First, in building this team, GM Phil Savage took away their raison d’etre, the NFL Draft. With no picks in the first three rounds, there will be no draft parties this year. Many experts agree that the draft is the lifeblood of the NFL. Teams that pick wisely are successful, and those that don’t resemble the Browns from 1999-2005. The reason the brown and orange struggled in these years, were the number of high picks that turned out to be busts. Remember, Tim Couch, Gerard Warren, and Courtney Brown?
As long as this is not an every year occurrence, there is nothing wrong with dealing draft picks for proven talented players who are not at the end of their careers. Corey Williams is only 27 years old, entering his prime. Shaun Rogers is slightly older, 29, and has had conditioning issues with the Lions. However, Crennel and Savage probably look at a guy like Ted Washington, and figure Rogers could have four or five productive years remaining on the gridiron.
The other reason Browns’ fans are upset is the signing of Derek Anderson. Normally, keeping a quarterback who fired 29 touchdown passes and let the team to 10-5 record in the games he started would be a good thing. However, there are many members of the Dawg Pound who want Brady Quinn to be the Cleveland starter. Most people fear the unknown, but Browns’ supporters embrace it. They are convinced that Quinn is the better player.
Look, he may wind up to be better than Anderson. I was very impressed with the former Irish signal caller in the exhibition season. I also see some flaws in the current starter. He did have a problem adjusting to defenses that took away the deep ball. But, he did lead the Cleveland Browns to the brink of the playoffs and a 10-6 record. He deserves to be the starting quarterback in the opener this fall. If after a few weeks, he’s not getting the job done, and Quinn did well in the pre-season games, the coaching staff can make a change.
All Anderson’s contract means is that he will start 2008 as the starter. After that, the money involved isn’t prohibitive, so he could be dealt if the front office and coaching staff thinks Quinn is the man, he will take over in 2009 if not sooner. Phil Savage is not giving up on Brady Quinn; he’s just hedging his bets by keeping both QB’s for one more year. It’s a sound football decision. There are many NFL teams who don’t have one legitimate signal caller; the Cleveland Browns have a pair. With the injuries that happen at that position, Savage is doing the right thing, and he shouldn’t be criticized for it.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 