Monday afternoon, the Cleveland Browns finally made the switch to Brady Quinn at quarterback, naming him the starter for Thursday night’s game against the Denver Broncos. Certainly, Derek Anderson’s inconsistent play cost him his job. His up and down play was never more evident than in Sunday’s game where he played an excellent first half, but fizzled after the halfway point of the third quarter.
Of course, he wasn’t helped by his Pro Bowl wide receiver not being able to hold on to the ball.
Why was the change made now? I believe partly because the Denver defense is struggling. Let’s say Anderson starts and plays a tremendous game on Thursday. At that point, Crennel would feel obligated to play him the entire game the following week on Monday night against Buffalo, and he would definitely start the next week against Houston.
Want proof? Anderson was great against the Giants, and played the entire next game against Washington even though he was 5 for 22 at one point during that game, and started the following game against Jacksonville.
The other reason the change was made had nothing to do with Anderson, he was just the most replaceable guy. Don’t you think Crennel would bench Braylon Edwards if he had a viable alternative? With Quinn, the quarterback position had a high profile backup, one that was a first round draft pick to boot. You don’t send a wake up call to your team by replacing the right guard or the strong safety.
Also, in Anderson’s last ten starts, which include the last two games of 2007, he is the 31st ranked passer in the NFL. His recent performance is not that of a Pro Bowl quarterback, it is more that of a guy who should be looking over his shoulder.
There is something dysfunctional about this football team. They win a big game and play like a semi-pro team the next. They cannot sustain any momentum, particularly offensively. The lack of consistency from the quarterback position is a large part of that. The coaching staff expects the same level of play from the linemen, the backs, and the receivers, so is it a big shock they expect the same out of the most important position on the field?
Whether or not Crennel was the one who made this decision, it had to be made. Remember that the head coach had to be persuaded to replace Maurice Carthon as offensive coordinator, so it would not be a surprise if he had to be pushed to put Quinn in the lineup. The Browns need to see what they have in Quinn before the off-season. That’s the biggest reason why he will start Thursday night.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 