Why not Derek Anderson?
Frye on the run
Most of the focus on the Browns quarterback situation has focused on Brady Quinn, which isn't a surprise. The main question has been when he'll pass Charlie Frye on the depth chart rather than if. With Quinn struggling to adapt to a new offense and a holdout looming, Frye should be a lot more concerned with another quarterback on the roster. Not Ken Dorsey.
Derek Anderson played in four games last season. Three of them were unqualified successes for a first-time starter. He was hurt in the other one.
* In his first appearance, he came off the bench to lead the Browns to one of the best comeback victories in the league all season, a 31-28 win over Kansas City.
* In his second start, he threw for 276 yards with one score and a pick in a loss at Pittsburgh.
* His next start included 223 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions at Baltimore. He had the Browns in a tie game midway through the third quarter.
* Anderson's final start included four interceptions against the Bucs as he tried to play through a seperated shoulder.
I came away from those efforts shocked about how competent Anderson looked. He was known for his big arm, but he couldn't even stay on Baltimore's active roster as a rookie. He certainly outlplayed Charlie Frye last year and it's hard to fault Anderson for a game he played through a serious shoulder injury.
Fast forward to the present: Anderson is reportedly outplaying his competition again. Both of the local rags cautiously agree. Even Browns coach Romeo Crennel seems to know Anderson looks good, and is quick to douse the flames of any quarterback controversy.
"D.A. has the strongest arm, there's no secret about that. But there's more to it than having a strong arm. They're all struggling (with the new offense)." Crennel said.
Forget the practices in shorts. The organization has to be intrigued with what Anderson showed last season in a tough situation. The new offense appears geared towards the vertical game and having strongest arm is an advantage. If Anderson keeps it up, Romeo Crennel won't have the luxury to play favorites by sticking with Charlie Frye. Crennel needs to win now. Anderson may give him the best chance.
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For more than you possibly wanted to read about offensive lines, here is my annual rankings column.
Comments
It's unfortunate that the league is so money driven... cause there's no way DA will be given a fair shake as long as he's on the same team as the guy the franchise has already staked their future on.
He reminds of the Schaub and Romo of last year... two guys that I hadn't seen, but had heard a lot about leading up to the "coming out parties."
It'll be interesting to see if Anderson can have his as a Brown.
Posted by: Dibble | June 14, 2007 08:34 AM
I think the point that Greeg made about Crennel was valid. He needs to win and Anderson is certainly his best shot to do it right away.
Posted by: Pac10 | June 27, 2007 03:47 AM