Hear me out Browns’ fans. I’m not saying he should be the starting QB…
As the Browns continue to win, and get closer to the playoffs, Derek Anderson cements his place as the team’s starting QB. He will get Pro-Bowl consideration this season. He has led this team to their best record since my nephew was born. But let me ask you a question, if Derek were to get hurt this week or next what would happen to the Browns’ playoff chances?
The Browns have a second string QB that has never thrown a pass, or taken a snap in an NFL regular season game. Imagine this scenario, fourth quarter of a playoff game in Pittsburgh with the Browns down 4 and D.A. gets Kimo’d. (Sorry Bengal fans.) Quinn comes in for his first ever series? Is that fair?
So here’s my suggestion. Sometime in the next couple of weeks (like say, this one) Romeo needs to pull Derek and Brady in the office and have a conversation something like this-
“Derek we think the world of you and would be in serious trouble this year without you. In fact, I would probably be fired by now if you hadn’t saved my behind. But the quarterback (has Romeo called Quinn anything else yet?) needs a series or two to get his feet wet in case something were to happen to you. So, Brady is going to play the first series of the second quarter this week. We’ll run a script and he’ll have plenty of time in practice to go over the plays we are going to run with him. He will probably get a series next week as well. And if we are able to clinch a playoff spot early enough, I’d like to get him at least a quarter in the final game of the season.”
Obviously you don’t want to broadcast this to the Cardinals, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to let the media know right before the game that Quinn will see a series, whether winning or losing.
I’m not crazy enough to think that the Browns are a Super Bowl contender. I really think they have some serious work to do on defense in particular before that is the case. But you have the power to get Brady’s feet wet before he is forced into action, I say you have to do it. There is no QB controversy, even if he does well, Derek is still going to be seen as the starter even in the ficklest of fans.
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Very interesting post Rick.
I think the biggest challenge to getting ‘the qb’ some snaps is the fact that with such a bad defense, it’s hard to concede any offensive series, especially since the Browns don’t (or, rarely, I should say) win handily. As long as the Browns are still fighting for a playoff spot, I don’t think you can risk even 1 series for Quinn. Sure, it could pay off and Quinn could do just fine, but if it goes bad, or if Quinn throws a pick-6, it could be disastrous.
On the other hand, if the Browns do clinch a playoff spot and their seed is already set going into the last game against the Niners, I would love to see Quinn get some significant meaningful playing time.
While I see what you’re saying, there is NO chance that Crennel does this unless the game is well in hand.
It’s kind of like going out on a date with a chick and picking her up in your minivan after you drove a ‘Vette for the first two nights out. You just can’t do it unless you know you’ve won…
And no…I don’t own a minivan.
Not even as a designed series? Give the guy reps in practice…maybe even as a 2 minute drill?
To be totally honest, I should have also added that in my opinion, the more valuable reason to give Quinn some playing time is for the sake of the future, in terms of learning a little bit about what the Browns have in Quinn. Right now, Quinn is a bit of an unknown commodity. I think that makes it tough to do what the Chargers did, because there’s no guarantee the guy you drafted is going to play as well as the guy who’s been the proven starter for a couple years. I’d feel much more comfortable taking that route (which is the route I think the Browns will eventually take), if I knew a bit more about what Quinn brings to the table.
I own a minivan.
“There is no QB controversy, even if he does well, Derek is still going to be seen as the starter even in the ficklest of fans.
As much as I want to agree with that, I just can’t. There’s a missing factor (and even though I don’t quite understand it, it’s there) in that Brady comes from ND. I don’t know if it’s the high Catholic population of the area or what, but if Tim Couch came from the Golden Dome, people would still be talking about how great he was…
I don’t understand the obsession, but a lot of people around here are so blindly obsessed with ND that it skews their perception. Put Brady on the field and if he does any good, DA will be yesterday’s fish in the eyes of a lot of fans. Cleveland is, was and always will be that way…
I don’t like or agree with it, but it’s true. JMHO
why add fuel to the fire and stir up a quarterback controversy when none really exists??? aaron rogers finally got into a game for green bay for the first time tonite, although it took an injury to brett favre for him to finally get in a game, but he hadn’t taken any snaps all year either and yet he looked like a seasoned pro, so who’s to say brady couldn’t do the same??? after all, he still practices against professional football players all week long so that should certainly provide him more than enough preparation should they need him somewhere down the road. i say it would be a very bad idea to give him some snaps when they don’t really need to. resist the temptation. look at the dividends that it paid in cincinnati with carson palmer to sit for an entire year before he finally got the starting gig. what happens if you bring brady in just to get a few snaps and he gets injured??? then who is your backup, ken dorsey??? no thanx!!! speaking of aaron rogers, the packers once brought him in for some so-called “mop-up duty” a year or two ago, just to get some game snaps under his belt so to speak and as bad luck would have it, on his very first play from scrimmage, he was sacked and got a broken ankle. gee, do you think green bay regrets that decision??? just leave well enough alone and only bring brady in if he’s needed, which the only real reason i could see him being needed is if there was, god forbid, an injury to derek anderson. they do the same thing with other positions. just look at what brandon mcdonald was able to do in his first game after the eric wright injury. why should it be any different with the quarterback???
