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Home > Blogs > Dawging the Browns > Archives > 2008 > November > 04 > Entry
Quinn has Edwards to thank for new job
Panic has sit in. Or maybe just desperation.
Or is it a none-too-subtle message to head coach Romeo Crennel that his days are numbered?
Let’s face it. Turning to Brady Quinn now, with a day or two to prepare for your next game, smacks of a move no head coach would make without a gun to his head.
So it looks like Crennel is no longer calling the shots. It looks like “special adviser” Jim Brown whispered to owner Randy Lerner that it was time for a quarterback switch and that Lerner passed the word down to General Manager Phil Savage, who looked up from his scouting report on that obscure cornerback from Arkansas State (presumably the same kind of task he was tackling when he was too busy to call a hospitalized Kellen Winslow) long enough to listen.
It comes down to this, apparently: Lerner did not want to risk being embarrassed on national TV. Didn’t want Derek Anderson throwing a string of incompletions and/or interceptions and hearing the stadium erupt in a chorus of boo flat (to borrow a phrase from the late, great Nev Chandler) and “Bra-dy! Bra-dy!” chants.
It’s almost as if, in the spirit of the election season, the decision was thrown open to a fan vote and Quinn, the people’s choice (mainly because he hasn’t played much yet), got the nod.
Quinn probably will look pretty good against Denver considering the Broncos’ 29th-ranked defense is about as resistant as a New Orleans levee. And maybe this is the week Braylon Edwards starts looking like the No. 3 pick in the ‘05 draft again rather than Joe the Plumber.
Anderson did not enjoy one of his finer games against the Ravens on Sunday, but what happens if Edwards makes that catch with the score 27-27? Say he scores a touchdown and the Browns win. Doubt we’d be having this conversation if the team were 4-4 today.
Edwards at this point is no better than former Browns second-round draft choice Quincy Morgan, another receiver who came into the league with questionable hands and lived up to that reputation. Hard to believe this is the same guy who caught 16 touchdown passes last season and made the Pro Bowl, along with Anderson.
An oversimplification maybe, but it’s truly not that much of a stretch to say Edwards, who leads the NFL with 13 or 14 dropped passes, has cost Anderson his job.
Bad-mouth Anderson all you want, but he had been playing better recently and the switch to Quinn, especially on a short week, is somewhat baffling from that standpoint.
And the unmistakable message to Crennel is: Start winning or start packing.
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Comments
By John
November 4, 2008 10:54 AM | Link to this
Anderson also can’t be blamed for the ineptitude of the defense… missing tackles, not generating any pass rush, even against teams with poor offensive lines. There are a lot more problems that the inconsistent play of Derrick Anderson.By John
November 4, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
Anderson also can’t be blamed for the ineptitude of the defense… missing tackles, not generating any pass rush, even against teams with poor offensive lines. There are a lot more problems that the inconsistent play of Derrick Anderson.By Dan
November 4, 2008 1:12 PM | Link to this
In my mind, benching Anderson was the perfect move. The Browns need to see what they have in Quinn. By giving both QBs a 50/50 shot on the season, the offseason evaluation process can be more effective. Lets face it, with Anderson locking on to receivers and completing only 50% of his passes (a chronic problem he also had in college), this guy is no “come out of nowhere” suprise like Warner, Romo, or Brady. I have always said that QBs bring out the best in their team mates around them, regardless of the lack of talent. Anderson has not done this - all that he has proven is that he is better than Charlie Frye. One could argue that Kelly Holcombe, whom didn’t have the talent level as Anderson, did just as good as a job as Anderson, if not better at times. On the flip side, Quinn may equally be a bust - that is what playing him will hopefully help indicate. Overall, Browns fans, you are niave and idealistic if you realistically expected the Browns to make the playoffs this year. Still, the Browns do have some positive pieces to get things turned around next year. (Thomas, Edwards, Winslow, Rogers, Steinbach, Jones, Dawson, LB Jackson, etc.)By Chad
November 4, 2008 1:21 PM | Link to this
Enough of this…the fans have been chanting Bradu since week 1, last season. we do not have any say and never have. This is just another way for the media to make our organization look bad. BTW- do some research, don’t just write what every other reporter does…they were wrong and know you are too…By Dan
