Browns Need A Change Under Center

By Mark "Coach" Catalano

When will the powers that be who run the Cleveland Browns – Phil Savage, Rob Chudzinski and Romeo Crennel – finally get it through their thick skulls that Derek Anderson should not be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns?

I mean, everybody outside of Scappoose, Ore., knows that Derek Anderson's place in the National Football League is as a backup. He's only a slightly better version of Charlie Frye.

I love the Cleveland Browns but I hate to see them like this, with so much potential hidden behind a clipboard, lurking in the shadows of a coach with a 65–inch waist.

So what will it take for Savage, Chud and "Big Belly" Romeo to finally see the light? I've got it! Maybe just another 5-11 or 6-10 season. Ho-hum, those are a dime a dozen in Northest Ohio.

The Browns looked really bad against the Redskins in Week 7 and I honestly thought that each time Cleveland regained possession that Brady Quinn would be under center. Never happened though.

If you look at the one bright spot this season, the thrashing of the defending-champion Giants on national television Week 6, the Browns looked bad even in that game. When I think back to it, the one thing that stands out in my mind is how often the Browns were penalized and how they somehow found a way to continue their drives looking like clueless fools. I think the Browns were more shocked than the Giants. Did you see the look on Jamal Lewis' face through his facemask when they'd show replays of his few decent rushes? It was the same expression you'd expect to see adorn the face of a man stepping out of jail for the first time in 30 years. Like, "Holy cow! This is what it's like out here!"

Perhaps Anderson is still under center because of the three-year contract extension he signed this offseason that gives him $14 million in guaranteed money. I mean, how can "BB" Romeo justify benching a guy who eats up so much of your team's payroll. Maybe they're keeping him at the helm with their fingers crossed, hoping and praying he can string together 3 to 4 respectable games so they can dump him off to another team that is in need of a quarterback. Because the way it looks right now, nobody is going to touch Anderson and his contract with the way he's played thus far.

In two preseason games he was 8-for-15 for 40 yards, with one TD and no picks. In six regular season games this year, his completion percentage is below 50 percent and his quarterback rating is a dismal 62.9. He was sacked 14 times in 16 games a year ago. This year he's already been taken to the turf nine times in just six games.

Take away the Giants game in Week 6, and Anderson has not thrown more than one touchdown pass in any other single game. Take away the Giants game and he has four TD passes to six INTs. His single-game quarterback ratings – excluding the Giants game, of course – have all been less than 75, and he's completed less than 60 percent of his passes in four games this year.

Why draw a strike through the Giants game? Because it was a lucky one. It was the first time he's actually put together a quality game against a legitimate contender.

Take for example last season. The Browns' schedule was much easier than it is this year and all the team did was beat most of the teams that it was supposed to have beaten.

Week 1 vs. Pittsburgh. Anderson completed only 46 percent of his passes. Threw for 184 yards and had a rating of 65.2.

Week 5 vs. New England. Anderson completed 51 percent of his passes, threw three picks and had a rating of 59.0.

Week 10 vs. Pittsburgh. Anderson completed 45 percent of his passes for just 123 yards.

And really the only other good team the Browns played last year was Buffalo. Sure the game was a blizzard, but let the record show Anderson completed just 37 percent of his throws for 137 yards and a QB rating of 57.1.

Those four contests were the only difficult ones for Anderson and the Browns in 2007. The rest of last year's schedule was against Cincinnati twice, Baltimore twice, Oakland, Miami, St. Louis, Seattle, Houston, Arizona, New York (Jets) and San Francisco. Yes, I am counting Seattle as a feeble team because they choke in games outside their division consistently every year and we all know they have historically dominated probably the weakest division in football.

Of those 12 games against pushovers, Anderson padded his overall season statistics in roughly 4-5 of them with big games for lots of yardage and touchdown passes, and good completion percentages and QB ratings. Oh yeah, and in the other 7-8 games against lackluster teams he churned out mediocre performances while other players like Lewis and Josh Cribbs shined.

