the top backup in his second season behind senior starter Tyler Watts . Croyle ' s coaches voted for him as the Ozzie Newsome Most Improved Freshman after starting two games in 2002 . After the 2002 season , Alabama head coach Dennis Franchione resigned to take the same position at Texas A & M . Washington State head coach Mike Price was hired to replace Franchione in January 2003 . Coach Price mentored Croyle throughout the 2003 spring drills and practice but was dismissed from the head coach position in May 2003 for his conduct off the field . Soon after , Mike Shula , quarterback coach for the Miami Dolphins and former quarterback of the Crimson Tide , was named head coach at Alabama . Croyle , now with his third head coach in as many years , had only a few weeks to prepare and practice under coach Shula ' s system . Despite starting all 11 games in 2003 as a sophomore , Croyle suffered a separated shoulder before half time of the fifth game . Croyle would start the next game against Georgia only to re - aggravate the injury , but still only sat out one game that season , and did not reveal to the public he had suffered from two cracked ribs . The Crimson Tide ' s 2003 season ended with a record of 4 – 9 . He connected on 182 of 341 throws for 2 , 303 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and was subsequently named the Dixie Memorial Award winner as the club ’ s MVP and won the Derrick Thomas Community Award . His 341 pass attempts on the season were the highest seasonal total in Crimson Tide history while his 16 touchdown passes tied the single - season mark . Croyle started the 2004 season hoping to help his team improve on their last record of 4 – 9 . Croyle started three games , completing 44 of 66 passes for 534 yards with six touchdowns . But during the third game of the season against Western Carolina University , Croyle tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his other knee . Croyle was forced to sit out the rest of the season , and the team finished with a 6 - 6 record . Undaunted , he fully recovered from the injury in 2005 and started all 12 games as a senior ; completing 202 of 339 passes for 2 , 499 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions and one rushing touchdown . Croyle led the Crimson Tide to a # 8 national ranking , a 10 – 2 record , and a 13 – 10 victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl Classic , where he shared the game ' s Most Valuable Player honors with teammate DeMeco Ryans . In his final season at Alabama , Croyle attempted a then - school - record 190 passes without an interception and a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation ’ s most outstanding senior quarterback . He became the first Alabama quarterback to start every game in a season since 1996 . His 2 , 499 passing yards in 2005 were the highest single - season total in Alabama ' s school history . His total 202 completions and 339 passing attempts rank as the second - best seasonal marks in school annals . His 2 , 311 yards of total offense were the third - best seasonal mark in the history of the school , and his 1 . 18 interception percentage was the lowest single - season mark in school history as well . Professional career . On April 29 , 2006 , the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Croyle in the third round of the 2006 NFL Draft as the 85th overall selection , and he signed a four - year contract on July 28 . Croyle ' s reputation for being injury prone caused him to drop into the third round of the draft . Kansas City Chiefs . 2006 season . Croyle saw few snaps his rookie season and played in only 2 games . He completed 3 of 7 passes for 23 yards including 2 interceptions . One of those interceptions was returned by Pittsburgh Steelers safety Rian Wallace for a touchdown . Croyle originally was assigned the number four as his jersey number but later switched back to his collegiate number twelve after the release of wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe . 2007 season . In April 2007 , nearly a year after Croyle was drafted , Chiefs starting quarterback Trent Green was traded to the Miami Dolphins . In the months prior to the trade agreement , Green had stated that he was being treated unfairly on and off the field and that the pre - season quarterback competition was " weighted " towards Croyle . Head coach Herman Edwards , who was emphasizing a " youth movement " on the team ' s roster at the time , voiced his displeasure with Green ' s outspoken comments and simply said that he was " trying to create competition . " Edwards indicated throughout the off - season that the Chiefs ' starting quarterback position was up for grabs . Throughout the offseason , Croyle was given every opportunity to win the starting job over Damon Huard . Against the New Orleans Saints while Huard sat out with a calf injury , Croyle completed only 5 of 17 passes for 45 yards as the Chiefs lost 30 – 7 and dropped to 0 – 3 in exhibition . but poor play in the pre - season led to Huard being named the Chiefs ' starting quarterback for the season opener against the Houston Texans . On October 7 , in a regular season home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars , Huard was injured in the fourth quarter . Croyle substituted for the remainder of the game and threw his first NFL touchdown pass on the final play of regulation to Samie Parker in the 17 – 7 loss . The touchdown helped Kansas City avoid its first shut - out loss at home since 1994 . Croyle ' s last minute drive made him 6 - for - 13 for 83 yards and one touchdown . On November 11 , Croyle again