http://www.mercedsunstar.com/359/story/1198856.html
Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009
Tough to make the call on Quinn
By PATRICK MCMANAMON
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/
CINCINNATI We know a lot about the Cleveland Browns this season.
Primarily that they're not very good.
But we don't know any more about Brady Quinn today than we did back in August.
Which also is not very good.
We know that he can light it up against Detroit.
We know that he can catch a pass (he did just that in Sunday's loss to the Bengals).
And we know that he can run a quarterback draw.
Other than that, we don't know too much.
Because as the Browns stagger blindly to the finishing stretch of December games - sure is good to have most of them at home, eh? - they are posing the classic chicken or egg question.
Does Quinn struggle because he's not that good, or does he struggle because the team and approach drag him down?
Flipping a coin would answer the question easier than analyzing it.
A week ago against one of the worst defenses in the league, he looked ready.
Sunday against a defense ranked in the top third, Quinn completed 15-of-34 for just 100 yards, a paltry 2.94 yards per attempt.
It would seem that if Quinn were to establish himself as a legitimate quarterback for the Browns' future, he would need at least a couple more good games in the final month.
Throwing for 100 yards with a 51.3 rating (shockingly low, given he did not throw an interception) isn't really going to cut it.
The rating reflected his day, which consisted (again) of dropped passes and passes thrown short.
"It sort of reminds you of the way we lost other games," wide receiver Chansi Stuckey said.
Against Detroit, Quinn gave a glimmer of hope.
Against Cincinnati, the entire offense gained just 169 yards. Compare it to the Bengals running for 210.
Things regressed with the same approach, players and coaches said.
"The approach conceptually wasn't dramatically different from what we did last week," said coach Eric Mangini.
Mangini said he thought the Browns "had some opportunities," proving again that a coach sees the game differently than most mortals.
"Some of those opportunities were eliminated by drops," he said. "I'm not sure how many drops we had 1/8at least four3/8, but too many. Some, we had guys open, but we couldn't get the ball to them."
Quinn said the Bengals often blitzed more players than the Browns could block. This happened right away, as Quinn was sacked on third down by cornerback Morgan Trent on the Browns' first possession.
But there were times when the game plan looked maddening.
Like in the fourth quarter, when the Browns took over on their 13-yard-line with 10:09 to go.
Quinn threw two wide receiver screens to Josh Cribbs, and also threw short to Cribbs off what he said was a called three-step drop.
Every call was short, or horizontal.
Add in a penalty, and when the Browns most needed a drive, they lost four yards.
Was Sunday a step back for the offense?
"It's tough to tell," Quinn said.
On the Browns' second-to-last possession, Quinn threw a slant behind Mohamed Massaquoi, then threw well out of bounds when he and Massaquoi were not reading coverage the same way.
But Quinn is working with some major handicaps, starting with the fact that he was benched after 10 quarters this season and missed five games.
One would hope that had he continued as the starter, he'd have improved each week. That's the hope, at least.
Another factor is the constant shuffling of offensive players, with no real go-to receiver and different receivers active every week.
Sunday, Brian Robiskie - whom Quinn has thrown to since training camp - was inactive and Jake Allen - who was signed this past week - was active.
It almost seemed like a joke, but that's the way the Browns took the field.
Quinn is throwing to a rookie, a guy who was acquired via trade four games into the season, and a special-teams returner being forced into a receiver's role.
Too, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is learning on the job. Pairing a new coordinator with a quarterback starting for the first time seems to add to the struggles.
Daboll last week trotted out some stats comparing Quinn in his first starts to Peyton Manning and others. The point was that Quinn was young.
But it's just as easy to compare Quinn to Philip Rivers of San Diego, who sat for the better part of two years before starting in his third.
That season, Rivers threw for 3,388 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions as San Diego went 14-2.
But Rivers had LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield, and Antonio Gates at tight end.
Quinn has Chris Jennings and Greg Estandia.
The Browns are a colossal mess and they just need to get through the season as best they can.
They can pass final judgment on Quinn after next season.
