Butch Davis Helped Ignite Browns' Quarterback Troubles

Answer me this: Who was the last Browns’ quarterback to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers?

You have to go all the way back to 2003, on a Sunday night on October 6 when Tim Couch was responsible for three touchdowns, two of them through the air.

What does this have to do with the Browns’ quarterback issues over the past decade?

A lot.

Couch may not have been the most physically gifted signal caller, but he did the most out of what surrounded him and defeated the team’s biggest rival three times. He never publicly threw any of his teammates under the bus for dropping passes or letting him get beat up by opposing defenses week after week.

So why did then-head coach Butch Davis get rid of him?

The reason—Kelly Holcomb. The Davis regime’s version of Derek Anderson. A big-armed quarterback who performed well in spot duty and was ineffective when opposing team’s had an opportunity to prepare for him.

Following Couch and Holcomb were Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, Trent Dilfer, Charlie Frye and the two quarterbacks who are currently on the 2009 roster.

I ask myself many times what the Browns would be like had Davis stuck with Couch after 2002 and not name Holcomb the 2003 starter after his record-breaking playoff game in Pittsburgh. The only lineman that Davis drafted higher than the third round was center Jeff Faine.

Remember names such as Ross Verba, Enoch Demar, Melvin Fowler?

You tell me how Couch was supposed to succeed behind a line that pedestrian.

He never had a lineman besides Ryan Tucker that was Pro-Bowl caliber like a Joe Thomas or an Eric Steinbach and his best running back was probably William Green.

It’s difficult to predict what would have happened with Couch, but the front office did a horrific job of surrounding their franchise quarterback with a strong supporting cast. They never drafted a franchise left tackle or provided Couch with a Pro Bowl receiver. Kevin Johnson, Quincy Morgan, Dennis Northcutt, Andre Davis were his weapons-adequate but not spectacular. Northcutt is hanging on for dear life in Detroit of all places and Davis is the third receiver in Houston. Johnson and Morgan have since been out of the league.

Ever since that whole Couch-Holcomb saga, it has divided Browns fans when it comes to the starting quarterback. They wait for each quarterback to screw up so they can begin the chants for the backup to come in.

Remember when Charlie Frye was supposed to be the next savior of the Browns? Come on.

Right now, if Brady Quinn wore number 9 instead of 10, I would have still thought Frye was quarterbacking this team. Indecisive, holds onto the ball too long and dumps off underneath passes play after play.

Gotta love that huddle presence though.

Quarterback controversies occur everywhere in the NFL but Cleveland has been the poster child for uncertainty at the position. Maybe that’s why the team has had two winning seasons in 10 years and one playoff appearance. Just maybe.

The New York Giants didn’t dump Eli Manning after he struggled his first two seasons and didn’t win a playoff game. They supported him and ended up winning a Super Bowl in his third season. The Giants now have one of, if not, the best team in the league right now.

The San Diego Chargers at one point had two potential franchise quarterbacks in Drew Brees and Philip Rivers. They rode Brees for two seasons and let him leave and gave the keys to Rivers. Today, Rivers has established himself as an upper-echalon quarterback and appears to have his best chance of taking his team to the Super Bowl this season.

The Browns could have traded Anderson over the two past offseasons, but allowed the drama to continue when they knew the majority of fans would settle for nothing less than Quinn.

Now I’m actually reading comments from fans who want to see Anderson in and Quinn out. You have got to be kidding me!

By the way, did I happen to say thank you to Butch Davis yet?