As quarterback Derek Anderson settles in with his new team in Arizona, he’s still talking about his last team.
Regarding his failure in Cleveland, Anderson seems to think that he should have gotten more of a chance to keep the starting job.
“We had a lot of change and it was kinda hard,” Anderson told KTAR in Phoenix (via SportsRadioInterviews.com). “You kinda stick with the same guys over time and let everybody progress. It didn’t exactly happen. I’m just happy that I’m out of there and headed to Arizona.”
So he’s essentially saying that the Browns shouldn’t have benched him after a sluggish start to the 2008 season in favor of the guy for whom they gave up a second-round pick and a first-round pick, Brady Quinn.
As we’ve previously said, probably six or more times, the Browns should have realized after the 2007 season that Anderson’s strong performance was fueled by the fact that everyone expected him to be benched for Brady Quinn eventually, which allowed him to play loosely, and with confidence. And then they should have traded Anderson.
Once 2008 started, Anderson was looking over his shoulder, and it showed up in his play.
Of course, he got another chance in 2009 after Quinn was benched. But a string of starts including full-game passer ratings of 15.1 and 10.5 meant that it was time for Anderson to move on.
Maybe Anderson will play better in Arizona, given the presence of receivers like Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston. But he should never claim he didn’t get a fair shake in Cleveland. He got more of a chance than he ever should have received, and he ended up making a lot more money than he ever should have made.
I think playing in 39 NFL games is plenty of chances to prove that you should be a NFL started. But what the F do I know.
I just hope Chilly stays the hell away from him. We have enough projects striving to achieve mediocrity. Chilly liked the guy, no secret there.
The Browns had to let him go. All their footballs were grass stained due to his cannon throws into the turf.
“I’m just happy that I’m out of there and headed to Arizona.”
The feeling is mutual, Derek. Try not to let your new WRs punk you like you let happen in Cleveland.
Yeah, and I suppose the Ravens gave up on your too soon also. Right Derek?
Get real, you had a surreal start to 2007… but started throwing interceptions left and right in the 2nd half of that same season. You never recovered from that collapse.
Even if the Cardinals succeed this year, it won’t be due to your skill and accuracy. It will be due to a weak division of defenses, and Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet making amazing plays DESPITE you.
Why are we still listening to anything this UFL quarterback says?
If it wasn’t for the Browns even giving this guy a chance, he’d probably be out of the league by now.
the dudes from a small town and has a rocket arm thats getting him paid. Cleveland is lucky that they got holmegren in there to re-work the entire organization. ?08′? With that sort of team management even Payton woulda been terrible. They draft tools and trade em for nothing. * They’ve been known as a trash organization since they came back around. its not just the players on the field that make franchise great.
and Anderson has a smokin hot girl. Sn D
We’re glad he’s outta there, too. Punk. Arizona fan, get ready for 88 mph fastballs at the feet of Fitzgerald and Breaston. Get ready for throws a yard behind the receivers. He was a 6th rounder for a reason.
I hope the football gods schedule the Browns and Cards in a regular season game this year.
He did win 10 games and throw 29 TDs. Braylon Edwards dropped at least 5 that I saw. Winslow was also a monster that year.
They should have never drafted Lady Quinn or benched DA just because they did. Eli Manning had some DA like stretches good and bad. Sometimes when you find a good QB, you need to just build around them and let them play until you have a better option .
Derek needs to shut up about his old team and focus on his new team. If he thinks he had to look over his shoulder at Quinn, just imagine playing with a former Heisman winner that got taken higher in the draft than Quinn did.
He’s lucky he’s still in the league. The guy’s got a cannon, but couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn from ten feet away. He should be thanking Cleveland for employing him so much longer than he deserved.
I totally agree with the comments made in the article. We’ll find out soon enough whether or not the Browns gave up too soon on him (I don’t think they gave up soon enough)
Derek,
Does Lawrence Vickers need to come down to ‘Zona and slap you around like he wanted to in the huddle the one year?
You aren’t a Brown anymore, so shut your da&n mouth!
