Browns Quarterbacks

Andera Hangst isn't exactly atop my source list, but her latest analysis is truly exceptional.

I hadn't realized that Campbell vs. KC actually held the ball slightly longer than Weeden does!  She really did her home-work!  My guess is that he has a better sense for the rush and shifts around better while keeping his feet under him.

Some fans tend to forget that this is a timing offense, though, and averages can be decieving.  The quarterback is supposed to throw the ball in under three seconds.

Weeden did that quite a bit, and was much quicker on dumpoffs.  But there were too many times when the clock kept ticking past that mark, and there Weeden was, still window-shopping because he just couldn't make himself throw to the left or right of a reciever's back.

These plays often resulted in sacks or interceptions--and you only need one or three of them in a game.

Campbell trusted the system and his recievers.  I believe he was cooler than Weeden too, so that he never rushed a throw unless a real (as in not imagined) passrusher was on top of him.

Another thing: Campbell throws better when he's flushed and moving.

It was some of the comments after Andrea's article that I found interesting:

1) Bench Little
2) Bench Bess
3) Keep Weeden on the bench

What has Little done recently to justify benching him?  Here's another goober who remembers stuff that happened four of five games ago and is too dumb or lazy to change his mind.

Devone Bess was Mister Third Down for most of his carreer, and his wheels only came off the past two weeks.  I can't figure out why this happened, but he's proven, over a long period of time, that he has great hands and can catch everything thrown to him.

And who does this clown think will replace these guys?  

It's a bit of a reach here I guess, but I can tell you that each quarterback throws a different ball.  It spins at different rates, some wobble more, and a Weeden might throw a little lower and harder, while Hoyer might put more air under it, and Campbell might throw the same pass in between those two.

At any rate, they won't be benching Bess or Little unless Little starts dropping balls again or Bess continues it.

What makes me nervous about the Ravens game isn't the Ravens.  It's the referees.  Beginning in the Lions game, the referees began smearing our secondary.  They started flagging normal press coverage as interference.  Now they have a "reputation", and the refs in the Ravens game will be eager to invent their own interference calls.

Joe Thomas--yeah maybe he was holding all along, ya know?  I'll bet he holds Terrell Suggs!  I'll keep my flag half-way out so I can have it ready...

I'm just too disgusted to keep writing about it.

Here's another comment from Andrea's article:

Oops it's too long, but was pretty intelligent.  This commenter congratulated the front office for not panicking and making a stupid trade (I assume he meant Gordon) in order to set up a quarterback trade in the '14 draft.

He feels that Campbell should simply be retained and possibly extended as a veteran backup, and Hoyer should be considered the starter.

It's so good to read smart thoughts in comments!  But this is a bit of a gamble.  It's still possible that Hoyer could fail in the long run.  I personally don't think so, but it's a real possibility.

Next, if the Browns do begin contending next season (with Hoyer), they'll remain competitive for a long time, and draft low for several years.  Hoyer will be 28, then 29, and he's a smaller quarterback who could get hurt again.  Campbell will get older and older.

For insurance, and for the future, the Browns will have to look hard at the four or five quarterbacks in this draft with franchise potential (in their opinions).  The top guys are all sophomores with limited experience, but in this case there would be no need to throw them in the fire immediately.

The guy who wrote this comment might well be right in guessing that the Browns might end up drafting 16th or lower, but underestimated this class:

He's thinking of the Luck/RG3 draft in which Washington matched the Browns massive offer for RG3 and lost the bidding war anyway.  Wilson was a third round afterthought, and then Weeden and Tannehill were overdrafted.

This draft isn't the same.  None of these guys are as NFL-ready as Luck was, and the other 3-4 guys besides Bridgewater appear to be better than Tannehill and Weeden.

While none of these guys might "fall to" the Browns, they could certainly be in range to nab one of them in the top ten without trading away their entire draft.  

Of course, they'll be doing their own scouting and analysis, and these guys might not rate them the same as the "gurus" do.

I just saw some Johnny Manziel highlights.  The guy is amazing.  But because he's as short as Wilson/Brees, and because he's done some immature stuff and might be too egotistical, he could slide.

Wilson and Brees are very studious, dedicated, and smart.  It's a leap to compare Manziel to them.  (I don't know--I've done zero research on the kid.)  Just saying, what if he has the smarts and will work that hard?  

In fact, he could be the Browns pick, because they have Hoyer, Campbell, Turner, and Chud (remember Cam Newton?) to coach him up, and I've seen the kid projected all the way into the third round.

That's rediculous, of course.  First round for sure.  But maybe at 16...

Manziel is a superior athlete who could run the read-option offense and has the arm for Turner's version of Air Coryall.  Physically, the only thing wrong with him is his height.

Mentally, he'd have to be able to accept a real competition and probably starting out on the bench.  If Chud/Turner determine that he'll be a pain in the ass...nevermind.

For now, though, the Browns with Campbell should have the firepower to knock off the Ratbirds/referees.

I was impressed by how the Ravens handled the mass-email of a Browns' player's comments about the Ravens not being the same team that has dominated the Browns for several years.

I have a feeling that the Steelers would have been all insulted and banging their heads into lockers and stuff, but the Ravens just sort of yawned and agreed.

The comments weren't insulting or disrespectful.  The Browns' roster has changed a lot, and so has the Ravens'.

I feel embarrassed for the person who sent the email.

Go new Browns.