I understand the frustration.
I get the text messages during the game calling for Brady Quinn. I read the Monday
e-mails demanding Romeo Crennel be fired immediately.
I know Browns fans are searching for answers, and the first places to look are coach and quarterback.
Let’s save Crennel for another day. He’s not getting fired this week, so the Romeo haters will just have to get over it.
This is the time to talk quarterbacks. Crennel said Monday he’s considering a change from Derek Anderson to Quinn, and could announce his decision today. Plenty of fans would be quick to support the switch. They’ve loved Quinn since he was drafted out of Notre Dame in 2007 and can’t wait for him to assume his rightful place in the huddle.
This isn’t the right time. Anderson should remain the starter.
I know he’s been brutal in the 0-3 start. I know the last two losses have turned on his interceptions. I know his
43.5 rating is better than only the 38.3 of Kansas City’s Tyler Thigpen, which isn’t good company to keep.
I also know it’s not the right time to make the move.
The Browns made a commitment to Anderson when they signed him to a three-year,
$24 million deal in the offseason. His reward for a 10-win season was another year as a starter to prove he was the long-term answer.
He deserves more than three games against some of the NFL’s toughest defenses to show 2007 wasn’t a fluke. He deserves a chance against the bungling Bengals to turn around his season.
More importantly, it’s what’s best for the team.
While it’s too early to officially give up on the season, the Browns’ playoff chances are Keira Knightley slim. So taking a big-picture look at quarterback is the right thing to do. And what’s best for the long-term health of the position is for Anderson to try to work himself out of his funk.
Yanking Anderson sends the message that he’s another Scott Mitchell. That he’s a one-hit wonder. That the Browns wasted $13 million in guaranteed money.
A move now, after just three weeks, signals the end of the commitment to Anderson. It tells the team and the fans that Quinn is the quarterback of the present and future.
But what if Quinn fails? What if the losing continues and he looks worse than Anderson?
A position of perceived strength is suddenly a weakness. The Browns have two high-priced players whose stock has plummeted. They are back to square one at the most important spot on the team.
So Anderson should get the opportunity to regain his form. He’s still 6-foot-6, still has a big arm and is still a locker room favorite.
If he can save his season, he’s a coveted commodity again without diminishing Quinn’s value, which remains high as long as he stands on the sideline. If Anderson doesn’t get any better, then it’s Quinn’s job for the foreseeable future and Anderson becomes trade bait or a quality backup — if he’s willing to take a pay cut.
The scenario would be different if the team’s problems were all Anderson’s fault. If he were single-handedly holding the Browns back from the Super Bowl.
But he’s just one of the many problems. And he’s not getting any help.
Braylon Edwards keeps dropping passes. Kellen Winslow is constantly double-teamed, because Syndric Steptoe isn’t a No. 2 receiver. The right side of the line is being overpowered.
Then there’s coordinator Rob Chudzinski. He hasn’t adapted to the way defenses are attacking Anderson. He won’t stick with the run to draw the safeties closer to the line of scrimmage, and he won’t call quick outside passes to exploit soft coverage by the cornerbacks.
Anderson is a rhythm quarterback who hasn’t gotten in step since suffering a concussion in the preseason. With the right play calls and a little help from his friends, he can regain the rhythm.
It’s simply too early to make him the scapegoat.
Contact Scott Petrak at 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.
 

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