I don't want to even start talking about Anderson's performance in the Pro Bowl. So we will just continue and jump straight to my point that Derek Anderson looks better than he really is. You know, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning make other players on their teams better. With the Browns, it's the other players on the team who make Derek Anderson better. Lewis, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Joe Jurevicius are just flat out quality football players. Joe Thomas is a stud who could find a way to block a King Ranch F-350. Carefully put these pieces together and as long as they are healthy it does not matter who is at the helm of the Cleveland offense and the man in command will look halfway decent. Heck, you could've thrown Joey Harrington or (ready for this?) TIM COUCH in there, and the Browns still would have won 10 games a year ago. Why? Because the players around the quarterback are that good, and Chudzinski's offensive mind is off the chain.

So there is a clear explanation as to why Cleveland was 10-6 last year, narrowly missing the playoffs, and why they are 2-4 this season. That's because last year the Browns had one of the weakest schedules in football and this year they have one of the most difficult.

Take a minute and look at how the team has done overall and how they stack up against the rest of the league. In 2007 the Browns were No. 8 in total offense, averaging 351.3 yards per game. This year? Try No. 30, averaging about 100 ypg less at 255.5. Why? Strength of sked!

Passing the ball last year the Browns were No. 12. This year No. 28. Rushing last year No. 10. Rushing this year No. 24. Yes, the running game has suffered this year and that is only because opposing defenses are not respecting the pass. The only real bright spot for the Browns has been their defense – believe it or not!

Last year the Browns defense was ranked No. 30 with an easy schedule. This year they are ranked No. 18 with a tough schedule. Against the pass last year they were No. 24. This year the Cleveland defense is No. 7!

Average score from a year ago? Browns 25.1. Opponents 23.9. Those numbers are the ingredients for what makes very exciting games!

The hype was reminiscent of what it was like in 80s. On offense Anderson was our Bernie Kosar. Lewis was our Earnest Byner/Kevin Mack back, combining power and speed. Winslow was our Ozzie Newsome, always there, catching everything. Edwards was our Webster Slaughter, the big play guy. Jurevicius was our Brian Brennan, the sure-handed, clutch receiver. Cribbs was our Gerald "Ice Cube" McNeil, finding a way to make punt and kick returns exciting week-in and week-out. Thomas was our Cody Risien, making all the key blocks when we needed 'em most. On defense there was really nothing much to talk about last year. I can draw no comparisons. But on special teams, along with the Cribbs-McNeil comparison, you could say that Phil Dawson and Dave Zastudil were about as clutch as Matt Bahr and Jeff Gossett from those mid-80s teams. The Browns buzz was running rampant! Fans were painting their faces and eating dog bones again!

But then, average score this year? Browns 15.3. Opponents 17.7. Back to resembling more of the expansion Browns than those of the glorious 80s playoff teams.

So why not bench Anderson after one of the numerous drives that have stalled due to his inaccurate passing and inability to simply make something happen, and go with fan-favorite Brady Quinn – the hometown boy? I don't get it!

Crennel can't speak of inexperience anymore. Quinn has been standing on the sidelines for quite some time. How can a guy get experience unless you put him into a regular season game. Quinn has been under center during the regseas for about 20 snaps – and that was against the 49ers in Week 17 of last year. This guy knows the offense, probably better than Anderson. In fact, I'd bet my tackle box on it. I say that simply because the man is just flat out smarter. He double-majored at Notre Dame in finance and political science. Anderson majored in liberal studies at Oregon State. Yep, he's a real Beaver.

All Quinn played in 2007 were three preseason games, mostly in the fourth quarter, and one regular season game (2 drives in Week 17). In those four total games, he was 32-for-53 (60.3 comp pct.), for 345 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. He was not sacked once!

So far in 2008, Quinn has not taken a regular season snap. This is a travesty! In his four preseason appearances this year he completed 41 of 62 passes (66.1 comp pct.), for 428 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. He was sacked just once.

In his first seven NFL games (combined preseason and regular season), Quinn has completed 73 of 115 passes (63.5 comp pct.), for 773 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, and has been sacked one time.

Quinn is younger, more physically fit, smarter, more athletic and can take a hit (when he actually does get hit, because he is also more astute in the pocket than Anderson), so why not order him to shed the ballcap and strap up with the big boys? What are we waiting for? Lets get rid of the Baltimore Ravens' sixth round pick from 2005, and play the Cleveland Browns' first round pick from 2007.

With the way the AFC is going lately, a team could possible snag a Wild Card spot at 9-7. But then again, Cleveland would have to go 7-3 the rest of the way. And with Anderson under center, I just don't know that they can do that.