CHICAGO — Browns coach Eric Mangini is back where he started the season: undecided on a starting quarterback.

The quarterback carousel stopped Sunday afternoon for the bye week, but the dizziness continues. After eight games — seven losses — Mangini has yanked Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson.

Mangini wouldn’t name a starter for the rest of the season or the Monday nighter against the Ravens on Nov. 16.
“We’ll look at it, every single position,” he said after a 30-6 loss to the Bears.

After an uninspiring and drawn-out training camp competition, Mangini waited until the last moment to name Quinn as the Week 1 starter. He managed one garbage-time touchdown in 10 quarters and was pulled for Anderson.

His decent debut in an overtime loss to Cincinnati was followed by a string of four terrible performances, which ended Sunday with an interception that was returned for a touchdown.

Quinn entered with 3:14 left and went 1-for-3 for 9 yards in one possession.

“I wanted to give him some reps, put him in there, let him work,” Mangini said.

He insists not playing Quinn sooner has nothing to do with the $11 million in bonuses he’s due if he plays 70 percent of the offensive snaps this season. If Quinn plays the rest of the season now, it’s highly unlikely he would reach that number.

Anderson went 6-for-17 for 76 yards, two interceptions and a 10.5 rating Sunday. In the last four games, he’s 29-for-87 for 320 yards, a touchdown, five interceptions and a 25.1 rating. Yet Mangini waited until the bitter end to make a move.

“I thought we were actually moving the ball relatively effectively,” he said.

The Browns totaled nine first downs to the Bears’ 20, 191 yards to the Bears’ 369 and went 1-for-11 in third-down conversions. But Mangini was most upset about the five turnovers.

Anderson had explanations for both picks. The first one came on a communication mix-up with rookie receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. He ran long when Anderson expected him to cut inside.

The back-breaker was sent off target when Anderson was hit in the back of the end zone after left tackle Joe Thomas was slow getting off the ball and beat around the edge.

“I get hit, the ball goes up in the air, gets picked off, returned for a touchdown, pretty sweet deal,” Anderson said sarcastically. “You’re not going to win any games turning the ball over five times. I don’t care how good your defense is, how good you are, how bad you are. Turn it over and you lose. That’s the facts.

“It’s ridiculous. If it’s not one guy, it’s another guy. If it’s not one thing, it’s another thing. Obviously we control it and we have to control it. It’s stupid.”

Anderson was also charged with a fumble when running back Jamal Lewis never controlled a handoff.

“I felt like he got it clean from me,” Anderson said. “I don’t know what happened after that.”

Quinn said he was grateful for any playing time, even if it came late in a blowout.

“I never ask why I get in the game, I’m just happy to be in there,” he said.

While Mangini mulls his decision, Quinn will spend the bye preparing for the second half of the season and hoping he returns to the starting lineup.

“I’m feeling fresh and healthy, so continue to work on fundamental things, continue to stay in shape and be ready to go,” he said. “One of the key things is continue to have confidence in yourself as a player. Put your faith and pride in yourself and your abilities. I feel very confident in the God-given abilities that I have.”

A distraught Anderson said there’s only one thing for him to do

“Just keep working,” he said. “I don’t know anything else.”

And the Browns don’t know who their starting quarterback will be. Again.

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

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