The Cleveland Brown’ pending quarterback competition shapes up as an interesting training camp battle between former Notre Dame star Brady Quinn and former Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Anderson.
And while Quinn is widely believed to be the initial favorite, the word around the league is that the Browns could have issues under center regardless of who ultimately wins the job.
An executive from a competing AFC team recently told Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the Browns have the worst quarterback situation in the AFC North.
“The Browns are the only team in the North that doesn’t have a big-time quarterback,” the anonymous executive said. “Ben [Roethlisberger] has two Super Bowl rings. When Carson Palmer is healthy, he is one of the best.
“The kid in Baltimore [Joe Flacco] may end up being really good. If you’re the Browns, you have to play those guys six times. And Baltimore and Pittsburgh also have great defenses.”
While Browns coach Eric Mangini is expected to conduct a demanding training camp that will create game situations to test each candidate, the rival executive is skeptical about each quarterback for different reasons.
“Derek Anderson can throw down field, but his touch on short passes isn’t good,” the execuive said. “He will stretch the defense, but does he bring the intangibles that you want from the position?
“Quinn has those intangibles, but if we play him, we’re putting eight guys [in the box] and daring him to throw downfield. That takes away their running game, unless Brady can make the throws. I’m not sure who is the best bet for them.”
So, that old adage about a team that touts itself as having two good quarterbacks not really having a viable passing game is starting to come to mind.