Tag: Brady Quinn (Page 3 of 14)

Quinn or Anderson to be gone this summer?

As Mike Holmgren enters his first offseason with the Browns, one of his biggest question marks is what to do at quarterback. With the way head coach Eric Mangini couldn’t make a decision regarding the position last year, Holmgren will have to decide whether or not to get rid of Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson, if not both and completely start over under center next year.

Holmgren recently spoke about the topic on WKNR earlier this week:

“Right now, I don’t know the situation quite well enough. I’ve been busy doing other things. Everyone knows that position is the most important position on a team. Is the quarterback of the Browns here already? Maybe. If not, then we’ll have to go free agency or draft. We’ll see.”

That doesn’t sound like a man that’s settled on any decision, making the quarterback position an interesting dilemma this offseason for Holmgren and the Browns.

Quinn was an utter disaster earlier in the year before Mangini replaced him with Anderson. But the unthinkable happened and Anderson was actually worse than Quinn was, forcing Mangini to once again start the first round pick.

Much like the entire team, Quinn played better down the stretch and actually looked like he started to gain confidence. But for the second time in two years, Quinn finished the season on IR after he suffered a season-ending foot injury in a win over the Chiefs late in the year.

Holmgren is making a wise decision by not committing to either quarterback, seeing as how neither of them have stepped up and grabbed the reins of the position. Chances are that Holmgren doesn’t view either of them as the long-term answer at quarterback and therefore, he might look to draft or acquire a signal caller this offseason. If he drafts a QB, he could part with either Quinn or Anderson and have the other one start until the rookie is ready to play.

We’ll see how Holmgren approaches this topic over the next couple months.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

When is it time to give up on a young QB?

A: After two years, according to Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz.

Schatz wrote a column in the Nov. 30 issue of ESPN The Magazine — I know it’s a little dated, but cut me some slack, I’ve been buried beneath Bill Simmons’ 700-page opus — where he outlined how long teams should take to evaluate a young QB. (Note: I’d provide a link, but I can’t find this story anywhere on the net. Sorry.)

These two examples raise a critical question: When is it time to give up on your young QB?

The quick answer is: after two years (unless, of course, the guy has spent that time on the bench). If a QB falters badly in those first two seasons, you can pretty much write off his chances of ever amounting to anything. It may sound harsh, but chew on these names: Kyle Boller, Quincy Carter, Tim Couch, Charlie Frye, Rex Grossman, Joey Harrington, Danny Kanell, Mike McMahon, Akili Smith, Alex Smith, Danny Wuerffel, Spergon Wynn. Not exactly a parade of Hall of Famers, huh? Well, you can put Russell in that group, too.

Of all of those players, only Alex Smith has shown any signs of resurrecting his career.

Schatz and Football Outsiders use their “replacement player” concept (“basically how many yards a player gains compared with what a replacement-level player, that is, a typical second-stringer, would get in the same situation, against the same opponent”) to determine whether or not a QB is struggling.

Schatz addresses Brady Quinn…

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Week 14 Top 5 Observations: Browns 13, Steelers 6

Here are five quick-hit observations from the Browns’ upset win over the Steelers in Week 14.

1. The Steelers are done.
The defending champs are done, folks. A five-game losing streak, capped off by their ugliest loss of the season, has ensured that Pittsburgh won’t be playing in the postseason come January. One would have thought that the Steelers would be able to get up for a game against the one-win Browns when their backs were against the wall, but then again “one” would be wrong.

2. The Browns didn’t just win – they dominated.
For those that missed the broadcast because it was on the NFL Network, let me assure you that the Steelers didn’t beat themselves: They got their asses handed to them. It’s strange to say, but the better team won tonight. Cleveland came out more focused, more determined and flat out took a victory from the Steelers. The Browns’ defensive effort tonight was absolutely outstanding, as they suffocated Pittsburgh’s running game and sacked Ben Roethlisberger eight times. For as much heat as Eric Mangini has taken this season (and deservedly so), the Browns have played hard the past couple weeks and they deserved a win tonight.

