Derek Anderson: Cleveland's Answer or Just Another Question Mark?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Cleveland Browns were billed as the next big thing in 2008.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but their defense, which was ranked a deplorable 28th in the league last year, was billed to be much improved.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but starting QB Derek Anderson was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2007, and was considered to be the next Tom Brady by many pundits.

Well, not this pundit.

Derek Anderson has a great arm.  He commands the respect of his teammates.  He led a team that many would call mediocre to a 10-6 record in 2007 and was a tiebreaker away from elevating the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since they came back to Cleveland in 1999.  But this is the NFL, and as every GM or head coach will ask: "What have you done for me lately?"

So, let's look at the game yesterday against Dallas.  What went so dreadfully wrong that Dallas made Cleveland look like a second-rate college squad?  Cleveland's defense was not stellar.  They gave up big plays, they made stupid mistakes, and mental errors led to far too many penalties.

However, let's remember they were playing one of the best offensive teams in football.  Dallas is going to get theirs, and everyone knows it.  But what about this juggernaut Browns offense?  Do they even know where to find theirs?

There are certain points in every game where you know that the next play is the pivotal play of the game.  That point came in the middle of the third quarter yesterday.

The Browns, down 21-7 at this point, had stopped the Cowboys' offense, which had been firing on all cylinders all afternoon.  Dallas punted the ball and the Browns started on their own 42 yard line.  Jamal Lewis ran the ball twice to set up a 3rd-and-2 from the 50 yard line.  On the next play, Derek Anderson floated a wounded duck 20 yards down field, five yards out of bounds, and over the head of Braylon Edwards. 

I thought I had momentary dementia.  Certainly this Pro Bowl quarterback did not just throw one of the worst passes I've ever seen on the pivotal play of the game.  Decision making is what makes a great quarterback a great quarterback.  Knowing when to get rid of the ball, or check off to your second or third receiver is what wins games for the Tom Bradys and Payton Mannings of the world.

Derek Anderson is young, and he may learn to be a smart quarterback in time.  He may learn not to fire the ball into triple coverage.  He may learn that a two-yard dump off pass can be the best pass of the game when the game is on the line.  He may learn a lot of things, or he may just lead the Browns to a 6-10 season, in which case he'll need to learn to hold a chalk board and watch Brady Quinn run the offense.