I agree with RK… as important as it is for Quinn to get some needed experience in case sh-t happens, the only way he sees playing time is if they’ve clinched. Pittsburgh and Baltimore are proof positive of that – that ball doesn’t take a lucky bounce and hit the back of the goalpost, we lose that game, potentially lose momentum and last week’s game… in short: we’re not having this conversation b/c we’re out of playoff contention.
If we have a 15 point or more lead again and let our swiss-cheese prone defense give it up, we need the players that are gelling now to receive every single opportunity to score it up.
If Romeo puts Quinn in even with a large lead and it backfires, if we lose that game and somehow miss the playoffs… he’s GONE. He knows that. Which means he’s not taking that risk. A whole season of turning around a team and city’s opinion of you can fade away in one single play.
Dave and Mike- interesting comments coming after the Favre injury. First off- Rodgers has been riding the bench now for 3 years. He has 3 training camps under his belt. 3 years of film study. Brady Quinn has exactly 11 weeks and half of camp.
What Brandon McDonald was able to do in that game was astonishing. You can’t think that is the norm for rookies?
I understand the injury risk. And as far as Ken Dorsey goes…name me a current third string QB that you would be comfortable handing the offense to…
Troy Smith?? :)
Browns fan chiming in from Georgia. I like the idea in theory, but I don’t think any QB can learn much from one or two series a game. It’s too fragmented. Imagine if you only had 5 minutes a week to work “for real” in a game setting. You can’t test what you learned. If you messed up, you can’t go back out and retest what you learned. You just can’t tell much about anything you learned in just five minutes (good or bad). I agree with those who think only if the Browns have a sizable lead. I agree that if DA goes down up to or in the playoffs, the Browns chances go significantly down, but I don’t think the learning curve moves up that quickly where one or two reps a game will teach BQ up to a level anyone would be satisfied with.
Good points GA, glad you joined us. Again, I don’t think that the Browns have much of a chance in the playoffs without DA. But in a clutch situation, it would be nice if Brady wasn’t thinking about this being his first snap as a Brown. I don’t know, maybe I’m off on this, but I have to think that any bit of experience could help. Maybe it would get him more involved in the preparation or gameflow if he knew he was going to play. Have you seen the games on tv? When DA is on the sidelines who is he talking to? He is talking to Dorsey. I haven’t seen much of him sharing stuff with Brady at all.
Go ahead put Brady in, trade DA to Seattle we would love to have him!!!!
I agree, rickg15: I do notice that DA talks to Dorsey on the sidelines, but he doesn’t really talk to Brady there. He should talk to both Dorsey & Brady on the sidelines.
Of course Quinn should wait and its DA all the way, especially with the Browns playing well and winning. Anderson is still learning too. He has tools like few QBs in the game. The Browns know this and they are lucky to have this arrangement.
The only reason I would like to see Quinn is that he was touted as better than Frye and Anderson and Anderson turned out to be good, so Quinn must be something. Quinn was good in pre-season. If Anderson sours I still would wonder about putting Quinn in. Dorsey isn’t bad either– may be our smartest QB. DA has some problems reading defenses sometimes, and supposedly Quinn is a leg up on that from his pro-style training. But without an NFL snap to his credit, Quinn is unlikely to come in and do as well as DA. Besides, Savage has said that when the time comes to play Quinn, there’s no turning back– it will be his team. I hope that time doesn’t come until next year. DA makes the league minimum and his stats rival the elite QBs in the league this year. There’s no point in having him looking over his shoulder after he righted the ship after Frye’s washout.
I like the way the running game operates with DA in too. He’s so tall and has such big feet, he can deliver the handoff in different spots and different points of release within his frame quickly. He’s got the cannon arm, there’s no question he can make all the throws and in snow conditions should factor out better.
I think it is a shame when a quarterback of Brady’s ability is not given the experience he needs at this time in his career. If Brady would be willing, when I take charge of the K. C. Chiefs, I would build the team around him, (especially with a strong offensive line), and put him in next season. He has time to learn my system. He would develop into a legendary quarterback.
Clark, send me an email at draidt@kc.rr.com
Brady have your agent get in touch.
And the thread has taken a strange turn…