Cleveland Browns History: Most Overrated Players of All Time

Identifying the most overrated players in Cleveland Browns history was not an easy task to tackle.

As a fan of the Browns it's hard to discern between objective admiration and subjective fandom. That hasn't stopped me from making an effort. Is this list all inclusive? No. But it does have some pretty controversial discussions about some big names in Browns' history.

Some players, those before my time (1985), are hard to accurately label overrated because of my lack of experience watching them first-hand.

I'm not all knowing, but I like to think I know a little about the following players.

It's post-draft, pre-training camp time. So, why not?

Derek Anderson

Perhaps the most overrated player in Cleveland Browns history is none other than Derek Anderson. This ranking is looking at the time after his terrific 2007 season in which he earned a spot on the AFC Pro Bowl roster (as an alternate).

If you were lucky enough to watch Anderson during his brief stint with the Browns, he was anything but an all-star.

But, man could he sling a pig skin.

If only he learned to take criticism, and throw short-to-intermediate passes to his teammates and not opposing secondaries, he may have lived up to the expectations he created for himself in 2007.

He was truly a one-hit wonder that briefly caught lightning in a bottle.

Hey, even I admit I was a believer until Week 17 of the 2007 season when he handed the Tennessee Titans the Browns' playoff berth.

Bernie Kosar

Labeling Bernie Kosar as an overrated quarterback might frighten many writers and fans for fear of the push back they'll likely receive.

If you know me by now, and you should, you realize that that isn't going to deter me from conveying my opinions.

Kosar was the ultimate fan favorite during a very successful stretch of Cleveland Browns football in the 1980s. How much of that can be attributed to the greatness of Kosar?

A term that is thrown around a lot concerning quarterbacks is "game manager."  While Kosar was a little more than that to his team, his statistics and results don't do too well in supporting his hyped-up image.

No quarterback for the Browns has come close to Kosar since he departed in the early 90s. That isn't saying much considering the horrid display of quarterbacking Browns fans have been forced to endure since.

At the end of the day, Bernie was an 81 quarterback rating, a quality QB and a great personality that invigorated the Browns' fanbase.

He won games with a good team until he couldn't anymore when he was replaced by journeyman QB Vinny Testaverde.

Braylon Edwards

Need a model? Need a finely-tuned athlete to look the part at the wide receiver position?

Braylon Edwards is your guy.

He had everything a No. 1 wide receiver should have in the NFL, besides the hands to catch the ball.

Mental lapses, drops and run-ins with the law have littered Edwards' career. What could be is quickly becoming what could have been for the standout wide receiver from Michigan.

God-given talent is not always enough to succeed. The NFL is a challenge for the mind and character as much as it is the body.

Braylon Edwards hasn't fared too well in any of those three categories. He was hyped from the beginning and struggled throughout his tenure with the Browns, but occasionally flashed glimpses of greatness to keep the spotlight on him.

Brian Brennan

Brian Brennan can best be described as a "clutch" player who found himself in good positions at key times. It's too bad the beloved wide receiver didn't do so more often.

Brennan was a fan favorite in Cleveland Browns country, but a virtual unknown outside of the city limits.

His statistics never jumped off the page, but when he made a highlight reel it was often times pretty spectacular.

The hit-or-miss nature of Brennan's game elevated him to this list as truly one of the most overrated players in Browns history.

Kelly Holcomb

Everyone loves the backup quarterback. This is and has continued to remain especially true for Cleveland Browns fans.

Perhaps one of the biggest Kelly Holcomb memories for Browns fans is his 429-yard passing performance in the team's only playoff appearance since their reincarnation in 1999.

Holcomb's following and the struggles of former No. 1 draft pick Tim Couch led to the inevitable overrating of the career backup QB.

Many even believed Holcomb should supplant Couch as the team's starting QB and he did after that playoff performance in 2002.

Couch seemed to have had a higher ceiling, so to speak, but Holcomb's steady play was often times a relief for the bad memories of Couch's low points.

That's all Holcomb was, though, despite his flashes of brilliance off the Browns' bench: a backup QB.

Follow Mike on Twitter @BigHoagowski