He needs to get over it. He and his family are set for life with the money he made in Cleveland, and he should be laughing all the way to the bank with zero complaints.
Yep. Premature emasculation is a nasty hang. Good luck in ‘Zona, DA.
DA’s game against the Bengals in ’07 was the reason the Browns missed the playoffs. He’s a bum who had a run of good games, thanks in no small part to tall receivers who could get up to get his overthrown passes. Good riddance.
I am a die hard Browns fan and I agree with pretty much all of the previous comments people have made on this article.
Yes, he blew up in 2007. But he did collapse in the stretch and single-handedly played them out of the playoffs with his stellar 4 INT performance against an awful Cincinnati team. I was never a D.A. fan and was very skeptical of him even throughout that season. Everyone points to the fact that he threw 29 TD’s and went to the Pro Bowl but they often leave out the 19 INT’s he threw.
That being said. If I would have known our new plan was to bring in Jake “No Elbow” Delhomme I would have rather just kept Anderson. You trade one awful QB for another one who is 10 years older and doesn’t have nearly the type of arm Anderson has. I think Quinn was more likely a long term answer than Anderson but I would have taken either one of them over Delhomme. I hope we just let Jake Delhomme get crushed for a year or two until we actually have some type of pieces in place to maybe once let someone have a chance to succed at QB in Cleveland. The revolving door has been going round and round since 1999…….
I hope the football gods schedule the Browns against my team.
Derek,
Can’t wait until you “come back to Cleveland and roll us”.
I’ll buy tickets to that Gladiators game, chump.
A new broom sweeps clean. How long did this guy think the Browns should stick with him without him emerging as the clear starter. Maybe the two guys he has now will perform no better, but if I were Holmgren I would rather go into the season with guys I think might be better than two who have proven that they can’t play.
Break it down like a fraction DA. Stupid ass Florio says we should have got rid of him after the 2007 season, but what would we have been left with…..GRADY QUINN! It’s obvious that Florio is a Pissburg Stealer fan and he should pretty much devote all of his attention to his Charlie Manson QB.
evilmajortom says: March 18, 2010 2:39 PM
Why are we still listening to anything this UFL quarterback says?
+1
Nothing can be said that would encompass my feelings more than this.
Holy crap, I agree with Florio…
In 2008 DA had the same OC, 3/5 the same O-Line, Edwards, Winslow, Vickers and Lewis…just like he did in 2007. Including himself, that is 8 out of 11 positions were exactly the same in 2008 as they were in 2007.
But I guess his failures are always someone else’s fault?
I am a die hard Steelers fan and HATE the Browns. That said, I am on Anderson’s side. I have always liked him and didn’t think he got a fair shot. Its hard do develop into a good QB if your always looking over your shoulder and your team doesnt seem to have any faith in you. It also doesn’t help that the Browns are one of the most dysfunctional teams in the league (Cleveland Raiders anybody???) That said, I think he is going to prove all of you people who like to run their suck about him wrong. We all know that Leinhart is a bum and not going anywhere. I say Anderson is starting by week 4 and stays the starter. Whizz will turn him into what he hast he potential to be.
This guy is unbelievable! They gave him chance after chance to take control of the QB job! He had like 39 starts and Quinn had 12 – if anything, they gave up on Quinn too soon. I think Holmgren made the right call by cutting the dead weight and starting over with the QBs’. When Jake Delhomme is an upgrade, what does that say about your play of late?!
Good article, Florio. When you aren’t trying to be clever you’re a pretty insightful guy.
I was a DA believer, but the dude can’t face the fact that he utterly collapsed. And Florio’s comment about him having to look over his shoulder in 08 is BS-he had just gotten HUGE contract and should have felt confident that the Browns had pretty much handed him the keys.
PS-All you people hoping for a CLE-AZ game this year obviously don’t know too much about how the NFL scheduling works-each division plays a division in their own and the opposite conference, plus the teams who finished in the same place from the remaining 2 divisions in their own conference. This year the AFC North plays the AFC East and NFC South, so no AZ this year, but they will next year, IN CLEVELAND!!!
