The NFL season has passed the quarter pole for the Cleveland Browns, and once again the quarterback situation is a mess. The difference is that this time the upheaval at the position has been caused by injury, and not performance.
The Browns picked up Brett Ratliff from the practice squad of the Patriots to give the Browns two completely healthy options at the position along with rookie Colt McCoy.
GM Tom Heckert and coach Eric Mangini really had no choice. Both Seneca Wallace, who was playing extremely well before getting hurt on Sunday, and Jake Delhomme have high ankle sprains and will not be able to play this week, or probably not for a few weeks.
Ratliff was signed because he was with the team last season, and has been with Mangini for the past two seasons, the first one with the Jets. And many are speculating already that Ratliff will get the start for the Browns on Sunday at Heinz Field against the Steelers.
However, is that the correct decision?
Many will say that McCoy only made the team because Holmgren and Heckert drafted him, but has Ratliff ever shown anything to merit giving him the reins this Sunday against Pittsburgh?
The grand plan was to allow the rookie to sit, watch, and learn behind the veterans this season, and be ready to contribute to the team next season. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans of mice and men.
Perhaps Wallace will make a speedy recovery and this quarterback problem will be moot, and he can be the starter against the hated Steelers. However, if he can’t go, then the choice should be McCoy, even though it is not the way the front office and coaching staff wanted him to get his first game exposure.
Ratliff is living off of his one good pre-season effort against the Browns in 2008, the day Brett Favre was traded to the Jets. He’s done nothing since to demonstrate why he has the trust and admiration of Mangini.
In last year’s preseason games, Richard Bartel played better in the games than Ratliff did. Yet, he was cut before the regular season started in favor of Ratliff.
And if McCoy does get the nod as the starter, let’s hope the offensive game plan doesn’t revert to the Stone Age, with handoffs on first and second downs, and a pass on third and eight. That’s the best way to get a third quarterback hurt, especially against an outstanding defense like the Steelers.
The Browns’ offense is based on the short pass anyway, and McCoy showed his accuracy in the last pre-season game when he completed every pass he threw. His biggest problem will be reading the defense and recognizing where the various blitzes that defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau will dial up for him.
Yes, McCoy is a rookie and hasn’t taken one snap in an NFL regular season game. Still, Arizona is starting Max Hall, an undrafted rookie free agent out of BYU. The Steelers started Dennis Dixon, making his first NFL start in their season opener this year.
Sometimes, things happen out of necessity. Here’s hoping Mangini doesn’t take the easy way out by starting a quarterback based on experience rather than skill level.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 