By Joe Starkey TRIBUNE-REVIEW Friday, May 4, 2007 If the Cleveland Browns really believed Brady Quinn was a franchise quarterback, they would have taken him with the third overall pick of the NFL draft last Saturday. Think about it. If you have a choice between a franchise left tackle and a franchise quarterback, you take the quarterback every time, even if it costs you a bundle of cash. The Browns took the tackle, Joe Thomas, then got silly and traded next year's first-round pick to Dallas, so they could peel back and pull Quinn out of commissioner Roger Goodell's private suite with the 22nd pick (couldn't Quinn stand the heat in the green room?). The Browns also plummeted from No. 36 to 53 in the second round as part of that deal and another. Cleveland's tortured sports history already features "The Drive," "The Fumble," and "The Shot." You may now add "The Reach." :hihi: :hihi: Everybody thought the Miami Dolphins were going to take Quinn at No. 9. Dolphins coach Cam Cameron obviously knew better. Cameron helped to develop Trent Green, and he tutored Philip Rivers in San Diego the past two seasons, so he knows a promising quarterback when he sees one. He didn't see one in Quinn. Miami took Ted Ginn Jr., a pick many believe will live in infamy. I say Ginn becomes more of an impact player than Quinn, even if it's only on special teams. Plenty of others question Quinn's pedigree. Analyst Merril Hoge ripped Quinn a day before the draft on ESPN Radio 1250. Watching video of all Quinn's throws at Notre Dame, Hoge said, was akin to watching "a bad ball drill." Lots of completions, sure, but not many that put the receiver in position to keep going. "It was like these acrobatic catches, down in the dirt, behind the shoulder," Hoge said. "He's very erratic in the pocket, very jittery." http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/rss/s_505947.html By that, Hoge meant Quinn was radically overrated because he played for Weis. Hoge was dead-on. After a bad year and a so-so one to start his career, Quinn's numbers skyrocketed when Weis arrived. Did Weis tap into the franchise quarterback within Quinn, or was Quinn simply a product of the system? Cleveland won't like the answer to that question.
I must say that I agree, why did so many pass on such a "great" QB that's so "NFL ready"? Is it because they saw the Notre Dame hype machine for what it was?
You mean, the same Merril Hodge who said last year, "Kellen Clemens is better than Vince Young and Matt Leinart when you study them on tape" and "I wouldn't draft any of these quarterbacks (Vince Young, Matt Leinart, and Jay Cutler) in the first round"? If Hodge is as critical of Brady Quinn like he was of Young and Leinart, then that sounds like BQ will be a star.
to the minions of jaba the hut bq is a star. from the mel's to the mike golic's of the world he is and has been an all-pro qb for years now, simply because he played for a house of cards like the domers. want to see the future of bq? look to their post season success under him. :thumb:
Only a few teams needed a QB. If a team is already set up with a QB, then it would be a waste to use a first round pick on a QB when you don't expect to use that QB. From what the Browns gave up to trade for Quinn, its obvious that they thought he was the real deal or they wouldn't have given up so much for that pick. But, they had to because the Ravens were also trying to trade for Quinn.
The only objective and non-disputed fact from that article. I do love to hear about the incredible "planning" of Cleveland in regards to garnering both Thomas and Quinn in the first round. When actually "the plan" was, we are taking Thomas in the first round with the full knowledge that Miami would not let him pass. This is not in dispute. They even called Quinn the night before so he would not overly react on TV the next day. That was a pretty classy move from a team that considered you were not valuable enough to play for them. Once Miami made the mistake(yes, it seems today like a mistake), then Cleveland realized they could get a well coached, over hyped qb for a fraction of the cost. The fact that Quinn ended up at Cleveland is not a break over being picked by the Raiders. They were the 3rd worst team in the league and have not made the offseason moves that Oakland has to improve their situation. And they are known for being a wasteland to drafted qb's as well. Quinn is close to home, so he has that going for him. He will still make plenty of $ in endorsements for the first year(until the browns fall), as the media will seek to vindicate themselves by propping him up again. If you say the Raiders are a horrible organization, why have they been to 5 Superbowls, the last one in 2003? How many Superbowls have the Browns won? Oh yeah, never been to one, and the future doesn't look too bright. Good luck with that. The reason Quinn catches so much crap is not out of envy of either him or of the domers, but simply because he is a paper warrior. You can try to make him out like he is the next Brett Farvre but it is unlikely to happen. Your facts are disputed, most people here have seen a great many of his games, and we are not impressed, and until Notre Dame really starts winning against quality opponents, many of their players will be suspect. See the draft...
He was over hyped and his agent knew this. Hence all the TV outings to get a buzz going at the last minute. He was farther down every teams board and the Browns even told him this. I think the Browns made a mistake trading up for him and giving up their 1st round pick next year. They should have taken Stantan who was ranked even by many NFL teams with Quinn. If he was higher on the team boards, regardless of position, he would have been taken higher for value and traded by some team.