Sunday, Nov. 29, 2009
Tough to make the call on Quinn
By PATRICK MCMANAMON
Akron Beacon Journal
http://www.ohio.com/ CINCINNATI We know a lot about the Cleveland Browns this season.
Primarily that they're not very good.
But we don't know any more about Brady Quinn today than we did back in August.
Which also is not very good.
We know that he can light it up against Detroit.
We know that he can catch a pass (he did just that in Sunday's loss to the Bengals).
And we know that he can run a quarterback draw.
Other than that, we don't know too much.
Because as the Browns stagger blindly to the finishing stretch of December games - sure is good to have most of them at home, eh? - they are posing the classic chicken or egg question.
Does Quinn struggle because he's not that good, or does he struggle because the team and approach drag him down?
Flipping a coin would answer the question easier than analyzing it.
A week ago against one of the worst defenses in the league, he looked ready.
Sunday against a defense ranked in the top third, Quinn completed 15-of-34 for just 100 yards, a paltry 2.94 yards per attempt.
It would seem that if Quinn were to establish himself as a legitimate quarterback for the Browns' future, he would need at least a couple more good games in the final month.
Throwing for 100 yards with a 51.3 rating (shockingly low, given he did not throw an interception) isn't really going to cut it.
The rating reflected his day, which consisted (again) of dropped passes and passes thrown short.
"It sort of reminds you of the way we lost other games," wide receiver Chansi Stuckey said.
Against Detroit, Quinn gave a glimmer of hope.
Against Cincinnati, the entire offense gained just 169 yards. Compare it to the Bengals running for 210.
Things regressed with the same approach, players and coaches said.
"The approach conceptually wasn't dramatically different from what we did last week," said coach Eric Mangini.
Mangini said he thought the Browns "had some opportunities," proving again that a coach sees the game differently than most mortals.
"Some of those opportunities were eliminated by drops," he said. "I'm not sure how many drops we had 1/8at least four3/8, but too many. Some, we had guys open, but we couldn't get the ball to them."
Quinn said the Bengals often blitzed more players than the Browns could block. This happened right away, as Quinn was sacked on third down by cornerback Morgan Trent on the Browns' first possession.
But there were times when the game plan looked maddening.
Like in the fourth quarter, when the Browns took over on their 13-yard-line with 10:09 to go.
Quinn threw two wide receiver screens to Josh Cribbs, and also threw short to Cribbs off what he said was a called three-step drop.
Every call was short, or horizontal.
Add in a penalty, and when the Browns most needed a drive, they lost four yards.
Was Sunday a step back for the offense?
"It's tough to tell," Quinn said.
On the Browns' second-to-last possession, Quinn threw a slant behind Mohamed Massaquoi, then threw well out of bounds when he and Massaquoi were not reading coverage the same way.
But Quinn is working with some major handicaps, starting with the fact that he was benched after 10 quarters this season and missed five games.
One would hope that had he continued as the starter, he'd have improved each week. That's the hope, at least.
Another factor is the constant shuffling of offensive players, with no real go-to receiver and different receivers active every week.
Sunday, Brian Robiskie - whom Quinn has thrown to since training camp - was inactive and Jake Allen - who was signed this past week - was active.
It almost seemed like a joke, but that's the way the Browns took the field.
Quinn is throwing to a rookie, a guy who was acquired via trade four games into the season, and a special-teams returner being forced into a receiver's role.
Too, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll is learning on the job. Pairing a new coordinator with a quarterback starting for the first time seems to add to the struggles.
Daboll last week trotted out some stats comparing Quinn in his first starts to Peyton Manning and others. The point was that Quinn was young.
But it's just as easy to compare Quinn to Philip Rivers of San Diego, who sat for the better part of two years before starting in his third.
That season, Rivers threw for 3,388 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions as San Diego went 14-2.
But Rivers had LaDainian Tomlinson in the backfield, and Antonio Gates at tight end.
Quinn has Chris Jennings and Greg Estandia.
The Browns are a colossal mess and they just need to get through the season as best they can.
They can pass final judgment on Quinn after next season.
