Brandon Weeden Announced as Browns Starting QB for Season

The quarterback competition in Cleveland appears to be over before it started, and to absolutely no one's surprise, rookie Brandon Weeden has emerged as the winner.

Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer broke the news Monday afternoon that head coach Pat Shurmur has decided that the 28-year-old Weeden will take the field as the Browns' starter when the team opens the season on September 9 at home against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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#brownshc pat Shurmur announced Brandon Weeden starting qb for season

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) August 6, 2012

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Weeden, who threw for over 4,700 yards and 37 touchdowns at Oklahoma State last year, was selected by the Browns with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

The rookie was expected by most to beat out incumbent Colt McCoy for the starting job in Cleveland, and as Jamison Hensley of ESPN recently reported, the not-so-youngster has impressed in camp with not only his quick grasp of the playbook but also his ability and willingness to push the ball down the field, something that was sorely lacking for the Browns a season ago.

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The key is that Weeden is being aggressive in his first NFL training camp. This attitude was missing from the Browns offense last season, when Colt McCoy ranked 33rd in the NFL with an average of 5.9 yards per attempt (only Jacksonville's Blaine Gabbert was worse among starting quarterbacks).

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The Browns, who were recently sold to Tennessee businessman Jimmy Haslam III for over $1 billion, were one of the most anemic offenses in the NFL a season ago, ranking No. 29 in total offense and No. 24 in passing offense.

Apparently, Shurmur and offensive coordinator Brad Childress have seen all they needed to see from Weeden, and he and No. 3 overall pick Trent Richardson will take the field as starters from Day One as the Browns try to climb from out of the AFC North cellar in 2012.

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