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Wednesday, February 04, 2009
It can be said with reasonable certainty now: Passing on Ben Roethlisberger in the 2004 draft is the biggest blunder in Cleveland Browns history.
And that's saying something, considering this is a franchise that traded Paul Warfield for Mike Phipps, chose Gerard Warren over LaDainian Tomlinson and took William Green over Ed Reed.
Not saying Roethlisberger would have two Super Bowl rings in an orange helmet by now, but it's just typical of the Browns' luck with quarterbacks. In 1999, they passed on Kurt Warner in the expansion draft (they were the only team drafting) and Donovan McNabb in the college lottery.
In 2000, they took Spergon Wynn over Tom Brady, giving them the dubious distinction of being one of two teams to draft a QB in the sixth round (the Saints took Mark Bulger) before Brady went to New England.
Before the '04 draft, former Browns coach Butch Davis flew to Oxford for one last look at Roethlisberger, even dragging along his own receivers. His reasoning: "You don't want to pass on a quarterback who's going to go on and win four Super Bowls."
With Roethlisberger halfway there, it looks like Butch's words will live in Browns infamy alongside Carmen Policy's "those plastic bottles don't pack much of a wallop."
"The Fumble" is taken, so let's just call this one the "Curse of Big Ben."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.
Comments
By Tim
February 27, 2009 11:17 AM | Link to this
As others have pointed out, Ben’s success, like Tomlins, is due to being in a successful organization, with great players, coaches and front office.
IF the Browns would have taken him, he would either be a. out of the league b. with another team, possibly as a back-up or c. dead from a motorcycle accident. In other words, he would not have been successful here and most likely would have been a bust.
Go Browns!!
By LMAO
February 9, 2009 11:18 AM | Link to this
Ben Roethlisberger is by far the most over-rated player in the NFL..if he had been drafted by Cleveland….or Oakland, Detroit, Washington, maybe Houston to a lesser degree (the teams who drafted ahead of Pittsburgh in 2004 who sucked then and still do, the Browns or any of those other teams would be just as sorry as they are now. Pittsburgh, as much as I despise them, is and has been since 2004 top-to-bottom the best NFL team , and would have won more than 2 Super Bowls since with a good QB
By bobby cross
February 6, 2009 4:51 PM | Link to this
who care we are still sorry
By dave
February 6, 2009 10:31 AM | Link to this
Quite a few years Back, Pittsburgh passed on a young local QB whose stock in the draft had taken a tumble over (apparently)unsubstantiated drug rumors. It turned out a few months later that their 4 SB winning QB Bradshaw had been having elbow problems(he didn’t tell anyone before the draft) and eventually retired. Dan Marino dropped all the way to Miami. Chuck Noll might STILL be coaching today…LMAO. What could’ve been…
By Brian
February 5, 2009 4:49 PM | Link to this
This is not silly at all. The Browns should have taken Roethlisberger. When they passed on him it was obvious he was going to land right in the Steelers’ laps. I think it’s right to be stuck on Pittsburgh, with the Browns success hinging on whether they are able to compete with them or not. They’re in their division, they’re their biggest rivals, and you don’t just hand a franchise quarterback on a silver platter to your biggest rival, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU NEED ONE YOURSELF, which the Browns did
By Frank
February 5, 2009 10:09 AM | Link to this
It really doesn’t matter! In Cleveland’s case, One player doesn’t make the team. They needed several! Honestly how good could LT or any of those other players that were passed up be with the horrible O line that Cleveland had until last year? Even with his speed and talent for finding holes, there would be no holes for him to find! That leads to injuries and short careers. The same with the QB’s. How much time to you have to find an open receiver when the opponent is crashing your line each play
By Frank
February 5, 2009 10:01 AM | Link to this
If you think about it, even if they had LT or Big Ben, or Tom Brady, or any of these other players they passed up on, would that one person had made a difference? The teams with much success now have more than just one player that contributes significantly. Up until last year, Cleveland’s O line was horrible. So what good would LT have been if he was getting stuffed every play, or getting injured from so many rough plays?(AFC North is the hardest hitting.) Team = Wins not just one player.
