Brady Quinn Shows a lot of Progress in Loss To Chargers

Late last week, the issue of whether or not Brady Quinn was progressing was looked at. 

It certainly was a question that was worth thinking about. After having a rough go of it the first three weeks against three very tough defenses, Quinn was benched for five and a half games. Then he returned on a Monday Night against the Ravens only to struggle once again and get shut out.

Then the Browns traveled to Detroit and Quinn had a monster game with over 300 yards passing and four touchdowns. Still there was question as to how much progress Quinn really made since it was against the Lions, who are another poor team. There were still questions about his arm since his long balls were in a confined setting in a dome.

Then the Browns took on interstate rival Cincinatti. In that game, Quinn produced mixed results. His completion percentage was low and he barely made 100 yards passing. However, he did record his first ever rushing touchdown and he also caught a pass. The touchdown was against a first place defense.

Therefore, it really was hard to tell whether or not Quinn was improving each week or not. On Sunday, we got a much clearer answer to that question.

The San Diego Chargers, another first place team, came to Cleveland. Quinn and the Browns got off to a fast start as he hit Mohamed Massaquoi for an early touchdown. The best part about that play was that Massaquoi was actually the third or fourth option. Quinn had time to go through his progressions and make the play.

Unfortunately, the Charger defense stiffened and held the Browns scoreless for the second and third quarters. There was one drive where Quinn led them down to the goal line, but he failed to recognize blind side pressure. The ball was knocked loose and the Chargers recovered. 

In the meantime the Charger offense was able to build a 27-7 lead. Then the fourth quarter started and Quinn must have had a flashback back to a road game at Michigan State his senior year at Notre Dame.

Quinn led a comeback that featured two touchdown passes to Jerome Harrison. He also led the Browns to a late field goal to pull the team within a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Browns failed on the onside kick and the comeback came up short. The end result was another loss and it dropped the Browns to 1-11.

The Browns and their fans should hold their heads up, though, after this one. The reality is that the season is already lost so wins and losses aren't important. The most important thing for the Browns is the development of Quinn and other young players.

That is starting to show. Over the last three games Quinn has accounted for eight touchdowns. Prior to that the team only had five for the year. The most important stat may be that he has not thrown any interceptions during that stretch.

Other young players also stepped up against the Chargers. Second year Tight End Evan Moore caught six passes for 80 yards. Quinn has been looking all year for a good pass catching Tight End. Could Moore be the guy?

Browns fans have been waiting all year for former Ohio State Buckeye to make a contribution. On Sunday, he caught four passes for 69 yards.

Jerome Harrison also added seven catches for 62 yards with the two scores. Unfortunately though, Harrison did only manage 35 yards rushing and still no running back has scored a rushing touchdown. It was nice to see a back find the endzone twice, but it would be even better to see one get a score on the ground.

Overall, Quinn and the rest of the offense showed alot of postives against San Diego. At the same time, they still have alot more work to do and there are still plenty of holes to fill.