I can’t really believe there is serious debate going on in the Cleveland sports scene as to which guy should be the starting quarterback next year.  This is not a Couch v. Holcomb debate.  This is more of a Zeier v. Philcox debate, as in “who cares?”.

Exhibit A.  Charlie Frye

His best qualities are that he is tough and that he is mobile.  These are good qualities for a Cleveland QB to have because the line is below sub par so he’s going to have to move and he’s going to have to be able to take a hit.  Unfortunately for Mr. Frye these are the only traits that he possesses.  There aren’t any other discernible QB abilities in his body.  Also, Charlie Frye can only successfully throw 3 types of passes.  The first pass is a short out (usually to the tight end), this is a play the Browns seem to run 35% of the time.  I don’t know if that is good for Charlie or if it is indicative of his abilities.  The second pass is a streak that goes to the sideline but only 20 yards downfield.  Charlie is really good at this.  If you ask him to throw it any farther with accuracy, though, no dice.  The last pass he can throw is to people that are standing still, which is tantamount to playing catch. Good for him.

Exhibit B. Derek Anderson

Derek Anderson’s best quality as a QB is that he is not Charlie Frye.  He looks like a QB, acts like a QB, and can make plays like a QB, but he just isn’t that good of a QB.  According to statsinc.com: Derek Anderson threw 1,277,332 interceptions while playing at Oregon St.  He is mistake prone and has yet to show any signs that he can play without throwing INTs at any point in his career.  What I think Browns fans see in him is that he make plays that a capable QB should make, plays that Charlie Frye can’t make.  However, that isn’t saying much.

Epilogue

All this short exercise in futility does is show one thing: The Browns do not have a QB with the capability to start games in the NFL on their roster.  “What should they do, Mr. Brown?” you ask?  The answer, sadly, is I don’t know.

One good thing is that the Browns have a buttload of cap space available next season, althought that is partially because they aren’t paying a starting QB salary to anyone on the team right now. The free agent QB crop isn’t that glamorous right now, definitely no Drew Breeses out there right now, there aren’t even any Culpeppers.  However, there should be a good number of veterans that can come in and play better than the 2 currently playing. 

Another good thing is that the Browns will have a high draft pick that they could use on guys like Brady Quinn, Troy Smith, or Brian Brohm.  If I could put on a red wig and be in charge of the Brown’s upcoming draft, then I only look to the QB position in the 2nd round at the earliest.  The lines (both offensive and defensive) are an absolute mess.  Throwing a QB to the wolves behind a bunch of rejects doesn’t work, ask Tim Couch.

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