It seems like it’s been ages since the Browns knocked off the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.
This week the brown and orange take on a Super Bowl contender in the New England Patriots, who happen to be coached by former Cleveland boss Bill Belichick, who also happens to be the guy who gave current Browns’ coach Eric Mangini his first job in football.
It’s like a soap opera.
Another drama filled issue is who should play quarterback for the Browns for the rest of this campaign. The debate seems to surround rookie Colt McCoy and veteran Seneca Wallace since it appears Jake Delhomme will not be ready for a few more weeks.
McCoy’s impressive performance has people wanting to see more. Plus, with his impressive college resume and the fact he is a rookie, he’s the popular choice among the fans.
However, Wallace played very well in the three games he started. Yes, he had the one bad pick six against Kansas City, but he engineered the win over Cincinnati, and was playing exceptionally well against Atlanta before injuring his ankle.
For that matter, Delhomme played well in the first half against Tampa Bay, the only half he’s been healthy for this season. He did have a horrible interception at the end of that half, though.
The coaching staff needs to balance the need to win football games and still develop McCoy. This week, Mike Holmgren said the team needs to start winning. Coming close and being “in the game” isn’t cutting it anymore.
So, if you were Eric Mangini, you need to play the quarterback who gives you the best opportunity to win, right? And that would be one of the veterans.
That means the question is does Seneca Wallace give you a substantially better chance to win football games than the rookie from Texas?
Look, Wallace has done a good job, but it’s not like you are comparing Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers either. Colt McCoy should continue being the starting quarterback until he shows signs of being overwhelmed; it’s as simple as that.
If McCoy struggles, throws some interceptions, or is getting beaten up badly, then you can either go to Wallace and/or Delhomme.
Otherwise, this organization needs to find out what they have in the rookie. This is a bountiful year for signal callers entering the NFL in the 2011 draft with guys like Stanford’s Andrew Luck (who has Cleveland ties), Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett, and Washington’s Jake Locker looking like first round picks.
If McCoy looks like he can be the future QB of this team, that would mean GM Tom Heckert can use his first round pick to pursue someone who can get to the oppositions’ passer. That is, of course, if the team would draft a quarterback on the first round, something that Mike Holmgren has never done.
Yes, McCoy is not the prototype NFL signal caller. However, if he were two inches taller, he would have been a first round choice. And we have to see if he has enough arm to play in the winter at Browns’ Stadium, where the wind whips up when the snow starts flying.
So far, McCoy is 1-1 as a starter, compared to 0-1 for Delhomme, and 1-3 for Wallace. He hung in there against the aggressive Steeler defense, and although he threw for less than 100 yards against the Saints, he won the game. Let’s see how he does against Belichick’s Patriots. The debate could be over either way after that contest.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 