By RSB
February 5, 2009 8:59 AM | Link to this
Agreed…by far this isn’t “the biggest blunder in Cleveland Browns history”. This just someone trying to stir the pot and make up something bad for a “news” story. Let’s focus on the potentials of the future and look at the bright side of things for a change. Or do we want more stories about wall hangings too!
By bradybil
February 5, 2009 7:42 AM | Link to this
That Phipps trade garnered us either Clay Mathews or Ozzie Newsome….can’t remember which, but it turned out pretty good IMO.
By Casey
February 4, 2009 11:45 PM | Link to this
Ben is the most overrated quarterback in the history of football. Everyone talks about how great he is, but he really isnt. Look at his performances in the Super Bowl. He has only 1 TD pass and 245 total yards passing in two Super Bowls played. Kurt Warner had 377 yards passing and 3 TD passes in that one game. Ben sucks. PERIOD.
By thats_fine
February 4, 2009 7:40 PM | Link to this
This is just a silly story. Let’s see who else didn’t take Roethlisberger that year and has failed to win a Super Bowl (or much of anything else) since then: Detroit, Houston, Oakland, Washington. I guess they all are suffering from the same curse? It’s not like he was a can’t miss pick - he spent his college years shredding defenses in the MAC. And, “biggest blunder in history”? Did you just become a Browns fan five years ago? He’s a great QB, but a product of the system. Good for him.
By professor
February 4, 2009 5:24 PM | Link to this
It is hard to imagine that the Browns would not have been better off with Ben as opposed to without him.
By kdawg
February 4, 2009 5:04 PM | Link to this
Pleazzzzze,
How stupid is this article? Nice hindsight Sean. I noticed you failed to mention any good picks like Cribbs UDFA - how many teams passed on him? The draft is a crap shoot period. Plus you can not take one good draft pick like Big Ben, who’s success is most definitely attributed to the environment, and say he would have done the same in Cleveland or anywhere else for that matter. You don’t think it helps having the #1 ranked defense? Heck, Trent Dilfer won a SuperBowl :-(
By Jim
February 4, 2009 4:21 PM | Link to this
The steelers had a losing season in 2003 and were desperate for a replacement for Tommy Maddox. The Steelers were licking their chops for a QB like Big Ben. Browns could have put another nail in the coffin for the steelers and possibly changed the future of the AFC North for a long time. Who picks a TE at #7 anyways. They threw in a second rounder to boot. Steelers will reign for another 10 years sad to say.
By James
February 4, 2009 3:08 PM | Link to this
I read the first paragraph and QUIT. Ben wouldnt have done a thing on our team. We would be looking for another QB with our first pick. THE ONLY REASON HE IS DOING ANYTHING IS BEHIND A NUMBER ONE DEFENSE. They scored the only 2nd half TD against the Cards!! MORONS
By Chris
February 4, 2009 1:58 PM | Link to this
Taking Warren over LT still trumps passing on Ben. At least they took Winslow who has given them a couple of good seasons. Warren was completely worthless. He did nothing as a member of the Browns.
By Ed
February 4, 2009 12:40 PM | Link to this
Pittsburgh is the team to emulate as much as it pains me to say it. From the top on down, they all care about what thier colors represent, not so in Cleveland. The answer to a successful franchise is not an enigma, it all over ESPN right now, in front of Randy Learner’s face. I second what Ryan said.
By bigmike34
February 4, 2009 11:57 AM | Link to this
This has nothing to do with one player, Even a QB, It is all about the lousey coaching that the Browns have had.
We could not have had a worse Head coach then RAC or worse Offensive Coordinators then CARTHON and Chud…
Davis actually looks good vrs the above…
Coaching is Critical to success in the NFL…Look at Miami (turned around in one year thanks to Tuna) and more importantly look at the Steelers…
THERE IS HOPE FOR US…this is our best coaching staff in decades…I think?
By Ryan
February 4, 2009 9:24 AM | Link to this
This is silly. Ben was/is successful because of the support structure around him. Same reason Mike Tomlin has been successful in Pittsburgh. Neither of those guys would have done anything great in Cleveland because the organization and the talent on the roster is just not the same.