NFL Football Preview 2009: Cleveland Browns
The Browns Have Questions To Be Answered At Quarterback
When the Browns selected quarterback Brady Quinn with the 22nd overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, it appeared that he would be the quarterback of the future for the city of Cleveland. Unfortunately, this was not the case.
In the same year the Browns drafted Quinn out of Notre Dame, quarterback Derek Anderson had a breakout season, throwing for 3,787 yards and 29 touchdowns. He helped lead the team to a 10-6 record, falling one game short of a Wild Card berth.
Who Will Start At Quarterback In Week One For The Browns?
After signing a three-year extension following his breakout season in '07, Anderson flopped in 2008. He started just nine games, throwing for 1,615 yards and nine touchdowns. On November 6 that season, he was replaced by Quinn as the starter for the Browns in a Monday Night Football matchup against the Denver Broncos.
Later that month, Quinn suffered a broken finger and would be sidelined for the remainder of the season. The following week, Anderson was given the starting job back, but would lose it again after suffering a season-ending MCL injury.
In his first season as the new head coach for the Browns, head coach Eric Mangini already has to make a major decision on who to start at quarterback for the 2009 season. He has two players with two big contracts that have proven they have what it takes to be the starting quarterback for the Browns. Unfortunately, this is one of those decisions that most likely will not be decided until a few weeks prior to the start of the regular season.
Can Braylon Edwards Return To His 2007 Form?
In 2007, Browns fifth-year wide receiver Braylon Edwards emerged as one of the top-receiving threats in the NFL, hauling in 80 recpetions for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns. Despite his impressive statistics, he led the league in another category that most receivers prefer not to be known for: dropped passes.
Edwards has led the league in dropped passes the last two seasons. In 2008, he dropped 16 passes in the 16 games he played in. After a breakout year in '07, he only managed to haul in 55 receptions for 873 yards and three touchdowns last season.
If the Browns have any shot at making the playoffs in 2009, Edwards will have to return to his old from a few years ago. Now that tight end Kellen Winslow is playing with Tampa Bay, there will be even more pressure on Edwards to play well this season. Whether his quarterback is Anderson or Quinn, all eyes will be on the Edwards when the season starts in September.
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