BEREA, Ohio – Colt McCoy wears No. 12. For the Cleveland Browns, he’s also No. 10.

It’s a number they’d like to stay stuck on.

On Sunday against Cincinnati, McCoy will become the 10th different quarterback to start a season opener for the Browns since 1999, an astonishing statistic and perhaps the single biggest reason the franchise has failed miserably during an expansion era of losses. McCoy follows Ty Detmer, Tim Couch, Kelly Holcomb, Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn and Jake Delhomme as quarterbacks to begin the year as Cleveland’s starter.

“I hope it stays like this for a while,” McCoy said Wednesday.

In the NFL, quarterback consistency is vital to success. With a revolving door at the game’s most important position, it’s no wonder the Browns have only made the playoffs once and lost at least 10 games nine times in 12 years. Cleveland has been searching for a leader to guide them from the dismal darkness and back to respectability.

McCoy, who showed grit and toughness in eight starts in 2010, just might be the one.

And this season, anyway, he’ll get the chance to succeed or fail.

McCoy’s rise from third-round draft pick to starter happened quickly.

Rewind to last season’s opener. The former Texas star was a raw, out-of-sight, out-of-mind rookie running Cleveland’s scout team in practice. While Delhomme and backup Seneca Wallace took all the snaps, McCoy stood to the side waiting and wondering if his time would ever come.

Buried on the depth chart, McCoy was inactive when the Browns travelled to Tampa Bay in Week 1. But things changed in a hurry. Delhomme severely sprained his ankle against the Buccaneers, Wallace went down with same injury in Week 5, and suddenly McCoy was thrust into a starting role few believed he was ready to handle.

“He was kind of thrown into the fire,” Browns first-year coach Pat Shurmur said.

His personal inferno began in Pittsburgh, where McCoy made his first career start against the Steelers and in front of their Terrible Towel-waving fans. The night before the game, McCoy stood up at a meeting and told his teammates not to worry, he was ready to handle the job.

Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown feared for McCoy.

“I thought, this poor kid,” Brown said. “I hope he’s praying.”

But McCoy proved he belonged, completing 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards despite being sacked five times and pressured numerous others. It was there, at the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers that many of Cleveland’s players became convinced they had found their leader — at last.

“He wasn’t scared,” Brown said. “That’s one of the toughest defences in the National Football League and he went in there and he held his own. Then we put him in there against New Orleans, New England. Go back to some of the games he played and you look at his aura on the field and his demeanour, you just know that if you surround him with the players that can make plays for him — he’s not going to turn the ball over, he’s going to make the correct reads and the better part is, if he makes those mistakes, he’ll work his tail off to fix it.

“That’s when you know you have a guy.”

Shurmur thinks so, too.

Cleveland’s fifth coach since ’99, Shurmur has been impressed with everything about McCoy. During the labour lockout, it was McCoy who organized practices in Austin, Texas. At those workouts, dubbed “Camp Colts” by his teammates, McCoy and the Browns took their first initial steps in learning Shurmur’s West Coast offence, a passer friendly system the team feels perfectly suits McCoy’s accurate — if not strong — right arm.

McCoy also took it upon himself to visit Brett Favre, hoping a few days in Mississippi picking the brain of the former league MVP would help him better understand the new offence. McCoy came to camp prepared and then played extremely well in Cleveland’s three exhibition games.

“He basically did what we wanted and now the next step is to do it for 60 minutes in a regular-season game,” Shurmur said. “He has been passing the tests as we’ve gone along, and Sunday will be the next test.”

McCoy has done his homework.

“Now is where it counts,” he said.

Composed whether he’s calling a play in the huddle, facing a blitz or surrounded by cameras at his locker, McCoy insists he’s not feeling any added pressure as he embarks on his second season as a pro. A coach’s son, this is what he’s been groomed to do since he was a kid.

Now is when the fun starts.

“I’ve come a long ways,” McCoy said. “But I’ve still got plenty of work to do, no question. This team is ready to start, ready for the regular season. This is where it starts counting. For us, we’ve put in a lot of hours, a lot of time. We’ve worked hard together, now I think we kind of know some of the things we’re good at, some of the things we’re not as good at. Those things we’ll keep working on. But I think we’re ready to put a plan together and go see what happens.”

Notes: The Browns have some offensive line issues to resolve in the next few days. Starting right tackle Tony Pashos didn’t practice and still has a walking boot on his left foot. Also, Shurmur hasn’t decided whether he’ll start rookie Jason Pinkston at left guard. … TE Ben Watson, LB Chris Gocong and S Usama Young returned to practice on a limited basis. … WR Greg Little was chosen winner of the Maurice Bassett Award, given annually by the media to the top first-year player in training camp. … On Sunday, McCoy will square off with Bengals rookie QB Andy Dalton. They played each other in college when McCoy was at Texas and Dalton at TCU. McCoy only remembered a few details of their previous meeting. “They came to us,” McCoy said, “and we beat ‘em pretty bad.”

