Gunfight at Berea Corral: Anderson Is Browns' Best Shot

There's a breed of NFL quarterback known as the gunslinger. He can strike terror into the hearts of both an opposing defense and the hearts of his own fans at any moment.

He can complete passes lesser quarterbacks can't, and takes chances other quarterbacks don't dare to. 

He can bust out of the league quickly, or get a bust in Canton. The best of his breed are usually inducted in their first year of eligibility.

Historically, the gunslinger does not come from a top-tier collegiate program, and takes longer to develop than other NFL quarterbacks.

He throws more interceptions than most quarterbacks, not from an inability to comprehend the game, but from his confidence in his superior playmaking ability.

Derek Anderson of the Cleveland Browns is clearly a gunslinger.

Other famous gunslingers in NFL lore include Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Brett Favre, Dan Fouts, and Johnny Unitas.

Four of these five men are enshrined in Canton, and the other is a first-ballot lock.

Gunslingers, as stated before, often start their careers slowly.

Comparing these six quarterbacks' first two starting seasons of play, Derek Anderson compares favorably in some areas, and has the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of any.

This is more impressive considering the quality of the teams each played for.

Often, the gunslinger begins his career as an afterthought. Unitas was cut by the Steelers in training camp, sat out of pro football for a year, and made the Baltimore Colts as a training camp walk-on.

It was once said of Bradshaw, "He's so dumb he couldn't spell 'cat' if you spotted him the 'c' and the 'a'." Bradshaw also survived quarterback controversies on his way to Canton, and over his first two seasons, his average QB rating was 51.1.*

*Note: For this comparison, I've taken an average of the QBs' first two years as starters by adding each year's rating and dividing by two.

In a personnel move not quite as glaring as the Steelers cutting Unitas, Favre barely saw the field for Atlanta before being traded to Green Bay.

Of these six men, only Elway was originally considered an elite prospect, but his first two seasons produced an average QB rating of 51.9.

None of the men went to top-tier college programs except Elway, who had a high-profile career at Stanford. Unitas was turned down by Notre Dame and Pitt before he played at Louisville.

The gunslinger is not meant for a West Coast offense, and he can scintillate one Sunday and exasperate the next.

But, the right gunslinger is like a solid left tackle. Your team can be set for a decade.

The leadership style of a gunslinger, especially one from a humble background like a Unitas, a Favre, or an Anderson, is more based on performance than public relations.

It's not about articulate press conferences or juicy quotations, but on the scoreboard at the end of the games. 

When the clock hits 0:00, the scoreboard speaks louder than any locker room pep talk.

Given that gunslingers take longer to develop but have a higher ceiling, a look at the statistics for each of these quarterbacks' first two starting seasons is in order:

DEREK ANDERSON (2007-08)

440-of-804, 5382 YDS, COMP PCT .547, 38TD, 27INT, 74.5 RATING

TERRY BRADSHAW (1971-72)

350-of-681, 4146 YDS, COMP PCT .514, 25TD, 34INT, 51.1 RATING

JOHN ELWAY (1983-84)

337-of-639, 4261 YDS, COMP PCT .527, 25TD, 29INT, 51.9 RATING

BRETT FAVRE (1992-93)

620-of-993, 6530 YDS, COMP PCT .624, 37TD, 37INT, 78.9 RATING

DAN FOUTS (1974-75)

221-of-432, 3128 YDS, COMP PCT .512, 10TD, 23INT, 60.4 RATING

JOHNNY UNITAS (1956-57)

282-of-499, 4048 YDS, COMP PCT .565, 33TD, 27INT, 81.0 RATING

If I was a general manager, and you suggested I trade, bench, or cut a young quarterback with a cannon for an arm whose statistics compared favorably to these Hall of Famers in his first two seasons, my response might make Phil Savage's email seem polite.

Has Derek Anderson peaked? If his college career is any indication, no.

Purely a pocket passer when he took the reins at Oregon State, by his senior year, he showed opponents he could also beat them with his legs.

Anderson has shown he's also trainable, as he underwent a coaching change in Corvallis and learned an entirely new system on the fly, never leading the Beavers to a losing season.

Anderson also set his share of collegiate records at Oregon State, still holding Oregon State records for career passing yards, season passing yards and passing touchdowns in a single season.

Can he throw the touch pass? Not now, but a competent coaching staff can teach that. In John Elway's first few years in the NFL, his receivers mentioned the "Elway Cross."

The term came from the imprint made by the tip of the football, as he would fire a short pass at the same speed he threw a bomb.

Can Anderson lead? One little-mentioned fact is he was a team captain in 2008. Quarterbacks without locker room respect or huddle presence do not get made captain. Period.

Not all leadership styles are equal, and a perceived Bradshaw or Favre "Aw Shucks!" approach may not be viewed as favorably by the general public as a more polished persona. 

Derek Anderson is far from a finished product, but he has attributes that can't be taught.

You can't teach a cannon arm, and you can't teach 6'6".

Even when you coach a cannon arm closer to his ceiling, you'll still get the interceptions that will make you scratch your head. He's still a gunslinger.

But you'll also get something else if you have a solid team.

A shot at the Lombardi Trophy every year.