Quarterback Merry-Go-Round

Since the re-inception of the Cleveland Browns, there has been a Merry-go-round of quarterbacks coming into and going out of a once storied NFL franchise.  Why? Well a lot of reasons actually, but the biggest is, as with every organization, poor management.  I won't go through the detailed array of egos that have inhabited the head office and head coaching positions of the Browns, the history is simply too painful.  However, in each and every circumstance, poor choices have been the call-of-the-day; specifically at and especially for the position of quarterback.

Think about if for a minute, Tim Couch was supposed to be the savior of a franchise that was pillaged by Baltimore and the NFL.  A QB at a "new" franchise would likely expect to be chased and pummeled by defensive linemen as he and his team became accustomed to each other and began to understand the intricacies of the NFL.  Well, as we all know now, the brain-trust of the 1999 Cleveland Browns did not provide Mr. Couch with anything even resembling a good offensive linemen, or good wide receivers, or good tight-end; and there wasn't a decent running back in the bunch. They were remiss in thinking that a franchise QB is only as good as the team around him, ala Troy Aikman? The short  professional NFL life-span of Tim Couch resulted in a QB with happy-feet and a chuck-n-duck philosophy.  With that team he was always running for his life.  Was Couch an All-Pro NFL QB?  No. But we'll never know how good he was because of the simply horrible teams he was on.

After Couch, was the highly erratic Kelly Holcomb. When he was hot there was no one better, but most the the time, he couldn't hit the ground with his hat. Then there was the QB of-the-day scenario over the next 3 years from 2004 to 2006 with Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer and Charlie Frye...sweet mother of mercy.  None of these QB's should have been brought in to the Browns organization without at least drafting or signing the requisite offensive linemen to keep them upright.  Again, the emphasis of the "Brain-trust" in Cleveland was put fannies in the seats by drafting a QB, when in fact drafting players that might actually be capable of playing NFL football would have given the fans hope there there really was an NFL a future in Cleveland.  Actually, Charlie Frye should never have even seen an NFL playing field let alone even be considered an NFL type QB.  This pick, in my mind, is the worst draft-day pick of the Cleveland Browns over the past 30 years.

Then Derek Anderson.  The first time I saw this kid I was immediately reminded of Bernie Kosar. Big, slow kid with rocket arm.  Unfortunately that's were it ended.  The rocket part was correct, it just happend to be a SCUD.  The ball got to a place on the football field in record time' unfortunately there were times when no Cleveland Brown was in the vicinity.

With the addition of Braylon Edwards in 2005, a ray of hope began to shine that Browns fans hadn't seen since Paul Warfield.  As Edwards and Anderson began to get in sync, the Browns passing game became one of the best in the NFL resulting in All-Pro status for several Browns: Braylon Edwards, Derek Anderson and Kellen Winslow.  Browns fans rejoiced and were convinced that the promised land, (Playoffs and Super Bowl) were just around the corner.  Then the trio of Anderson, Edwards and Winslow imploded and the QB carousel began again.

Jumping to the future, Brady Quinn was drafted as the next Joe Montana, when in fact the only thing he had going for him was a head coach that was a former QB coach with the New England Patriots and Bill Belechick - remember him?  Quinn, despite his desire to play for the Browns, just like local favorite, Bernie Kosar, and his Hollywood looks, is fragile, afraid to throw down field and is weak-armed.   Sigh...

Now the Browns, in this the beginning of the 2010 NFL season, sign free-agent Seneca Wallace, a Doug Flutie wanna-be, and a 35 year old former Super Bowl QB from the Panthers who had Tommy John surgery.  Are you at a loss of words as well?  What do we, as browns fans think?  More importantly, what is this new Cleveland Browns management thinking.

Despair is a strong word and a stronger emotion, but as a Browns fan, it seems to be part of the yearly PSL.  With luck, maybe Delhomme comes back from this surgery, we can only hope.  And if you follow Major Leage Baseball, this surgery seems to be a fairly common, albeit serious one that usually takes at least a two years from which to recuperate.  So, maybe Delhomme's stats in 2009 were surgery related?  Let's hope so, and let's pray he rounds back into his old self, at least in some form.

If the Browns add a big back in the draft to keep Jerome Harrison healthy, and Delhomme (or Seneca Wallace) quickly get comfortable with the wide receivers Mohamad Massaquio and Brian Robiske, and the new tight end, Ben Watson shows some get-open capabilities, maybe there's hope for a 6 or 7 win season.  Maybe.  But at this point in time, neither Seneca Wallace or Jake Delhomme are the answer.

And finally, I'm surprised, given the number of early draft pick the Browns have, and the connection to the Philadelphia Eagles that Tom Heckert has, that didn't they try to work out some sort of trade for the Eagles backup, Kevin Kolb?  Well maybe, just maybe, new President, Mike Holmgren and his staff actually have a plan to put a competitive team on the field this year?  That would be an interesting new concept, wouldn't it?