Nearing the end of their 13th season since returning to the NFL, the Cleveland Browns continue their string of losses. They have had only two winning seasons during that time, and clearly part of that problem has been the inability to come up with a quarterback that can sustain excellence (or even competence) over an extended period.
The current player leading the team at QB is Colt McCoy, in his second year from the University of Texas. Colt got his first start mid-way in his first season and has generally remained the starter, although missing some time due to injuries.
The Browns had a losing record in 2010, and have guaranteed a losing season in 2011 with their current 4-9 record. The quarterback is never the only reason for a team’s success or lack of it, but very few great teams have not had a superior quarterback.
A quick look at the great teams of the past includes Green Bay in the 1960s, Pittsburgh in the 1970s, San Francisco in the 80s and Dallas in the 90s. Even going back to the Frank Ryan in the 1950s, these teams all had stable quarterbacks, not to mention Hall of Famers. No Browns in this century can be considered for the Hall of Fame without laughter.
Recent Browns Quarterbacks
The Browns have tried every possible method of finding their quarterback. They started with taking Tim Couch with the first pick in the draft of 1999. Couch took a beating with the expansion team and lasted only a few years.
Their search has included castoffs from better teams, such as Trent Dilfer, Jeff Garcia and Jake Delhomme. None of these lasted more than a year, and brought limited success with them.
The team tried to find a diamond in other teams young players, particularly Derek Anderson, who put up some good numbers in some games, but imploded in others, particularly against top opponents.
The player most like McCoy that they drafted was Brady Quinn, a fan favorite from Notre Dame. Quinn played well in a few games, but was traded and disappeared quickly from the limelight.
The poor teams surrounding these quarterbacks share some of the blame for their failures, but the test is how the signal callers did after leaving the Browns, In no case did they make much of an impact on any other team. Anderson continued his gunslinging ups and downs with the Cardinals, and Garcia had a few unsuccessful starts with Detroit.
Colt McCoy as the Browns Quarterback
Colt McCoy dropped to the fourth round in the 2010 draft due to concerns about his size and arm strength. He had a very successful career with Texas, but is not the prototype NFL passer. He is a good runner from the QB position, a task that he won’t get to use much in the NFL, al least not without risking injury.
It seems that those concerns were justified. Colt has not been able to stop the Browns’ string of losses and his 2011 quarterback rating is 74.6, 27th in the NFL.
Although Colt is well liked in Cleveland, he came from a pro style offense in Texas, and he may have already peaked. The Browns would be wise to spend what is (again) sure to be a high draft choice to take another top college quarterback.
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