Derek Anderson Should NOT start over Brady Quinn, and This Is Why

Derek Anderson has not yet proved himself to win the starting quarterback position outright over Brady Quinn.  The man has shown time and time again throughout his NCAA and NFL career that he is consistently inconsistent.  He did not have an off year in 2008.  Anderson was, plain and simple, being himself.

Throughout Anderson’s entire college career, his highest completion percentage by the end of the year came his senior year topping out at 54.2 percent.

Brady Quinn was just under that number his sophomore year throwing a completion percentage of 54.1 percent.  Quinn had topped out in completion percentage his junior year with a 64.9 percent, he then dropped to a 61.9 percent his senior year.

In Anderson’s junior year at Oregon State, the odds of you seeing him throw a TD were just as good as his odds of throwing an INT (throwing 24 TDs and 24 INTs, although managing to throw for over 4,000 yards).  Anderson’s total passing yards did drop his senior year but he was able to put up better numbers with 29 TDs and 17 INTs. 

Brady Quinn put up 32 TDs and seven INTs his junior year with 3,919 yards in the air, astonishing numbers that surly could not be done again.  In his senior year, Quinn shelled out 37 TDs and seven INTs, although not breaking 3,500 in passing yards.  I mean by the end of his senior year he ONLY broke 36 records at Notre Dame (alma mater of a guy named Joe Montana).

But let's not forget about the importance of arm strength in the NFL, right?  You need to be able to throw the ball 60+ yards through the air to be able to make it in this league.

In 2007 the Cleveland Browns had one of the easiest schedules in the NFL, only beating ONE team with a winning record, the Seattle Seahawks (who also had an easy schedule).  Anderson struggled against teams with a winning record or in games that mattered as well as proved to be inconsistent:

Week Three at Oakland: (the game after the 20/33 for 328 yards, five TDs, and one INT)

Final Score: 24-26 Loss

Anderson: 18/37 for 248 yards with one TD and two INTs

(This is against Oakland! OAKLAND!  They ended the year 4-12.)

Week Five at New England: (first REAL challenge for Anderson)

Final Score: 17-34 Loss

Anderson: 22/43 for 287 yards two TDs and three INTs

Week 10 at Pittsburgh: (next REAL challenge since the NE game; coming off a three game winning streak)

Final Score: 28-31 Loss

Anderson: 16/35 for 123 yards with three TDs and zero INTs

(Although no INTs were thrown and Anderson did show some heart at the end of the game trying to lead the Browns down the field to send the game into OT, many scoring opportunities were lost this game due to his lack of consistency.  With a 45.7 completion percentage, it’s amazing that the score was as close as it was.  We can thank Josh Cribbs for that.)

Week 16 at Cincinnati: (clinch playoffs with a win)

Final Score: 14-19 Loss

Anderson: 29/48 for 250 yards with two TDs and four INTs

(This is the same defense he scorched in Week Two.  Once again, inconsistent.  The Browns missed the playoffs.)

Before you go throwing the Pro Bowl status Anderson received for his 2007 season, let's not forget that he ONLY made the Pro Bowl because Tom Brady was in a pissy mood after losing the Super Bowl and the “perfect season”, and backed out.

Anderson did put up some stellar numbers though; 10/26 for 103 yards, zero TDs, and one INT, he was by far the worst QB of the day.

Out of Anderson’s entire career with the Cleveland Browns, he has only surprised me twice.  Once being his amazing start against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week Two of the 2007 season.

The second came Week Six on Monday Night against the defending Super Bowl champs, the New York Giants.  Anderson finished the game 18/29 for 310 yards, two TDs and zero INTs. 

With a game like this the confidence for Anderson should have skyrocketed and the thoughts of Brady Quinn taking over as starting quarterback a distant memory.  But Anderson proved yet again in the next game against the Washington Redskins that he lacks consistency.  Anderson finished the game 14/37 for 136 yards, one TD and zero INTs.

Does this sound like a quarterback who deserves another shot?  In all fairness I think that Anderson has been given multiple chances to prove himself and rise above the criticism but has failed to do so.

If you crunch the numbers of last year, Quinn still comes out the better quarterback, even beating Anderson on yards per attempt (so much for the huge arm).

Hey, I get it, we have no idea what Quinn is capable of doing.  But we are never going to find out by sitting him on the bench any longer than we already have.  The kid deserves the chance to start for an entire year to see what he is capable of.  We already know what to expect out of Anderson, the consistence of his inconsistency. 

For me, I'd take a consistently accurate quarterback who throws short passes over an inconsistent cannon of an arm gunslinger any day.  On September 13th, 2009 Brady Quinn will be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

Only time will tell on whether or not he will become the face of the franchise or just another has been.  If he ends up being a bust, so be it, at least we know.