BEREA — The afternoon was nearly over, and Derek Anderson still needed a Halloween costume for receiver Mike Furrey’s charity bowling event Monday night.

“I’m just going to go as myself,” Anderson said.

You can never go wrong dressing up as a starting NFL quarterback. Even if he owns the league’s worst rating and heard the backup’s name chanted by the home crowd a day earlier.

As scary as it sounds to some fans, Anderson remains a starting NFL quarterback.

Coach Eric Mangini benched Brady Quinn at halftime of the third game, but said he wouldn’t make the switch back. In fact, he wouldn’t even consider a change.

“No,” Mangini said.

The Browns lost 31-3 Sunday to the Packers, dropping to 1-6 under Mangini.

Anderson is 1-3 as the starter with a league-worst 40.6 passer rating, a 44 percent completion rate and seven interceptions to two touchdown passes. He is 23-for-70 for 244 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions over the last three weeks.

Mangini remains in his corner.

“I think he gives us the best chance right now to move the ball,” he said. “I know his numbers have not been impressive, but he isn’t alone in producing those numbers. There’s been a significant amount of drops, there’s been some breakdowns in protection.

“I’ve also seen him complete some balls that were well-thrown and well-caught. The throw to (tight end Michael) Gaines yesterday, good throw, good catch, in a place only he could get it. There’s been a lot of those. I’ve seen him complete those plays not just in games, but also in practice.”

Anderson has noticed the unflinching support from the coaches.

“I’m doing everything I can for them,” he said. “I really appreciate it.”

The benching of Quinn was for a lack of offensive production, particularly on third down. The Browns scored one garbage-time touchdown in Quinn’s 2½ games and were 6-for-30 (20 percent) in third-down conversions. Quinn completed 61 percent of his passes with a touchdown, three interceptions and a 62.9 rating.

The move seemed to work when the Browns scored 20 points in an overtime loss to Cincinnati in Week 4 and then beat Buffalo 6-3 in nasty conditions. But Anderson’s numbers are in a steep decline.

He’s led three touchdown drives and converted 17 of 60 third downs (28 percent) in his four starts. In the loss Sunday, he went 12-for-29 for 99 yards, an interception and a 36.4 rating. The Browns were 2-for-12 on third down and didn’t score a touchdown in two trips inside the 5-yard line.

“I need to get better, but it takes everybody,” Anderson said. “We all know that.”

The lack of significant improvement would appear to leave the door open for a switch back to Quinn. He’s started just six games in his career, which isn’t much of a body of work for a former first-round pick.

But Mangini refuses to ponder the move, let alone make it, which has some people wondering if there’s a deeper issue. A personality conflict between Quinn and Mangini or Quinn and coordinator Brian Daboll has been suggested.

“No truth to that whatsoever,” Quinn said. “I’ve got good relationships all around, and although my role has changed, it hasn’t with the coaches.”

Quinn’s rookie contract calls for him to be paid $11 million in escalators if he plays 70 percent of the offensive snaps this year. The Browns would be reluctant to pay that to someone they don’t consider the long-term answer, but Mangini denied the bonuses have played a role.

“Zero. Nothing to do with it,” he said.

Quinn, who could still reach the incentives if he played nearly every snap of the remaining nine games, was asked if he thought the money affected his playing time.

“No, and I hope that’s not the case,” he said. “Again, this is a game of football and we’re just trying to win out there.”
Mangini didn’t absolve Anderson of blame, but pointed out the inconsistencies of the rest of the offense. The running game has been hit and miss, the receivers had 15 drops in the previous two weeks and the line allowed Anderson to get hit repeatedly Sunday.

The trade of Braylon Edwards after Anderson’s first start left rookies Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie as the starting receivers. They combined for one catch against the Packers, and are learning on the fly.

“It’s tough. It’s not an excuse,” Anderson said. “We still have to get it to the right spot. The guys on the field with me, we have to do the right thing.

“We left a lot of offense out there yesterday. It’s frustrating.”

Quinn stopped to talk to reporters despite having no good news. He said all the right team things, including that he wasn’t wondering why he got only 10 quarters.

“No, that’s not the case,” he said. “That’s not how our team is. We follow our head coach, and whatever our head coach says, we go with.

“There’s a lot of things individually I can do to get better. And that’s what I’m working on right now.”

Contact Scott Petrak at (440) 329-7253 or spetrak@chroniclet.com.

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