3. Cleveland’s young secondary was excellent.
Something that will be lost in the stat sheet was how well the Browns’ secondary played. Cleveland’s defense might have racked up eight sacks, but most of those were because of the outstanding coverage. Big Ben simply didn’t have open receivers to throw to, which resulted in him double and triple clutching to avoid throwing into coverage. Pittsburgh’s offensive line didn’t play as badly as the sacks would indicate, or at least not from a pass protection standpoint. The Browns’ pass defense was just that good.

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Is Brady Quinn finally turning the corner?

One game doesn’t define a player’s potential or future, and neither do three games.

That said, I’m intrigued by the play of Brady Quinn these past three weeks, especially considering how brutal he looked on Monday Night Football against the Ravens four weeks ago.

In his putrid effort that fateful Monday night, Quinn couldn’t even keep the ball in-bounds on desperation heaves down the field. He struggled with accuracy, turnovers, decision-making and everything else that comes with being a quarterback. He was awful, brutal, terrible – atrocious. He was so bad that I even wrote this in my recap of the game:

Brady Quinn is bad, so bad that it’s safe to say that he has zero chance of becoming anything resembling a decent starting quarterback in the NFL.

Ouch.

Since that point, however, Brady has thrown seven touchdowns and zero interceptions over a three-game span. Thanks to Jerome Harrison taking over the starting running back duties and Cleveland’s use of the no-huddle offense, Quinn has been solid. In fact, he’s looked like a completely different quarterback than he did earlier in the season.

But alas, here comes another prime time opportunity for Quinn, and against another division rival no less. The Browns take on the Steelers tonight – a team that has a habit of making quarterbacks look silly. Granted, this isn’t the same Pittsburgh defense we’re accustomed to seeing and its loss last week to Oakland proves that. But this is a team in desperate need of a win after losing four straight, and is trying to keep their fading playoff hopes alive.

It would be nice to see Quinn continue to develop his craft. If he is turning the corner, then he’ll need to prove that he can have success against a tough opponent in prime time. Again, one game doesn’t decide anything. But confidence and consistency mean so much to a young quarterback, so his performance tonight is bigger than one would think.

I’m neither a Browns nor a Steelers fan, but here’s hoping the kid puts on a good show tonight.


Photo from fOTOGLIF

2009 NFL Week 14 Point Spreads & Odds

Here’s a look at this weekend’s action in the NFL.

Steelers (6-6) at Browns (1-11), 8:20PM ET Thursday
The defending champs have lost four in a row and now face a must-win against division rival Cleveland on the road. The Browns have only won one game this season, but Brady Quinn has thrown seven touchdowns and zero interceptions in his last three outings. If the Steelers overlook the Browns like they overlooked the Raiders last week, then they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.
Odds: Steelers -10.

Saints (12-0) at Falcons (6-6), 1:00PM ET
The Falcons’ postseason hopes are on life support thanks to a shoddy defense and a slew of injuries on the offensive side of the ball. The Saints have set their eyes on perfection, so if Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are unable to go, things could get ugly inside the Georgia Dome this Sunday.
Odds: Saints -10.5.

Packers (8-4) at Bears (5-7), 1:00PM ET
All the Packers have to do is avoid a late-season collapse and they’ll make the playoffs. Green Bay must avoid having a letdown after beating Baltimore on Monday night. Chicago is never an easy place to play in December, even when the Bears are struggling like they are now.
Odds: Packers -3.

Broncos (8-4) at Colts (12-0), 1:00PM ET
A trip to Indianapolis is the last thing the Broncos need right now while chasing the Chargers in the AFC West. But if they can knock off the undefeated Colts, they should be able to carry that momentum the rest of he season and at least clinch a Wild Card berth.
Odds: Colts -7.5.

Bengals (9-3) at Vikings (10-2), 1:00PM ET
The game of the week is in Minnesota this Sunday, as the Vikings host the best surprise in 2009, the Bengals. The Vikings will be looking to rebound from their loss to the Cardinals last Sunday, while the Bengals have their eyes set on clinching the division. Carson Palmer vs. Brett Favre should be incredibly entertaining.
Odds: Vikings -6.5.

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