By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

BEREA, Ohio (AP) – Colt McCoy wears No. 12. For the Cleveland Browns, he’s also No. 10.

It’s a number they’d like to stay stuck on.

On Sunday against Cincinnati, McCoy will become the 10th different quarterback to start a season opener for the Browns since 1999, an astonishing statistic and perhaps the single biggest reason the franchise has failed miserably during an expansion era of losses. McCoy follows Ty Detmer, Tim Couch, Kelly Holcomb, Jeff Garcia, Trent Dilfer, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn and Jake Delhomme as quarterbacks to begin the year as Cleveland’s starter.

“I hope it stays like this for a while,” McCoy said Wednesday.

In the NFL, quarterback consistency is vital to success. With a revolving door at the game’s most important position, it’s no wonder the Browns have only made the playoffs once and lost at least 10 games nine times in 12 years. Cleveland has been searching for a leader to guide them from the dismal darkness and back to respectability.

McCoy, who showed grit and toughness in eight starts in 2010, just might be the one.

And this season, anyway, he’ll get the chance to succeed or fail.

McCoy’s rise from third-round draft pick to starter happened quickly.

Rewind to last season’s opener. The former Texas star was a raw, out-of-sight, out-of-mind rookie running Cleveland’s scout team in practice. While Delhomme and backup Seneca Wallace took all the snaps, McCoy stood to the side waiting and wondering if his time would ever come.

Buried on the depth chart, McCoy was inactive when the Browns traveled to Tampa Bay in Week 1. But things changed in a hurry. Delhomme severely sprained his ankle against the Buccaneers, Wallace went down with same injury in Week 5, and suddenly McCoy was thrust into a starting role few believed he was ready to handle.

“He was kind of thrown into the fire,” Browns first-year coach Pat Shurmur said.

His personal inferno began in Pittsburgh, where McCoy made his first career start against the Steelers and in front of their Terrible Towel-waving fans. The night before the game, McCoy stood up at a meeting and told his teammates not to worry, he was ready to handle the job.

Browns cornerback Sheldon Brown feared for McCoy.

“I thought, this poor kid,” Brown said. “I hope he’s praying.”

But McCoy proved he belonged, completing 23 of 33 passes for 281 yards despite being sacked five times and pressured numerous others. It was there, at the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers that many of Cleveland’s players became convinced they had found their leader – at last.

“He wasn’t scared,” Brown said. “That’s one of the toughest defenses in the National Football League and he went in there and he held his own. Then we put him in there against New Orleans, New England. Go back to some of the games he played and you look at his aura on the field and his demeanor, you just know that if you surround him with the players that can make plays for him – he’s not going to turn the ball over, he’s going to make the correct reads and the better part is, if he makes those mistakes, he’ll work his tail off to fix it.

“That’s when you know you have a guy.”

Shurmur thinks so, too.

Cleveland’s fifth coach since ’99, Shurmur has been impressed with everything about McCoy. During the labor lockout, it was McCoy who organized practices in Austin, Texas. At those workouts, dubbed “Camp Colts” by his teammates, McCoy and the Browns took their first initial steps in learning Shurmur’s West Coast offense, a passer friendly system the team feels perfectly suits McCoy’s accurate – if not strong – right arm.

McCoy also took it upon himself to visit Brett Favre, hoping a few days in Mississippi picking the brain of the former league MVP would help him better understand the new offense. McCoy came to camp prepared and then played extremely well in Cleveland’s three exhibition games.

“He basically did what we wanted and now the next step is to do it for 60 minutes in a regular-season game,” Shurmur said. “He has been passing the tests as we’ve gone along, and Sunday will be the next test.”

McCoy has done his homework.

“Now is where it counts,” he said.

Composed whether he’s calling a play in the huddle, facing a blitz or surrounded by cameras at his locker, McCoy insists he’s not feeling any added pressure as he embarks on his second season as a pro. A coach’s son, this is what he’s been groomed to do since he was a kid.

Now is when the fun starts.

“I’ve come a long ways,” McCoy said. “But I’ve still got plenty of work to do, no question. This team is ready to start, ready for the regular season. This is where it starts counting. For us, we’ve put in a lot of hours, a lot of time. We’ve worked hard together, now I think we kind of know some of the things we’re good at, some of the things we’re not as good at. Those things we’ll keep working on. But I think we’re ready to put a plan together and go see what happens.”

