Derek Anderson Re-Re-Revisited
As posted in the NFL Thread by Skyhi, Browns Coach, Eric Mangini named Derek Anderson the new starter and benched Brady Quinn.
I have been a big Brady Quinn supporter as referenced here on these very forums with me clamoring on and singing the Manfred Mann songs titled: "The Mighty Quinn". Now that it appears the Quinn era is over, let us revisit our new leader: Derek Anderson.
Before I do though, back to Quinn for a second. Some say the coaching staff rushed the decision to bench Quinn. The truth is, he's had 3 years to prove himself in practice and in 6 real games, but was extrememly underwhelming (including preseason) when given the chance. Through 6 regular season games, Quinn has a QB Rating of 64.5% with 3 TD's and 5 interceptions. Bottom line, he was ineffective and couldn't move the chains.
DA's emergence in 2007 was unexpected. I think it messed up both QBs tremendously. Quinn never got to develop and get the playing time he should have. Anderson was forced to look over his shoulder and was even vilified for preventing the home town favorite (Quinn) from playing. After the breakout 2007 season, DA was blamed for an end of the season loss to Cincinnati where we had the chance to go to the playoffs with a win. Instead, DA threw 4 interceptions and lost the game. Fans never forgave him for that loss. 2 years removed from '07, let's revisit DA....
Positives:
-He is only 26 years old.
-He has a 13-13 career record in 26 career starts for a franchise that in the same time period had a record of 18-33.
-He made a Pro Bowl at 24 years old (as an alternate, but made the Pro Bowl).
-Clearly has the physical skills of an NFL quarterback.
-Threw 29 TD passes in his first season as a starter, #2 all-time for a Browns QB in a single season.
-Went 10-5 as the Browns starter in '07, which is the 2nd most wins by a Browns starting QB (Kosar won 12 in 1986) over the last 30 years.
-He has thrown 43 TD passes
The negatives:
-He has thrown 38 interceptions.
-He had a high interception percentage in college as well.
-He has shown inconsistency.
Obviously the negatives are a huge concern. However, isn't it possible that a 26 year old QB can improve and overcome the negatives? Surely discipline can be taught, right? Are there enough positives to build on?
I think the fact that Brady Quinn was on the roster made people very cynical about Anderson's 2007. Anderson was flat out awesome in several games. Some that come to mind:
-The win in the shootout with the Bengals.
-The comeback against the Seahawks.
-The comeback against the Ravens (that throw he made to set up Dawson's field goal was amazing).
And yes, he had a horrendous game in a "must win" situation against Cincy on the road and threw 4 interceptions. However, in other "must win" games down the stretch he beat Baltimore, Houston, the Jets, and Buffalo and played very well.
Obviously 2008 was a different story.
I do remember Anderson's last start however. The Browns were playing a tough Baltimore team and were winning 27-13. Anderson had thrown two TD passes against one of the best defenses in football. Late in the third quarter he throw a perfect pass to Braylon Edwards for a TD. Edwards dropped it. That score would have put the game away.
The Ravens rallied back and won 37-27, sealing the victory on a late interception for a TD by Terrell Suggs. Anderson finished with 2 TDs and 1 Int and 219 yards passing. He was benched after that game for Quinn.
Anderson did not have a great 2008. He did finish with 9 TDs and 8 Ints, and went 3-5 as the Browns starter.
I guess I wonder if the Browns truly commit to Anderson and let him develop, can he grow like other young QBs did who threw interceptions, such as Brett Favre, Ben Roethlesberger, Vinny Testaverde, and be a "franchise" QB?
After the short window of opportunity of both Quinn and Anderson, my assessment is this: It appears DA's ceiling is higher. He has the arm strength to stretch the field. He has the ability to move the chains and torch opposing secondaries. He just needs to eliminate some boneheaded interceptions.
With that said, welcome back Derek. Best of luck to you. Go Browns!!!
As posted in the NFL Thread by Skyhi, Browns Coach, Eric Mangini named Derek Anderson the new starter and benched Brady Quinn.
I have been a big Brady Quinn supporter as referenced here on these very forums with me clamoring on and singing the Manfred Mann songs titled: "The Mighty Quinn". Now that it appears the Quinn era is over, let us revisit our new leader: Derek Anderson.
Before I do though, back to Quinn for a second. Some say the coaching staff rushed the decision to bench Quinn. The truth is, he's had 3 years to prove himself in practice and in 6 real games, but was extrememly underwhelming (including preseason) when given the chance. Through 6 regular season games, Quinn has a QB Rating of 64.5% with 3 TD's and 5 interceptions. Bottom line, he was ineffective and couldn't move the chains.
DA's emergence in 2007 was unexpected. I think it messed up both QBs tremendously. Quinn never got to develop and get the playing time he should have. Anderson was forced to look over his shoulder and was even vilified for preventing the home town favorite (Quinn) from playing. After the breakout 2007 season, DA was blamed for an end of the season loss to Cincinnati where we had the chance to go to the playoffs with a win. Instead, DA threw 4 interceptions and lost the game. Fans never forgave him for that loss. 2 years removed from '07, let's revisit DA....
Positives:
-He is only 26 years old.
-He has a 13-13 career record in 26 career starts for a franchise that in the same time period had a record of 18-33.
-He made a Pro Bowl at 24 years old (as an alternate, but made the Pro Bowl).
-Clearly has the physical skills of an NFL quarterback.
-Threw 29 TD passes in his first season as a starter, #2 all-time for a Browns QB in a single season.
-Went 10-5 as the Browns starter in '07, which is the 2nd most wins by a Browns starting QB (Kosar won 12 in 1986) over the last 30 years.
-He has thrown 43 TD passes
The negatives:
-He has thrown 38 interceptions.
-He had a high interception percentage in college as well.
-He has shown inconsistency.
Obviously the negatives are a huge concern. However, isn't it possible that a 26 year old QB can improve and overcome the negatives? Surely discipline can be taught, right? Are there enough positives to build on?
I think the fact that Brady Quinn was on the roster made people very cynical about Anderson's 2007. Anderson was flat out awesome in several games. Some that come to mind:
-The win in the shootout with the Bengals.
-The comeback against the Seahawks.
-The comeback against the Ravens (that throw he made to set up Dawson's field goal was amazing).
And yes, he had a horrendous game in a "must win" situation against Cincy on the road and threw 4 interceptions. However, in other "must win" games down the stretch he beat Baltimore, Houston, the Jets, and Buffalo and played very well.
Obviously 2008 was a different story.
I do remember Anderson's last start however. The Browns were playing a tough Baltimore team and were winning 27-13. Anderson had thrown two TD passes against one of the best defenses in football. Late in the third quarter he throw a perfect pass to Braylon Edwards for a TD. Edwards dropped it. That score would have put the game away.
The Ravens rallied back and won 37-27, sealing the victory on a late interception for a TD by Terrell Suggs. Anderson finished with 2 TDs and 1 Int and 219 yards passing. He was benched after that game for Quinn.
Anderson did not have a great 2008. He did finish with 9 TDs and 8 Ints, and went 3-5 as the Browns starter.
I guess I wonder if the Browns truly commit to Anderson and let him develop, can he grow like other young QBs did who threw interceptions, such as Brett Favre, Ben Roethlesberger, Vinny Testaverde, and be a "franchise" QB?
After the short window of opportunity of both Quinn and Anderson, my assessment is this: It appears DA's ceiling is higher. He has the arm strength to stretch the field. He has the ability to move the chains and torch opposing secondaries. He just needs to eliminate some boneheaded interceptions.
With that said, welcome back Derek. Best of luck to you. Go Browns!!!
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