substituted for an injured Huard in the final half of a 27 – 11 loss to the Denver Broncos . Croyle finished the game 17 - for - 30 for 162 yards , with one interception , in the loss that dropped Kansas City to 4 – 5 on the year . The following day , Croyle was named the starting quarterback for the Chiefs ' upcoming game against the Indianapolis Colts , and made his first start on November 18 at the RCA Dome in a 13 – 10 loss . Croyle was the first quarterback drafted by Kansas City to start a game for the Chiefs since Todd Blackledge started a game in 1984 . Croyle was 19 - of - 27 for 169 yards with one touchdown , but he lost a fumble that set up Adam Vinatieri ' s game - winning field goal . Croyle started his first home game at Arrowhead Stadium on November 25 against the Oakland Raiders , but injured his back in the 20 – 17 loss . The injury sidelined Croyle for the following week ' s game against the San Diego Chargers , and Damon Huard started in Croyle ' s place . The injured quarterbacks continued to rotate playing time , and Croyle was again declared the starter for Kansas City ' s game against the Denver Broncos on December 9 . The plan , barring injury , was for Croyle to start the remaining games of the 2007 season , so that coach Herm Edwards and his staff could better evaluate him moving forward into 2008 . However , Croyle bruised his hand while trying to stop a defender from running an interception in for a touchdown and Damon Huard , who was the only active quarterback on the Chiefs ' roster besides Croyle , filled in for the remainder of the game . In the final game of the season , Croyle led the Chiefs to a 10 – 10 tie with the Jets with just three minutes remaining . However , the Chiefs lost 13 – 10 with a Jets field goal in overtime . Croyle would finish the game 20 - of - 43 for 195 yards . Croyle lost all six games that he started for the Chiefs in 2007 . Despite his poor performance as a starter , Croyle ' s statistics were considered to be hard to evaluate . With a lack of pass protection and the absence of a stable starting running back in Larry Johnson , the Chiefs may not have seen Croyle at his best in 2007 . 2008 season . Croyle entered the 2008 season as the Chiefs ' starting quarterback . During the season opener against the New England Patriots on September 7 , Croyle left the game in the third quarter with a bruised shoulder after being sacked by linebacker Adalius Thomas . Prior to the injury , Croyle completed 11 out of 19 with no touchdowns or interceptions . Two days after the game , the Chiefs signed quarterback Ingle Martin off the Tennessee Titans ' practice squad to back up Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen in Croyle ' s absence . In Croyle ' s absence , Damon Huard started the Chiefs ' game against the Oakland Raiders the following week . Huard suffered a neck injury , so Tyler Thigpen became the third Chiefs starting quarterback in as many games . After missing four games , Croyle returned to start against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7 . He was injured on Kansas City ' s 14th play when he was sandwiched between two rushing defenders while throwing a pass early in the second quarter . He limped off the field . He slammed his helmet to the turf once he reached the sideline , then hobbled down a tunnel . After the game , Chiefs head coach Herman Edwards announced that Croyle would miss the remainder of the 2008 season . 2009 season . After the Chiefs acquired quarterback Matt Cassel from the New England Patriots , Croyle entered training camp competing against Tyler Thigpen for a roster spot as backup quarterback . The first depth chart in training camp listed Croyle as the second quarterback ahead of Thigpen . Croyle entered the Chiefs ' first preseason game of 2009 ( against the Houston Texans ) as the second quarterback and finished as the team ' s leading passer ( 12 - of - 18 for 145 yards ) and looked poised throughout the evening to post a 91 . 2 quarterback rating . The Chiefs would go on to lose the game 16 – 10 . After quarterback Matt Cassel was injured on August 29 against the Seattle Seahawks , Croyle started the final game of the preseason against the St . Louis Rams . Croyle played the entire game at quarterback for the Chiefs ' regular season opener against the Baltimore Ravens when Cassel was still unable to play . Despite completing 16 - of - 24 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns , the Chiefs lost to the Ravens 38 – 24 . However solid play during week 1 was not enough , Cassel returned to practice and started against the Oakland Raiders in Week 2 . Arizona Cardinals . 2011 season . After leaving the Chiefs as a free agent , Croyle signed with the Arizona Cardinals on August 23 , 2011 . Croyle was waived on September 2 , 2011 . 2012 season . On January 8 , 2012 , Croyle was signed by the Arizona Cardinals to replace quarterback Max Hall , who was waived . Retirement . On May 21 , 2012 Croyle announced his retirement from the NFL . Personal life . Croyle volunteers at the Big Oak Ranch , a Christian home and school founded by his father for children from troubled and abusive situations , and at the Drumm Farm in Independence , Missouri , a facility that provides foster children with a safe and stable home . Croyle serves as a spokesperson for Johnson County Court Appointed Special Advocate . On July 14 , 2007 Croyle married Kelli Schutz , the 2005 winner of the America ' s Junior Miss competition . The couple met in Mobile , Alabama in 2006 , while Croyle was preparing for the Senior Bowl . The couple resides in Stilwell , Kansas .