Oh yeah, this guy’s a GREAT teammate. Better you than us ‘zona.
Holy crap, I agree with Florio…
In 2008 DA had the same OC, 3/5 the same O-Line, Edwards, Winslow, Vickers and Lewis…just like he did in 2007. Including himself, that is 8 out of 11 positions were exactly the same in 2008 as they were in 2007.
But I guess his failures are always someone else’s fault?
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Well, in his defense, yeah he had the same players, but during the 8 games he started in ’08, the Browns did play the #1, #2, #4, and #5 defenses a total of 5 times. They also played the #8, #12 and #17 defenses.
He went 3-4 to start and had a 4th one well in hand against Baltimore when the defense collapse and gave up 17 in the 4th quarter. I imagine most of you would say that you’re quarterback is doing all right if he managed to do that against the best defenses of the NFL week in and week out.
Oh and the one other game he actually started that season, they played Indianapolis. Go figure.
His XFL name would be THEYALLHATEME…
His “great” season in Cleveland ended with 4 INTs against the Bengals and a preview of what the next 2 seasons were going to be… bad.
I am not surprised by the lack of reaction from Cards fans… Considering they didn’t know Arizona had a football team until 2008.
Time will tell. If he was smart (which he doesn’t appear to be), he’d take the money and keep his mouth shut.
Isn’t this the same organization that just gave Jake Delhomme $18 million? Is he being paid $1 million for each INT he’ll throw in 2010? Not exactly solid judges of QB talent…
PFT aren’t even at the level of douchebags when it comes to accurate and fair reporting on ANYBODY.
Look, Derek Anderson blew it in Cleveland. He FAILED, massively. No one is arguing that. Therefore, I have no problem with this article- EXCEPT that, through the headline, and the snary tone of the article, it’s more than obvious that you assholes are implying that Anderson just ran his mouth, unchecked and unprovoked. You kinda forgot to mention that before giving his opinion on what went wrong in Cleveland, HE WAS ASKED BY THE INTERVIEWER WHAT HE THINKS WENT WRONG IN CLEVELAND.
And that amounts to some typical-ass, yellow, pussy, hatchet job “journalism”. The interviewer asks for a response, the player gives one, and PFT tries to sell it as that player just opening his mouth and crying for no reason. WTF are players supposed to do- not answer questions? Stick with “one blink is yes, two blinks is no”?
You guys are idiots.
Yes, Derek Anderson sucks. But PFT, as a “news” organization, is a far bigger joke.
And at least Anderson isn’t a rapist, like one of Florio’s favorite AFCN QBs. We need more articles assuming “Will Farrell’s Retarded Brother” is guilty of forcing young college girls to do things they don’t want to.
not that i’m a Derek Anderson fan by any means….but what the hell has that douche bag Lady Quinn done that proves he’s even remotely close to being a better option….oh wait…he sucks as well….
how horrible must you be to let Jake Delholme take your job….
isnt karma a b!tch….you ignorant cleveland fans
That’s nice. I think the Browns seem to think they held on to him too long not to mention that generous contract.
“…the Browns should have realized after the 2007 season that Anderson’s strong performance was fueled by the fact that everyone expected him to be benched for Brady Quinn eventually, which allowed him to play loosely, and with confidence. ”
The view from the office desk (or the bar stool) is always the clearest one. Some teams just don’t have the clarity of vision of a lawyer turned blogger.
You know all those guys who were eventually replaced by high pick QBs all had stong years.
Totally agree Mike. It was always my opinion that Anderson out performed himself in 07. When it comes to being a starting QB he’s just not that great. I was amazed that Mangini started him as late into the 09 season as he did until I read about Quinn’s playing time incentive contract boost, then it all made sense. If D.A wants to talk about QB’s not having a fair shot in Cleveland he should be referring to B Quinn.
Brilliant plan Florio. When Cleveland, a town that has gone through a dozen quarterbacks since they came back to the league, finally finds one that wins us ten games, you think we should have traded him. If you apply that same logic to your law practice, it’s no wonder that you’re a “sportswriter” now.