November 4, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this
Realistically, for the Browns to be a true contender, they need to rely less blowing money on free agency and more on building through the draft. For instance, the Titans and Giants are succeeding on drafted players by the likes of Eli Manning, Chris Johnson, Albert Haynesworth, Keith Bulluck, Brandon Jacobs, Jason Tuck, etc. Now they do have good free agent pickups like Kerry Collins and Plaxico Burress - however, they did not go out like the Browns did and blow a ton of money on a receiver who has been inconsistent throughout his career. (Plaxico Burress) Savage’s problem is that he goes and gets rid of Browns draftees Anthony Henry and Jeff Faine (Although they weren’t drafted by Savage, they were still Browns home grown) and replaces them with great name players like Gary Baxter and LeCharles Bentley. By bringing in someone elses talent, you are also bringing in their backage and any physical dinks. Phschology usually tells us that in sports, a free agent is more likely to get hurt than a home grown, drafted player. Thus, the true onus of Browns plight is on Savage and Crennel. Crennel being too loyal to his players by staying on their good side, when a wake up call should be dished out. Next, even though the Browns do not have talent backups to Edwards, Edwards should be benched to give him a wakeup call.By Dan
November 4, 2008 1:29 PM | Link to this
In terms of the the overpaid free agent receiver who has proven nothing, I meant to say in the last post, Stallworth and not Burress. I should do a better job of editing my emails! :) Also, I am not trying to be offensive or supposedly write what every reporter does, I am stating my opinion. In this case, it just makes sense.By Dan
November 4, 2008 1:40 PM | Link to this
The amusing thing about the Jeff Faine scenario, is that when Bentley got hurt, they replaced him with, in my mind, a near Faine clone in Hank Fraley. The supposed reason why they got rid of Faine for Bentley is that Bentley would bring more power to blocking rugged AFC north defenders. I guess this perception must have been incorrect as Faine was paid handsomely by the T.B. Bucs to handle their rugged NFC north defenders. (Ex. Tommie Harris, Pat Williams) One man’s trash is another man’s gold!By Dan
November 4, 2008 1:44 PM | Link to this
Finally, why not make a change at QB? By staying the status quo, the Browns would just continue to beat some teams that they weren’t supposed to and lose to ones they were supposed to beat. The status quo would get us a record of 6-10. By making a change at QB, things could get worse or they could get better. Lets face it, Chicago’s success with Kyle Orton, Atlanta’s success with Matt Ryan, and Ravens success with Joe Flacco, probably is paying a influecing factor on savage’s mind in switching to Quinn. Only history will show if he was wrong or right in his decision.By Dan
November 4, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
Actually, this is my last post on the matter. Anderson is not a bad quarterback. In the years he has been with the Browns, he has proven that his production in college was not a fluke. However, he has also proven his accuracy issues (41%, 47%, 51%, 54%) were also not a fluke. I rather have Anderson than Brad Johnson of the Cowboys, Rex Grossman of the Bears, Matt Cassel of the Patriots, Matt Schaub of the Texans, etc. However, most Super Bowl quarterbacks usually (there are execptions ex. Trent Dilfer) are elite in nature and have a way of making a team overachieve around them. (Elway in his three super bowl losses) The jury is out on Anderson in that regard!By Bart
November 5, 2008 5:22 AM | Link to this
Phil Savage made a big mistake when he signed Anderson in the off season instead of getting 2 high draft picks for him. Now he is worth nothing. The interception being returned for a TD is simply a reply of every game that he has screwed up since he has been a starter. Savage gave up a lot to get Quinn. If he didnt give him a chance, he would like like even more a fool that he already does for the Winslow debacle.Not to mention the total waste that Stallworth has tuirned out to be. I am SURE that Quinn will perform better that the totally unreliable and seemingly hamstrung Anderson: who never seems to progress and cant even throw a sort pass or find a secondary reciever before he panics and screws up. And maybe, that will be the catylyst to get Edwards to catch passes too. I saw that Trent Dilfer trashed the Browns the other day and based on what I have seen so far this season, they deserve it.By sick of it all
November 5, 2008 5:27 AM | Link to this
