Cleveland Browns: Colt McCoy and Managing Expectations vs. Saints

The Cleveland Browns finally caught a break last Sunday as rookie quarterback Colt McCoy not only left the field on his own two feet, but looked good in his first NFL start.

McCoy doesn't have any kind of week off versus the New Orleans Saints, whose defense only is ranked one lower than the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Browns, and Head Coach Eric Mangini, need to manage expectations when it comes to McCoy, even though it looks like McCoy has the ability to be the quarterback of the future.

Granted it's only one game, but McCoy showed poise and confidence against one of the toughest defenses in the league. It also helped Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll put together his best offensive game plan of his career in Cleveland, and that can't go unnoticed.

However, as the weeks go by, and if McCoy continues to play, the league will adjust to McCoy as they did to Derek Anderson in 2007, who also looked like the quarterback of the future for a few weeks before crumbling at the end.

That point out there, the Browns absolutely should tell Jake Delhomme his season is over. While it's true Delhomme's been injured for 95 percent of his time on the field with the Browns, McCoy just looked better on the field and seemed able to move the offense better than Delhomme did.

McCoy's accuracy also was on display Sunday, and that's not something you can really teach. A quarterback either is accurate, or he isn't. McCoy's first interception, while it was into triple coverage, was right where it needed to be, and if it hadn't been tipped, it would've been a reception.

McCoy presents low risk, high reward for the Browns, and if he can continue to look as poised and confident in the pocket going forward as he did in the second half of the Pittsburgh game, then there's no need to fool around.

Lots of teams are starting rookie quarterbacks, and assuming the game started to slow down for McCoy after the first quarter, as it appeared it did, then the Browns need to keep riding this horse.

Daboll needs to keep the handcuffs off McCoy and let him play while understanding the limits of his offensive line. It's crucial the Browns develop more of a running game, and Peyton Hillis needs more touches than he got in Pittsburgh.

Just remember there will be some bumps along the way, but Browns fans are used to that.