Playing musical chairs isn't the answer in Cleveland. Matt Bowen
Eric Mangini doesn’t quite get in when it comes to the 2009 season if reports hold up that Brady Quinn is going to be back under center on Monday night when the Cleveland Browns take on the Ravens.
Yes, the same Brady Quinn that was benched for not being able to produce points is going to start again. Is there something we are missing here?
APAfter losing his starting gig earlier this season, Brady Quinn may be in line to reclaim it.
Playing musical chairs with the quarterback position at this level is a surefire way to get beat and a surefire way to lose control of your team as a head coach, unless that has already happened in Cleveland under Mangini—which I am leaning towards today.
I think we could all agree that Quinn wasn’t the answer at the start of the season. He didn’t take chances down the field, and he didn’t get the ball into the end zone. The check down became his game, and the Browns realized that they wouldn’t be able to compete without a quarterback who gave them the opportunity for the big play.
And the switch was made to Derek Anderson, who was supposed to have those exact capabilities that Quinn didn’t. He had the big arm, the moxy to toss it down the field and the ability to keep Cleveland in games because he could pick up yardage in chunks.
But, let’s be honest. Anderson was anything but the right answer, throwing nine picks and sitting today at a QB rating of 36.2. Bad numbers folks.
And the offense hasn’t looked worse. The Browns are 31st in the NFL in total yards per game on offense, averaging just over 221 yards each week, and they’re dead last when it comes to the passing game at 121.5 yards per game.
To put it in a better perspective, the Saints’ defense has scored seven TDs this season, while the Cleveland offense—with the combination of Quinn and Anderson—has scored five TDs on the season. That’s less than a TD a game, and a clear example of why this team is as uncompetitive as they are on Sundays.
APWhat message would head coach Eric Mangini be sending if he went back to Quinn?
But, my question still remains: why go back to Quinn? If you are Mangini, you have already told your team that Quinn isn’t your leader, he isn’t the right choice and he doesn’t give you the best chance to win. So, what does Mangini say now in front of the team, and how does the locker room respond knowing that the first guy to lose his job is now back running the offense?
If I am in that locker room, I know that Anderson has been brutal on the field, but I also know that going back to Quinn is as good as taking a step back as a team—and starting over. I find a way to ride out the rest of the eight games and am thankful when the clock strikes zero during Week 17 so I can go home for the offseason.
And that is just the problem—Quinn doesn’t provide hope. Sure, he might be the best option at this moment of the season in terms of minimal production and protecting the football, but I would want to see Mangini either stick with Anderson or give the ball to Brett Ratliff, who could provide some excitement as a new face if Anderson is indeed being benched rather than going back with an old face that didn’t win a game for the team.
As our own Mike Lombardi will tell you, having two quarterbacks is as good as having none.
NFL teams need quarterbacks to be leaders, and Cleveland doesn’t have one right now—nor will they for the remainder of the season.
Follow me on Twitter: MattBowen41
Check out the Cleveland Browns Team Page at the NFP.
This is my thinking on the whole situation. I feel that before we can make any judgements about Brady Quinn, we have to let him play first. 10.5 quarters this season is not enough time to determine whether or not the kid can make it in this league. Judging him is like eating unripen fruit. Let the kid play a little bit, even if we have no offense around us, so we can gague what he's like in different game situations. Then in the offseason, we'll know what adjustments to make.
Mangini is going to be fired after this year. The Browns as an organization don't have enough information in the kitty to know whether or not Quinn is the answer. He started three games last year, and three games this year. That isn't waiting for a return on your investment on a first round pick, a guy you gave up a ton to draft. This team has so many holes they literally can't afford to draft another QB in round one only to see him come in and stink just like (fill in the blank) has for the past decade in Cleveland. If Brady shows anything, bring him back next season and let him be your starter while you rebuild. Bottom line, jury is out on Quinn who has had six starts; while a journeyman (Anderson) who took NOTHING to acquire off waivers accumulated nearly 40 starts.
Someone high up in the organization forced Mangini's lame duck hand. And for the right reasons.
Tend to agree with this post. You can't bench your QB and then bring him back again. And, the new regime in Cleveland could care less where this guy was drafted.
OK, here come the Golden Domers. Tell us how great Quinn is and how awesome he was at Notre Dame. Please, the guy was benched for a reason and the only reason he is in again is because Mangini is lost.
The offensive woes of the Browns can be blamed solely on the QB's...Neither Quinn or Anderson played so bad last year, so you have to point to the coaching staff as the possible cause of regression. The other posters are right, the Browns have to see what they have in Quinn. The rumors in Cleveland have both Quinn and Rattliff in Mangini's doghouse because they allegedly questioned the playcalling of OC Brian Daboll, and people wonders if there is something onto this because of the quick plug of Quinn and the steady support for a struggling Anderson
I am kind of stunned by the posters who are so quick to jump on the Quinn bandwagon here. Didn't Mangini and the Browns already see what Quinn could do? And, isn't that why he was on the bench in the first place?
JaMarcus Russell was a first round pick too... how is that working out?
I'm stunned that I read this post! The writer is saying stick with Anderson because he likes to toss the ball down field? Really???
Anderson is best known for throwing to the wrong team, he's been the same player since his college.
Now I will admit I was a Quinn fan when he played for ND, but I'm still partical enough to actually want to see what he can be on a pro level. Most young QB's come into the league wanting to be safe with the ball.
I agree Mangini has worn out his welcome in Cleveland, and what needs to be done is give Quinn the rest of the season to find out if he's the guy or if Bradford, McCoy, Tebow, Classen, Luck, or Sneed will be the new signal caller.
I didn't know there were still Browns fans out there.
Enough with the Quinn love people. Still don't see what this guy has done in the NFL to garner all of this cred and hope.
What about the other possibility, that Quinn is being benched to prevent his escalators from kicking in? I think approximately $10m in 2010 and 2011.
Very good article.
Thanks
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Nov 10, 2009
04:00 PM
Wow. Wow. Wow. Can't really believe what I just read.
The reason to go with Quinn? To figure out if he's got a future in the NFL as a starting QB.
The Browns paid a big price to trade up and draft Quinn when they did. It is in their best interests to see what they have before cutting him lose. Coming into this season, he'd thrown less than 100 career passes - not much of a record to go by.
Yes, Quinn stunk the first 2 weeks of the season - against the Vikings and the Broncos. Are you really saying that after just those 2 weeks as the starter Quinn has shown all the Browns they need to see?
This season is lost, so why not put the kid out there and see what he can do? More importantly, it's a chance the players respond to him. Is he a leader on the field and in the locker room? Does he have control of the team? Does the offense follow his lead? How is his work ethic? Is he durable? Lots of questions that are hard to answer with Quinn holding a clipboard.