Anderson has never been able to throw a short touch pass..the interception to end the game Sunday was another screen that missed the running back by 5 yards..most 5-10 yd passes almost take the receivers head off..why they paid a12 game wonder so much money is beyond me..he was sad in the last 4 games last year and every game this year..By Chris
November 5, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this
They should have traded Anderson a long time ago. They had several great offers from other teams earlier in the season for him. Brady is our future so why not get something for Anderson in return for some additional support cast? Too late now!By pat
November 5, 2008 8:27 AM | Link to this
DA’s qb rating of 69 is the reason he is being replaced. Yes Edwards dropped a pass but he also took one away in the endzone that probably should have been an int. The Browns have to find out if BQ can play qb.By bigrob
November 5, 2008 8:00 PM | Link to this
benching derek…is a big mistake…i am a new yorker…GIANT fan…and when the browns play together..they are a good football team…brady has been on the bench..because thats where he should be…mark my words…starting brady is a mistake…the browns didnt finacially secure derek for no reason…..brady will get eaten up on thursday….then whatBy Jammin
November 6, 2008 5:29 AM | Link to this
Anderson was going to be the odd man out-Quinn is an Ohio Boy and the Browns moved-around in the draft to get him. And what is so bad about listening to the fans?? They do pay for the whole mess.By Brady Supporter
November 6, 2008 10:02 AM | Link to this
It is about time he got in there. He should have been the starter last year and dang sure should have been the starter this year after watching him in the preseason. He doesn’t have the strongest arm in the world but he is a precision throwing QB. The Browns need to build around Brady Quinn now. It will be interesting to see what happens tonight.By Jack
November 7, 2008 1:16 PM | Link to this
Sean, can Brady be a successul NFL quarterback if he is unwilling/unable to throw a medium to deep ball? Or can he be successful in throwing the short passes? I do like how he managed the game last night, but fear against a good to decent defense, they will take the short stuff away and force the deep balls. So, will he be able to do it? A good start, but still questions remain about Brady.By Sean McClelland
November 7, 2008 9:52 PM | Link to this
Jack, Brady’s the least of the team’s problems at the moment. Sure, maybe he’s more like the second coming of Rich Gannon than John Elway, but Gannon played in a Super Bowl after bouncing around for years. Just kidding. I’m sure he’ll be better than that. What I liked about Anderson, though, was he did challenge defenses deep, which probably contributed to his low completion percentage. But, like I said, QB now looks like the least of their concerns.By Jack
November 12, 2008 4:09 PM | Link to this
Sean, what would be the realistic trade value for Winslow and/or Edwards. I do not see one of them returning and maybe not either. If Shockey gets you a 2 and 5…shouldnt Winslow at least get a 2 and 4?By sick of it all
November 15, 2008 5:44 AM | Link to this
anderson can be blamed for many interception,his inability to hit wide open receivers and most of all his total inability to hit the short pass..so many of his dump off passes either miss by 5 yards or are thrown so hard that they bounce off the receivers pads and into the defences hands…..Mcclelland where are you??11 days without a word..browns coverage in the ddn sucksBy Mark From Cleveland
November 15, 2008 8:25 PM | Link to this
Hey Sean / Slash, Nothing good will happen for the Cleveland Browns until they get a defensive identity first and foremost. And that really will not start until there is somebody lurking behind the line of scrimmage that puts fear into the hearts and minds of the other team. Somebody like Pittspuke’s Pola-wolly-hairdo. I can’t remember the last time I saw a big, painful hit come out of the secondary. Trash this lousy 3-4. Trash Romeo too. Cowher can be the coach and Marty can be the GM while Savage goes back to the Wonder Years. (Oops, wrong Savage.) By the way, I was your first sports editor.By The Big G
November 21, 2008 10:23 PM | Link to this
Cowher’s coming, McClelland.By Sean McClelland
November 21, 2008 11:43 PM | Link to this
Can’t see it, Big G, although it would be wildly popular, I’m sure. Does Randy Lerner have the stomach to start over. That’s what you’d be doing by bringing in Cowher. Savage and Crennel would have to go because you know Cowher would want control of the roster and it’s not going to happen if Savage is still there. Doubt that’s the way Lerner would go, but maybe “special adviser” Jim Brown will talk him into it.