Make no mistake, I’m glad he’s gone NOW, but they had to keep him to find out just how good he was. If he had repeated his success in 2008, it’s Quinn that would have been traded before the 2009 draft.
I dont care what anybody says. This guy can be fixed. It would not matter who the qb in Cleveland was during the time he was there they would have struggled.
If this guy finds the right system that works for him and a few solid hands around him he will succeed. I dont see the greatest QB that ever lived in his future but he could be good. Teams have proved in the past that it does not take the greatest QB to be successful. ( Brad Johnson, Rich Gannon, Ravens QB when they won the SB, Rothlisberger, Eli Manning, Bledsoe, Flutie, Testaverde, Pennington, etc.. ) None of those guys are going to go down as the top 20 of all time but were none the less successful.
May even take a good QB coach or OC to help but he is fixable.
This guy falls in the same category as David Carr. Bad team ruined him.
If I was Childress I would consider him for Sage Rosenfels.
Amazing, all these Brown’s lovers talk about DA’s interceptions and they picked up Delhomme (the interception machine) to replace him. LOL
Anderson will light it up in Arizona. At the end of next season when we look back at this years FA class this one will end up in the top 3 based on what he did for his team.
Hey Thingamajig- it’s not like us fans picked Delhomme, you dillhole.
When in the hell are all you morons going to stop blaming fans for a team’s bad choices?
Thingamajig says:
March 18, 2010 5:16 PM
Amazing, all these Brown’s lovers talk about DA’s interceptions and they picked up Delhomme (the interception machine) to replace him. LOL
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The fans talk about DA’s interceptions, but “they” picked up Delhomme?
Yes, that’s it. THE FANS who were bitching about Anderson decided to sign Delhomme.
Jeez, isn’t there some kind of intelligence filter one should have to get through before they can post here?
Everyone always is happy to get out of Cleveland to go to a place like AZ. Not because of the weather, but because the fans don’t care as much. If you suck in Cleveland, we let you know about it. If you sick in AZ, nobody really gives a shit.
Anderson should be thanking his lucky stars that he is out of Cleveland and that they gave up on him
Now he can win without getting hurt
I agree completely with Florio, he did play loose in ’07, you’re right on point Florio
Derek Anderson is a clown. Watching him in Cleveland was painful. Thanks Cards – no he’s your problem.
Enough with the DA praise already….Cleveland didn’t ruin him. Let’s not forget he was a late round draft pick (for a reason) by the Ravens who didn’t even make the final roster. Cleveland picked him up off their practice squad. The knock on him coming out of college was poor descision making….looks like he failed to progress in this area.
I think what Holmgren did was prevent the locker room division that has taken place over the past few seasons by getting rid of both mediocre QB’s he inherited. Not a bad move as far as trying to right the ship which has been sinking since Dwight Clark and company ran the show. Sure they may have overpayed for Delhomme, but he and Wallace both have more experience than Quinn and DA. When you have so many area of the team that need fixed, not having to train a QB on the fly is an advantage. Let Delhomme have a year or two and maybe next time you try to insert a francise QB he won’t get killed or look like such a bust (i.e. Tim Couch and Brady Quinn).
We’ll see Florio……we’ll see.
DA lives up to his scouting report: strong arm but not accurate and will throw alot of interceptions and fails to perform when the pressures on. That was his report out of college and he has lived up to it exactly. If he would of played even half way decent in 08 there never would have been a quarterback controversy.So blameless bob can go cry on a horsey. I gaurantee he will stink it up in Arizona too.
Too bad Phil Savage had the brains of turnip. He should have traded DA after the 2007 season. Maybe if Quinn had had some receivers or some kind of a running game behind him he might have worked out better in cleveland. It would be funny to see DA beat out Leinart who may be a bigger bust than Brady Quinn. Arizona has a hell of lot better receivers and running backs than the browns did in 2007-2009 DA might go to another pro bowl lol.