Notes: The Browns have some offensive line issues to resolve in the next few days. Starting right tackle Tony Pashos didn’t practice and still has a walking boot on his left foot. Also, Shurmur hasn’t decided whether he’ll start rookie Jason Pinkston at left guard. … TE Ben Watson, LB Chris Gocong and S Usama Young returned to practice on a limited basis. … WR Greg Little was chosen winner of the Maurice Bassett Award, given annually by the media to the top first-year player in training camp. … On Sunday, McCoy will square off with Bengals rookie QB Andy Dalton. They played each other in college when McCoy was at Texas and Dalton at TCU. McCoy only remembered a few details of their previous meeting. “They came to us,” McCoy said, “and we beat ‘em pretty bad.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns joined the frenzied pace of player transactions Thursday when they reached agreements with several players, including two rookie draft choices and their first unrestricted free agents.

They also were expecting to formally sign franchise kicker Phil Dawson and restricted free-agent tight end Evan Moore today, so they will report to the opening of coach Pat Shurmur’s first Browns training camp.

Agreeing to contracts were defensive end Jabaal Sheard and wide receiver Greg Little, who were second-round picks. The Browns also reached free-agent deals with players from the past two Super Bowl champions — free safety Usama Young of New Orleans and running back Brandon Jackson of Green Bay.

The Browns also confirmed the release of quarterback Jake Delhomme, along with linebacker Eric Alexander and tight end Tyson DeVree.

Here’s the breakdown on the transactions:

• Young, of Kent State, was the first unrestricted free agent to come to terms with the Browns. They targeted him when teams were allowed to begin negotiations Tuesday and actually reached agreement with him that day. The Browns view Young as the new free safety, replacing two-year starter Abe Elam, who probably will leave in free agency.

Young, 26, was drafted as a cornerback in the third round by New Orleans in 2007. He was first or second in special teams tackles his first two seasons as a reserve defensive back. He started two games at cornerback.

The Saints moved Young to free safety his next two years, where he continued as a top reserve and special teams core player. Young, 6-0 and 200 pounds, played in 52 games, starting six, and was very much a part of the Saints team that rose from the depths of Hurricane Katrina and won Super Bowl XLIV against Indianapolis following the 2009 season.

On his Twitter account, Young bade farewell to Saints fans with the message: “NOLA, Thanks 4 giving me memories of a lifetime. On the field, and even more, the community. I’ll forever love the city.”

• Jackson, 25, fits the role of third-down back desired by Shurmur in his West Coast offense. He’s adept as a pass catcher and also developed as a dependable blitz pickup specialist.

Jackson, 5-10 and 216 pounds, caught 43 passes with the Packers last year and 110 in four seasons in Green Bay. In the Packers’ run to the Super Bowl title last year, injuries thrust him into a starting role for 13 games. He had a career-high 703 yards rushing on 190 attempts.

• Sheard, the 37th overall pick of the draft, signed for $5.09 million over four years with a signing bonus of $2.25 million, according to reports. Little, 59th overall, received $3.32 million over four years with a bonus of $920,000.

When drafted, each was being counted on to make immediate impacts in their rookie seasons. Sheard could be rushed in as the starting right end in coordinator Dick Jauron’s new, 4-3 alignment. Little is the lone new player at wide receiver, a position viewed by outsiders as a weakness, though the club disputes that.

• Dawson, the only full-time kicker the Browns have known in their expansion era, agreed to sign the team’s franchise tender for about $3.25 million, a league source confirmed.

Dawson reportedly was looking forward to free agency and perhaps joining a contending team and was not pleased with being franchised by the Browns. But General Manager Tom Heckert said he had a “very good conversation” with Dawson on Wednesday and said he expected him to report to camp and sign the deal.

• Moore will sign the team’s second-round tender, which is for just under $2 million, he said Thursday.

“Ever since Coach [Mike] Holmgren got here along with Tom Heckert, I just feel this place is going in the right direction,” Moore said. “There’s no place I want to be but here. Great fans, great people. It was a no-brainer for me. I feel my role for this organization is on a good trajectory.”

The Browns expect more players to agree to terms by the end of today’s first day of training camp. First-round pick Phil Taylor has been in town for a couple days, though no deal was apparent on Thursday. Draft picks Owen Marecic, Jordan Cameron, Jason Pinkston, Buster Skrine and Eric Hagg were close to agreeing to terms, according to sources.

BEREA — Rather unceremoniously, the Browns career of quarterback Jake Delhomme officially came to an end today when the club confirmed his release.
 
 The official statement by the Browns:

 ”The Cleveland Browns today terminated the contracts of linebacker Eric Alexander and quarterback Jake Delhomme. In addition, the team waived tight end Tyson DeVree.”