Brady Quinn: Dispelling the Myths About the Former Irish QB

This article is in response to a recent comment about Brady Quinn. As a Notre Dame fan, I am tired of hearing ESPN analysts and fans who didn't watch him for for four years saying what he can't do. These myths about need a reality check. Everybody in South Bend is well aware of what Brady Quinn can do.

This comment pretty much covers every myth there is about Quinn. A copy of it is pasted at the bottom of this article. I suggest you read it before reading the article. Now I will go and break out parts of the comment and respond.

"Not only does Eric Mangini plan on keeping Anderson around, he is likely the future starter in Cleveland. Lets not forget the situation Mangini has come into. Last year, due partly to poor blocking, rushing and receiving, Anderson was booed for every mistake, listened to chants of "Brady" from "some" home fans, and then to top it had "some" home fans cheer his being injured. Anderson is still a young QB who showed great potential in 2007 (when his line blocked and his receivers caught the ball)."

What exactly did Derek Anderson prove in 2007? He proved he can light it up against a last-place schedule. He was terrible against the Patriots and Steelers. The last five or six games, he wasn't that good either. In week 15 against the Bengals, he threw four interceptions. The Browns could have clinched a playoff spot with a win.

Then he replaced Tom Brady for the Pro Bowl. How he was chosen over Phillip Rivers is beyond me. Then in the game, he looked out of place among great players. He was 10 of 26 with a couple of interceptions.

"Anderson still has a large portion of the fan base who believe he is the better NFL QB, but there is also a portion of the fans who prefer Quinn."

Well, I live in Hawaii, and I deal with tourists from all over. I always ask tourists about their football teams. For Browns fans, I always ask Quinn or Anderson. I never let my Notre Dame bias known. So far, nobody has said Anderson. In fact, most feel that the DA ship has sunk and they have seen all they can take.

The general consensus is let's see what Quinn has. Everybody in South Bend knows what Quinn has.

"Why? Well lets ask ourselves this question.....If Brady Quinn looked like Ralph Mouth, and grew up in Kansas, would there be so much love for this guy? No, not even close."

This makes it sound like he is from the bright lights and big city. He is actually from Dublin, Ohio. I have never been there, but from what I understand, it is a Blue Collar town.

Now I realize that there are more and more female football fans than there used to be. However, I still think it is safe to say that most football fans are straight males. I am pretty sure they don't like him because of his looks.

If anything, to hold the pretty boy thing against him is being ignorant. You can't assume that just because he is a pretty boy, he isn't good.

"Some fans and most coaches realize that what you look like and where you grew up have nothing to do with being a good QB in the NFL. Things like arm strength, mental toughness, durability, and leadership are a bit more important. Some may say mobility is a big upside to Quinn as QB. But the fact is that hes not that much faster than Anderson, and mobility is only important if that is your offensive scheme. Most coaches will take a pocket passer like Rothlisburger, Brady, or Anderson over a scrambler such as Vick, McNabb, or Quinn."

If any of this had any validity, why is it that the Browns turned down offers for Quinn in which first round draft picks were involved? Meanwhile, they can't give Anderson away.

Any Notre Dame fan knows how ridiculous it is to question Quinn's arm strength, mental toughness, durabilty, and leadership. Quinn is a natural leader and anybody who thinks differently didn't see him for four years at Notre Dame.

He is often criticized for checking down and not going deep. That is called taking what the defense gives. It is all about reading the defense. He can throw the deep ball when it is there. Unlike Anderson though, he won't throw into triple coverage.

Putting him in the same category of Vick and McNabb is just dumb. He is a thrower not a scrambler. He does have escapibility, but I thought that was a good thing.

"But to all the Quinn lovers in Cleveland, he will start the season as the starting QB if not injured. Mangini realizes that its better to give Quinn a chance and if he succeeds great, we will all love him. But if Quinn underperforms or is injured, that gives Mangini the ability to bring Anderson back in under FULL fan support to be the hero."

Yeah, the same way he was the hero against Houston when he replaced an injured Quinn and went 5 out of 16 for 47 yards and an interception. It is true that Quinn wasn't great in that game either, but he tried to play with the same injury that Tony Romo missed three games with.

So we will find out by week 3 at the latest if Quinn is as good as your wife thinks he is.

Yes I like him because my wife thinks he is cute. It has nothing to do with the way I watched him grow into a leader for four years. It has nothing to do with the fact that he led Notre Dame to two BCS Bowls.

Oh wait! My wife doesn't even know who Brady Quinn is. That last sentence really highlights just how ignorant the whole comment is.