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No quarterback controversy this time, but some questions remain
By Marla Ridenour
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, Jul 20, 2008
When the Browns open training camp Wednesday, there will be one notable absence.
A quarterback controversy.
Since the franchise returned in 1999, most summers have been consumed by the question, ''Who will take the first snap from center on opening day?''
Couch vs. Detmer, Couch vs. Holcomb, Frye vs. Anderson vs. Quinn. Even in the years when a newcomer such as Jeff Garcia or Trent Dilfer was brought in to take over, there was an underlying sense of dissatisfaction — Garcia with coach Butch Davis' offensive scheme, Dilfer with his role as a mentor to Charlie Frye.
But when Derek Anderson signed a three-year, $26 million contract with $14.5 million guaranteed, the Browns committed to Anderson in 2008. Brady Quinn, the Notre Dame star drafted in the first round in 2007, will be the backup for another year, barring injury.
Going into his fourth pro season, Anderson has everything a quarterback could ask for — an outstanding offensive line, a 1,300-yard rusher in Jamal Lewis, two big receiving threats in Braylon Edwards and tight end Kellen Winslow and coordinator Rob Chudzinski, so active in dreaming up new wrinkles that Anderson deemed him a ''mad scientist.''
So there will be no controversy when the Browns hit the fields in Berea for 28 practices during 19 days of camp.
But there might be a quarterback quandary.
Will Anderson take a majority of the snaps to get sharp? Or will coach Romeo Crennel be cautious to keep him healthy? A case can be made that Anderson needs work. He could have wrestled the job from since-traded Frye in last year's camp, but failed to throw a preseason touchdown.
Or will Crennel give more practice and preseason game time to Quinn? As a rookie, he held out, missing 11 days, then took only 10 snaps in the regular season.
Will the Browns think only about the Sept. 7 opener against the Dallas Cowboys and put aside the decision they must
make between Anderson and Quinn in early 2009? Will they be content to evaluate Quinn strictly off limited practice and preseason film if Anderson stays injury-free for the second consecutive year?
Only a select few know the answers. Those scenarios might not have been discussed at length. Going into camp, Crennel surely will be more worried about his inexperienced cornerbacks than his talented quarterbacks.
Rich Gannon, the 2002 NFL Most Valuable Player as quarterback of the Oakland Raiders and now an analyst for CBS, thinks that Quinn will get the majority of the preseason time.
''Since they know who the starter is, usually the guy who gets the bulk of the work is the second guy,'' Gannon said by phone Thursday. ''You want to protect the starter. That allows a player like Brady to get a lot of work. The guy needs to play. You need to find out how he's going to respond. It's almost impossible to duplicate the tempo, the speed and the confusion of the game in practice.
''From the offseason training activities, quarterback school, minicamps, you're going to get a pretty good feel of where he is coming out of training camp.''
Considering Anderson led the team to a 10-5 record during a 10-6 season, threw 29 touchdown passes (one shy of Brian Sipe's record), went to the Pro Bowl and became a millionaire, he should be more relaxed about the situation. Anderson spent the offseason trying to improve throwing to his left, his touch on the short pass and his accuracy.
Quinn, who had been a starter since Game 4 of his freshman year at Notre Dame, is still telling himself there's a competition. The Browns are going to camp with only three quarterbacks, with five-year veteran but little-used Ken Dorsey as the third.
Quinn said he wasn't curious about his preseason playing time.
''Looking forward to whatever reps I get,'' he said in June. ''I'm sure it will be more than during last regular season.''
As far back as January, Browns General Manager Phil Savage was asked how he could project Quinn's starting skills from what little he has seen.
''One thing that we know about Brady is that he has some inherent leadership qualities,'' Savage said then. ''He has a great work ethic. He's a gym rat. He's got a lot of qualities you're looking for in a quarterback. We're excited about it.''
When he received a contract extension in May, Savage said drafting Quinn ''in a dramatic way'' was one of his proudest transactions. He didn't mention snatching Anderson from the Baltimore Ravens when they tried to sneak him through waivers in September 2005.
What will happen in the regular season is also anyone's guess. Several first-round draft choices have been forced to wait. Carson Palmer sat for a year behind Jon Kitna with the Cincinnati Bengals. Steve McNair started only six games in his first two years while the Houston Oilers went with Chris Chandler. Like Quinn, Philip Rivers probably blew a chance to start with the San Diego Chargers with a 2004 holdout, then rode the bench for two years when Drew Brees seized the opportunity.
''While Derek Anderson had a real solid year a year ago, in my opinion, he's on a fairly short leash,'' Gannon said. ''If they lose a couple games, and he doesn't play well, you know how fans are and not just in Cleveland. They're going to be pulling for the other guy. That's the situation Cleveland hopes doesn't happen, but it very well could.
''They'll try to find a way to get Brady some playing time, whether it's in games you have under control or games going in the other direction.''
Gannon knows unless you're coaching New England or Indianapolis, that's easier said than done.
What seems unusual about the Browns' situation is that usually the first-round pick wins out. Another season of big numbers from Anderson will break that trend. But Gannon leans toward Quinn for the Browns' long term.
''I think Brady Quinn has got a future in Cleveland,'' Gannon said. ''They felt strongly about him; they picked him in the first round. He's in probably as good a situation as there can be. He's on an up-and-coming team that's really turned the corner. When he finally does get to play, he'll be fine.''
Thousands of fans will come to camp wearing Quinn's jersey. But being the people's choice or the analysts' choice will have nothing to do with it.
Being a first-round pick might not, either.
Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read her Browns blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/browns/.
When the Browns open training camp Wednesday, there will be one notable absence.
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