Brady Quinn the Next Tim Couch? I Sure Hope Not

Many who don't believe in Brady Quinn have compared him to Tim Couch. That is an unfair criticism, considering that Quinn has yet to really get a chance to show what he can develop into. Oh wait, Tim Couch never got that chance either. At least that is how I remember it.

Couch was the first draft choice for the expansion Browns. Coach Palmer didn't wait long before he threw him in. Being that it was an expansion team in all, fans had to know that it would take awhile to build the team. Therefore, they should have expected that the development of Couch would take longer than it normally would.

The coaches did stick with Couch for awhile. Then they abandoned him when he was really starting to come along. Say what you want, but the only quarterback to lead the new Browns into the playoffs was Tim Couch.

I remember that year well. They started the year with Kelly Holcomb because Couch was injured. He looked really good. The team went 1-1 and then Couch returned. In his first game back, he threw for more than 300 yards and the team won. The rest of the year the team was very competitive and Couch was getting better each week.

Then in the final game of the year, a trip to the playoffs was on the line. Couch went down in the game and Holcomb once again stepped in and did a really good job. The team won. The following week Holcomb was phenomenal in a playoff game. He threw for more than 400 yards and multiple touchdowns. The team lost, though.

That is where the team got distracted the first time. They seemed to forget that Couch was the quarterback for most of the year. He was supposed to be the face of the franchise. They could have traded Holcomb away and got a great deal for him. Instead they decide to keep both guys and let them compete.

That was when everybody in Cleveland thought Holcomb was better. Holcomb did win the job and the Browns were a disaster that year. Holcomb ended up being a "flash in the pan." Couch came back in late in the year but the team had already given up.

To be fair, hindsight is 20/20. I myself thought it was the right choice to go with Holcomb. It turned out that we were all wrong. The problem is that the Browns don't seem to learn from their mistakes.

In 2007, Quinn was drafted to be the franchise quarterback. However, Romeo Crennel didn't want to play him right away. That was the correct decision. Derek Anderson steps in and has a Pro Bowl year. However, he does ultimately end up costing the Browns the playoffs against the Bengals.

Then the Browns had a chance to trade him and really get a great deal for him. Instead they get distracted again. They re-sign him to a huge contract and Quinn is once again on the bench. Then Anderson turned out to be another "flash in the pan."

Now, with a new coach and new management, they want to look at it again and have an open competition. The problem is that the Browns have been here before and look how it turned out. I realize that it was different coaches and different management, but the fans are the same.

That is where the Randy Lerner should step in and put a stop to it. I know Jerry Jones would. No good businessman would allow his company to make the same mistake twice. We all know Lerner wants Quinn to be the guy, so make it happen.

And no, I am not afraid that he can't beat out Anderson. I am very confident in him. I just am not confident in Eric Mangini making the right decision. He is a defensive-minded guy and has made the wrong choice before at quarterback. Just ask Chad Pennington.

While the competition is a noble idea, in the end it does more harm than good. I know Jerry Jones would never allow this to happen. If he wanted a player on the field, then that player would be on the field. Even if Bill Parcells is the coach.

So Mr. Lerner, it is on you. Don't let Quinn be the next Couch. We all know that Anderson is another Holcomb. That is, a guy who can look phenomenal in spots, but at the end of the day he will take you nowhere.