OK Now We Really ARE All Gonna Die

but it doesn't bother us earthlings...err...people who live on this planet and not in some unreal utopian paradise...much.

We never expected more than 6-8 wins out of this team, and firthermore expected the first 3-4 games to be pretty rough. Rookie center making all the line-calls, semi-rookie quarterback, all new people (and butterfingers) at reciever, Lewis aging, new systems, etc.

I admit I did expect the Browns to whup Denver, and for Quinn to look a lot better than he did. But then, I never expected them to go toe-to-toe with Minnesota for their inaugural first half.

Sure, the bad misses by Quinn are alarming. Especially since he never was all that accurate. However, I cna say the same of him as I've said of Edwards: He HAS looked a lot better, and this proves his capacity.

Good for Mangini for having a long leash. Quinn knows that DA is waiting in the wings, but he's being given a good long test-drive.

And then, the offense is probably extra-conservative in an effort to protect the inexperienced quarterback. It sould open up a little now, since it has to, or else enemy defenses will throw out picnic blankets in his backfield.

Still, accuracy aside, some criticisms of Quinn are presumptuous and ignorant. When he has no time, NATURALLY he will get rid of it early, and usually to a short reciever. When a guy is IN FRONT OF your only viable reciever, running step-for-step with him, you put the ball where your guy can get it if he dives, but the bad guy can't pick it off DUHDUHDUH...

And a certain writer needs to be reminded that words are his business, and that pass was actually catchable. "No where near" does not mean six inches off the fingertips, ok?

Don't get me wrong. I was very disappointed in Quinn and am very nervous about him. But it's just way way way too early to bring gavels down. You've got to remember that Roethsenberger, Flacco, et al had very strong defenses and solid running offenses. This offense is new, and evidently has a distinct weakness at right tackle, among other things.

I don't think that DA would be much better, since he too would be sacked right and left and have no time. He too would spend much of his time in third-and-longs. If you think he'd go deep more--maybe. If he's willing to throw it high, and a split second before getting decked.

But yeah...HE might be the QB of the future.

MAYBE.

I'll keep watching them stumble around, waiting patiently for them to take their first steps and make it across the room to me. That's what you do with infants...here on this planet, anyway.