From Chop to Flop: The Coaster Rolls On for Cleveland's Brady Quinn

Brady Quinn has caused quite a fuss this week.

On the one hand, his actions Monday night following his second interception throw, when he undercut Baltimore's Terrell Suggs with a chop block during the Ravens' return, drew cries of outrage on the Internet and, on Wednesday, a fine from the league.

On the other hand, his shockingly bad performance led others, at long last, to label Quinn as an out-and-out flop.

For the record, Quinn said after the game that he saw Suggs coming at the last second, was upset and sorry about what happened, and never intended to hurt him. Quinn spoke to Suggs on the field and later apologized to him and the Ravens.

Maybe he was sincere, maybe he was covering his behind. Regardless, the league exacted punishment.

But what about the "flop" tag? Does it really apply to Quinn? Is he truly overrated?

No one can deny that he's been awful this year. Monday night was no exception. Passes were woefully off-target, including two deep balls late in the game that sailed ridiculously far out of bounds. Too many others were deflected by oncoming pass rushers. You'd think Quinn would have adjusted and improved as the game progressed, but he didn’t. So he bears his share of responsibility.

But the Browns are an awful team. Offensively, they're one of the worst in league history. The demise of this once proud franchise has been shocking. And it's into that maelstrom of mediocrity that Quinn has been tossed.

Honestly, how good do you think even the best quarterbacks would look with the Browns? Would Manning, Brady, or Brees be able to single-handedly lift them to dizzying heights? Poor pass protection, no running game, inexperienced receivers—the things that are wrong with this team are too numerous for one individual to overcome.

That's why it's premature to label Quinn as overrated, or a flop—yet. Yes, former Brown Willie McGinest took to the airwaves Tuesday and said Quinn is not a starting NFL quarterback, and it makes sense to defer to the guys who have played the game. So we're not arguing greatness here. But it's not reasonable to saddle one player with the sins of an entire organization.

That's what happened to Tim Couch, if you'll recall. The 1999 season wasn't even one game old when Couch stepped into the starting QB role—and was subsequently beaten, battered, and tossed around like a rag doll for most of the next five years. He never truly won the hearts of Browns fans, but he never had much to work with, either.

Fans are fickle, quick to tear down athletes and delight in their shortcomings. The Browns' struggles in the early years of the expansion era weren't all Couch's fault—not even close—but he was the high-profile guy, the bonus baby, the can't-miss prospect on whose shoulders the team's hopes were squarely placed. Being the first overall pick of the draft (not to mention the first pick of the returning Browns) turned out to be Couch's misfortune, not his good fortune.

The what-ifs abound with Couch. What if the Browns had chosen Donovan McNabb or Daunte Culpepper, both available in the '99 draft? Would either have fared any better in Cleveland, or would we have written their football epitaphs six years ago, as we did Couch's? And what if Couch had fallen in the draft to the Eagles or the Vikings? With protection, a running game, and better receivers, would his NFL story have been a different one?

We'll never know. But even Couch's most ardent critics allow for the fact that his team was terrible. So is Quinn's. In fact, this year's version looks even worse—a painful thing to contemplate, 11 seasons after a rebirth that seemingly held such promise for the city of Cleveland.

Without question, Quinn's window of opportunity is closing fast. But it's worthwhile to consider the early struggles of such quarterbacks as Terry Bradshaw or Troy Aikman—Hall of Famers, both—when deciding Brady’s fate. Bradshaw and Aikman were pretty awful early on. But they were on teams that were being built into champions by seasoned coaches. The Browns show no such hope.

In truth, Quinn has barely had a chance in the NFL. He played in garbage time in one game his rookie year. Last year, he appeared in three games before getting hurt. And this year, after 10 quarters, he was yanked and not given another opportunity until Monday night.

Quinn has yet to distinguish himself. But he's not the real flop in Cleveland. The Browns are. The franchise is in total, embarrassing disarray.

What we've seen from Quinn has been disappointing. History may end up being unkind to him. It may even judge him to be a flop.

But eight games of action over three years? That’s simply not enough time to make an informed, long-term judgment.