Browns I have some good news: It’s a great time to be a Browns’ fan.
However, as I ponder the potential of that good news, here’s the not-so-good-news: My calendar states that it’s only late June as I’m making the above statement.
A scant few weeks out from training camp, Cleveland fans (myself included), eternally starved for a championship, are participating in an annual ritual: Looking for any hint to help bolster the optimism that we carry blindly into the NFL season. Mind you, in the last few years, this is the same type of mindset that had Clevelanders talking ourselves into believing the Cavaliers could beat San Antonio in the finals a couple of weeks ago.
We’ll take a pass on that one, thanks.
As it relates to the Browns, this optimism is the type that usually involves statements like: “I could see Charlie Frye becoming a pretty solid NFL quarterback”, or “If we win six games, I’d be pretty happy”.
My grandfather, who grew up on a farm, would refer to this as hitching your proverbial wagon to a three-legged horse. In other words, you aren’t going anywhere fast. Most cynical fans would probably think that phrase could be incorporated into a good title for the Browns’ Media Guide: Cleveland Browns 2007: Not Going Anywhere Fast..
Oh, and even for the optimists, the Browns are still in the AFC North, anchored behind playoff contenders Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Baltimore.
However, the fact remains that there are a number of reasons pointing fans towards feeling more self-assured in their optimism. Even a cynic should see the justification for feeling good about the teams’ direction. Through a variety of avenues, Phil Savage and company have been putting the pieces together.
Some will argue that it shouldn’t have taken three years to start getting a foundation in place. In fact, those folks are incredibly short sighted in their approach. In their criticism, it seems that they are forgetting the shambles this team was in when Butch Davis departed late in the 2004 season. Positioning the Browns to make these moves is a credit to the work of Savage, and the patience of owner Randy Lerner.
Consider, for starters, that the Browns used the draft to obtain at least three players who should be big time contributors in the long run: left tackle Joe Thomas, quarterback Brady Quinn, and cornerback Eric Wright. Getting two out of the three of those guys in any combination would have been considered a very strong draft. Slipping back into the first round to snatch up Brady Quinn, however, is easily one of the best moves Savage has made in the three years he’s been with the club.
Thomas, for his part, should be just the type of guy the team has been desperately searching for since coming back into the league. He’s a road grading, end-flattening left tackle that’s deft enough in pass protection to allow a right-handed quarterback to feel pretty good about what won’t be coming up behind him.
Wright, the cornerback from UNLV, was widely considered to be a first round talent with just enough of a checkered past to push him back in the draft. This is provided that he is able to keep his nose clean. Fortunately, in the two years he spent at UNLV after transferring from USC, he managed to do just that. From the work both of those players put in at mini-camp, it seems Thomas and Wright should be at least as good as advertised.
In addition to the drafting of three potential long-term starters, free agency proved a positive turn for the Browns as well. The signing of left guard Eric Steinbach to pair with Thomas on the left side gives the Browns a huge upgrade on that side of the line. Savage also grabbed a short-term upgrade at the running back position in Jamal Lewis, giving Thomas and Steinbach someone to actually clear a path for. These upgrades came at the expense of division rivals Cincinnati (Steinbach) and Baltimore (Lewis) as well. And, as any team executive will tell you, getting better while weakening a rival is and added bonus.
For all of the additions, tweaks, and upgrades provided, the player that will likely come under the most scrutiny, should he get to take a fair number of snaps, (and all indications are that he will) is Brady Quinn. It will be a bit odd for a player who wasn’t taken until the 22nd pick to be under such scrutiny, but Brady Quinn isn’t your ordinary, run of the mill late first round pick.
There are a number of factors that contribute to a player such as Brady Quinn being over-examined early in his career. The fact that he was projected to be taken much earlier in the draft is one. His position alone, on a team starved for stars, pushes the pressure up a notch. The inordinate amount of money he’s about to make doesn’t help either. Having been a four-year starter in college isn’t much help. Finally, being a local boy (he was born in Columbus) means that some will see him as the man who’s destined to lead this team. Combine all of those factors together, and it’s a mighty weight to put upon a young mans’ shoulders.
Fairly or unfairly, some are already taking their shots at Brady Quinn. Some question his accuracy. Others refer to him as a product of the system he played in under Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. However, accuracy, especially in a young quarterback, is something that is a product of comfort. This includes comfort with the system and his teammates, especially the ones who’ll be blocking for him. Now, call me crazy, but Notre Dame’s offensive line wasn’t stacked with first day draft picks the last two years. Often, they were overmatched athletically, and Quinn still managed to complete 64.9% and 61.9% of his passes his last two years there. To be sure, those aren’t exemplary numbers, but it’s fair to say that they don’t indicate a truly wild thrower.
What some doubters seem to be overlooking are the qualities that Brady Quinn does bring to the position. He’s a young man who started for four years in a high-pressure situation, against some of the best competition in the country. Brady Quinn has won his share of games, and brought his team from behind on more than one occasion. He was good enough in college to keep his team in games that could have been lost causes. Anyone who witnessed his 2005 performance against a USC team replete with future NFL stars knows this. Brady Quinn spent the last two years in a pro style offense, learning the ropes from a coach who’s been part of a few winners at the pro level himself. Weighing those factors out, the Browns could have done much worse in drafting a quarterback.
If nothing else, what Brady Quinn should give fans in this town is a sense of real hope again. Brady Quinn gives Browns’ fans a chance to have a true franchise quarterback to root for. Unlike the last guy to occupy that role, Tim Couch, Brady Quinn will have some legitimate help once he does get the opportunity to play. Chances are, given the alternatives, it’s likely will see action sooner rather than later. Coach Romeo Crennel has stated throughout the offseason that it’s an open competition. However, it’s fair to say that the court of public opinion will be strongly in favor of starting the rookie. Taking into consideration that the other two quarterbacks up for the job aren’t exactly stars, seeing Brady Quinn on the field in 2007 doesn’t seem so far fetched.
Whenever he does get onto the field, he’ll have a whole city of eager football fans pulling for him to succeed. If he does manage to get out there this year, the task is clear. He has show just enough to give Cleveland fans reason to think that the future won’t be a repeat of the past.
For just about any Browns’ fan, that’s all the good news they’ll need.
