Stop Bashing Brady Quinn! He Deserves Better from Cleveland Browns Fans

The idea of this article came from Bleacher Reports Erin McLaughlin's article "Why I Believe In Brady Quinn."

All of you Cleveland Browns fans out there need to stop bashing Brady Quinn. The kid has been hit from every angle and hasn't said one bad word about anybody.

It started during his combine workouts. He didn't do the best so the media questioned how good he really is. Then when he falls in the draft, the media goes nuts.

They make Quinn out to be of lesser value but think it is crazy when he falls.

Not too mention it was the story of the draft.

The Cleveland Browns pass up on Quinn for left tackle Joe Thomas. Quinn keeps getting passed up until he falls to 22.

The Cleveland Browns quickly jump into a trade with the Cowboys knowing they might have passed up on their franchise QB earlier in the draft.

So when the day is done, the media and fans are going crazy. The Cleveland Browns have just possibly picked up a franchise LT and QB in the matter of a few hours? It was almost unbelievable.

Later in the year, the Browns preseason starts and Quinn, Anderson, and Charlie Frye are all competing for the starting role.

Quinn has a good preseason but it seemed as if Romeo Crennel didn't want him to. A vivid memory is when Brady hit Joe Jurevicius in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown but it was ruled incomplete.

Although replays showed that JJ was obviously inbounds when he caught the ball, nothing happened. Crennel didn't throw the red flag? It's preseason man so why are you holding back?

Then the regular season hits and Frye is the starting QB. Pittsburgh eats him alive and he is on the bench quickly. The stadium roars "Brady Quinn, Brady Quinn," but in goes Anderson.

Anderson hits Lawrence Vickers for a 1-yard Touchdown and that's the only Browns score. They lose 34-7.

Putting in Anderson wasn't a questionable decision on Crennels part but imagine how Quinn felt. Sitting on the bench while the entire stadium chanted his name. Talk about a buzz-kill for Quinn on his first actual day in the NFL.

Then the season goes on and Anderson is doing pretty good. Braylon Edwards and him are connecting and the entire offense is thriving. The Browns are winning.

The season makes it to Week 17 against the San Fransisco 49ers and this game doesn't even matter. The can lose and it wouldn't make a difference. Their fate rests in the hands of the Tennessee Titans.

If the Titans lose to the Indianapolis Colts, the Browns go to the playoffs. If the Titans win, the Browns stay at home to watch from their homes.

It was an obvious opportunity to give starting QB Anderson a rest and Brady Quinn some experience.

Anderson starts the game anyways and plays almost the entire game. Crennel gives Quinn one offensive drive. One single offensive drive!!!

The sad part is Quinn did good but other players screwed up. Quinn hit both Edwards and Kellen Winslow Jr. for TD's but they were both dropped. The drive ended up in a field goal, and the Browns went on to win.

Crennel risked getting his starting QB injured and let his rookie QB (with no experience all year) sit almost the entire time for a game that didn't even matter. It was ridiculous.

Then Anderson gets chosen as a Pro Bowler while Quinn sits at home with one offensive drive under his rookie belt.

After the season, the Browns enter the offseason with a winning attitude the Browns hit the 2008 offseason. They acquire players to help them make it to the top (ex: Donte Stallworth, Shaun Rogers, Corey Williams).

Not to mention they resign Derek Anderson to a big three-year contract. Just one more thing for Quinn to think about.

So the Browns head on into the 2008 season with high hopes and a team record five Prime-Time games, three of which are Monday night games.

In the first game, the Browns get beat badly by the Dallas Cowboys. The next week the good ol' Pittsburgh Steelers beat them yet again. Then another division rival in the Baltimore Ravens beat them in week three.

The promising 2008 season is starting isn't so promising anymore.

After the Browns ground out a win over the Cincinnati Bengals, they showed why they got Monday night games be beating the reigning Super Bowl champion New York Giants in a thriller in Cleveland.

From there, the Browns season went on until week 10 when Crennel benched Anderson for Quinn. Quinn was finally getting his first start, against the Denver Broncos.

I thought especially ironic considering Quinn was suppose to be "Cleveland's Savior," and that he was facing the Broncos in his first NFL start, the team that beat the Browns up in the '80s. Anybody remember "The Drive" or "The Fumble?"

Anyways that is besides the point. Quinn and crew made it a close one but the Broncos ended up winning 34-30.

In Quinn's second start (against the Buffalo Bills), he didn't do so great but the team won. The only problem was that Quinn fractured the index finger on his throwing hand.

Even with the injury Quinn went on to play the nest week against the Houston Texans.  Despite starting, he was taken out due to poor play. The poor play could have been because of his finger.

Quinn would go on to miss the rest of the season and have hand surgery this offseason to fix the index finger. With his surgery out of the way, Quinn is fine but many fans are now down on him.

Something got lost in the translation.

What many fans should realize is that Quinn's career may seem unorthodox but is actually going according to plan.

When a QB is drafted it is recommended that he sits for a while, even a few years if necessary. Quinn has started three games and played in four in two seasons.

He has sat plenty and may be ready to take on a starting role. He was and is a natural leader and a game manager. With a good offensive line, a good running game, and dependable receivers Quinn would thrive.

Not to mention he has already been through a lot.

The media bashing him,
the draft pandemonium,
sitting his rookie year (behind a Pro Bowl QB),
missing the playoffs despite a winning season,
the PBQB resigning to a big contract (making his future unsure),
sitting most of his sophomore year,
watching a team with high hopes go down the drain,
winning and losing as a starter,
getting injured (and missing the rest of the season afterwards),
the firing of head coach Crennel and general manager Phil Savage,
the hiring of new head coach Eric Mangini and general manager George Kokinis,
trade rumors!!!! (and how Mangini might not like him),
and Mangini talking about an open QB competition between himself and Anderson.

Talk about a long list for a three-year career in the NFL. But despite all this drama in his career, he hasn't had one bad thing to say about anybody. He has been a complete professional about everything.

So Quinn is mature, weathered, a leader, and honestly still has first-round potential. Not to mention he still wants to play for Cleveland. If he didn't he would start acting like Jay Cutler and throw a hissy-fit.

To bash Quinn is horrible. You don't have to like him or think he will be the Browns starting QB but give the man some credit. He has stuck with it through everything since day one.

You can't say that about Edwards. You can't say that about Kellen Winslow.

Basically said leave the guy alone. Let him prove himself next season and then you can say whatever you want.

BQ for QB!!!!!!