Monday, October 24, 2005
Change the Quarterback? Not Yet.
One play. That's all the Browns felt they needed to switch a 13-10 loss to Detroit into the left-handed column of the standings.
Is that the quarterback's fault? Largely.
On Sunday, Trent Dilfer said he "played a stinker." He was holding back. Statistically speaking, three interceptions and a 22.4 rating more than qualified for his worst day as a pro.
Nobody said the guy was Joe Montana, but we could do without the Joe Harrington act. Of course, it's no surprise that Dilfer could now be facing the same fate of the Lions couched QB.
Browns fans are screaming for a quarterback change. Shocking, really. Never saw this coming.
Tell me, when exactly did this Browns team load up with so much talent that a simple switch at quarterback will cure everything? Scanning the roster, I see the same team that many predicted would win 4 games at best in 2005.
But somehow, the predictable struggles of a rebuilding team have created an uproar. So the QB must go.
In football, changing quarterbacks is too often likened to changing diapers. But rarely does this switch clean up the mess that the team is in.
Tim Couch's on-the-job training as a rookie was the difference in exactly zero wins for Chris Palmer's Browns. It's long term effect? Nagging injuries, from the beating he absorbed, that have essentially ruined Couch's career.
Granted, Charlie Frye seems more along the lines of Bernie Kosar, than Couch. Like old #19, Frye is a quick study. Bernie was productive as a rookie. He also handed the football off to two thousand-yard backs, and threw to a Hall of Fame tight end. See any of the above in a Browns uniform today?
Sure, you could make the argument that Braylon Edwards holds game-breaking potential. But the Browns' first round draft pick barely sees the field right now. Head coach Romeo Crennel is reluctant to play rookies, fearful of their mistakes. If he won't play his obvioiusly talented rookie wideout, then what makes you think he'd play his rookie quarterback?
A more sensible change should come in the game plan. Somewhere along the line, this offense became pass happy. With Dilfer, that's a no-no. They finally let Reuben Droughns run the ball for three quarters against Detroit, and he piled up 100 yards. But in the fourth, with the game on the line, it was back to the air.
Two weeks ago, Trent Dilfer made the play that beat Chicago (a touchdown pass to Antonio Bryant). On Sunday, Dilfer made one throw, and Bryant dropped it on the Browns' second last possession. It would have at least set up a game-tying field goal attempt.
How could Charlie Frye have changed that?
Questions? Comments? Quarterbacks? My e-mail address is open for business. Drop me a line at chandler@newsnet5.com
Is that the quarterback's fault? Largely.
On Sunday, Trent Dilfer said he "played a stinker." He was holding back. Statistically speaking, three interceptions and a 22.4 rating more than qualified for his worst day as a pro.
Nobody said the guy was Joe Montana, but we could do without the Joe Harrington act. Of course, it's no surprise that Dilfer could now be facing the same fate of the Lions couched QB.
Browns fans are screaming for a quarterback change. Shocking, really. Never saw this coming.
Tell me, when exactly did this Browns team load up with so much talent that a simple switch at quarterback will cure everything? Scanning the roster, I see the same team that many predicted would win 4 games at best in 2005.
But somehow, the predictable struggles of a rebuilding team have created an uproar. So the QB must go.
In football, changing quarterbacks is too often likened to changing diapers. But rarely does this switch clean up the mess that the team is in.
Tim Couch's on-the-job training as a rookie was the difference in exactly zero wins for Chris Palmer's Browns. It's long term effect? Nagging injuries, from the beating he absorbed, that have essentially ruined Couch's career.
Granted, Charlie Frye seems more along the lines of Bernie Kosar, than Couch. Like old #19, Frye is a quick study. Bernie was productive as a rookie. He also handed the football off to two thousand-yard backs, and threw to a Hall of Fame tight end. See any of the above in a Browns uniform today?
Sure, you could make the argument that Braylon Edwards holds game-breaking potential. But the Browns' first round draft pick barely sees the field right now. Head coach Romeo Crennel is reluctant to play rookies, fearful of their mistakes. If he won't play his obvioiusly talented rookie wideout, then what makes you think he'd play his rookie quarterback?
A more sensible change should come in the game plan. Somewhere along the line, this offense became pass happy. With Dilfer, that's a no-no. They finally let Reuben Droughns run the ball for three quarters against Detroit, and he piled up 100 yards. But in the fourth, with the game on the line, it was back to the air.
Two weeks ago, Trent Dilfer made the play that beat Chicago (a touchdown pass to Antonio Bryant). On Sunday, Dilfer made one throw, and Bryant dropped it on the Browns' second last possession. It would have at least set up a game-tying field goal attempt.
How could Charlie Frye have changed that?
Questions? Comments? Quarterbacks? My e-mail address is open for business. Drop me a line at chandler@newsnet5.com
Posted at 9:07 PM
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