It's not necessarily inconsistent to be unsure that Brady Quinn couldn't be the guy here in Cleveland, but also unsure enough that he could be to conclude that the best option is just to give everyone a fresh start, especially with a suitable replacement available.
Quinn certainly gave the Berea Brain Trust some ugly tape to look at, even if it was only twelve games. Maybe it's even easy enough for a quarterback guru to look at the muscle-bound Quinn and say, "I've never seen a good quarterback with a body like that." Two season-ending injuries couldn't have helped on that front. So maybe all that, combined with Quinn having been scarred by the historic instability and uncertainty that plagued his tenure in Cleveland, was plenty to conclude that the best thing was just to send him somewhere else. It's certainly refreshing to be rid of another piece of Phil Savage's legacy, anyway.
And maybe it all depended on the Browns' ability to secure someone "as good as" Jake Delhomme, a notion that might not be as laughable as folks seem to think.
In an attempt to look past Delhomme's numbers since his 2008 playoff meltdown to find reasons why we might be optimistic about the signing, I reached out to the writers of preeminent Carolina Panthers website, Cat Scratch Reader, who've responded with some encouraging words about our new quarterback.
We'll start with James Dator, who also writes for realbitsofpanthers.com:
Let's start at the end of 2008, [coming off the horrendous playoff loss]. Fans were calling for Delhomme's head over the playoff performance and despite a solid 2009 preseason he happened to turn in an equally poor performance against Philadelphia in week one. This turned the entire fan base against Jake and put him in a position he hadn't been in before. By his own admission Delhomme started to play 'like he didn't want to make a mistake' rather than playing from a place of confidence. Anyone who has seen Delhomme play extensively knows that it's his confidence and gun-slinger mentality that brought success to Carolina for so many seasons. With this reward comes risk. He plays a lot like Brett Favre in this way.
Essentially what it comes down to is:
A. Do you believe that Delhomme's confidence can return?The answer to both questions as far as I'm concerned is a resounding 'yes'. His true value, however, comes in his ability to relate, forge relationships and be a vocal locker room leader. From my perspective this is the biggest issue the Browns have at the QB position right now. To me (as an outsider looking in) neither Anderson nor Quinn could command the locker room. Jake will do that for you. If Holmgren's master plan is take Jimmy Clausen (or another QB) I promise you there is no veteran in free agency who will be a better mentor to teach a young player about leading a locker room, calling an audible or performing a 2 minute drill; these are all things Delhomme excels at. . . .
B. Do you believe he still has something left in the tank?
Bringing in a new young QB and sitting him behind Delhomme will be a perfect scenario to teach a young player about leadership. The Panthers are handing the keys over to Matt Moore now because he had an opportunity to sit and learn leadership from Delhomme for three seasons. Furthermore, if there's anyone who knows how to use a slightly unconventional skill set at WR it's Jake Delhomme (re: Josh Cribbs). Steve Smith was barely a blip on the radar before Delhomme forged a relationship with him.Revshawn of Cat Scratch Reader reassures us by calling 2009 "one bad year" for Delhomme:
In the end, I think there's a lot to be optimistic about regarding the Delhomme signing . . .
It's easy to have a kneejerk reaction. It's easy to say, "There is no hope." . . . Call it confidence problems. Call it Jake "Being Done." In reality, he just had a bad year. All those reports about Jake having less arm strength, you can pretty much toss out the window. His main problem was his accuracy and bad decisions . . .
[In Cleveland, he'll be] coming into a new atmosphere against a team that he hardly ever plays against and . . . will probably throw all of his effort into becoming the starting QB of the Cleveland Browns. My guess is that he will get it, and you guys will be pleasantly surprised. . . . Jake Delhomme is a natural pocket passer. He's not going to move around much. As long as they can hold their blocks, he has a pretty decent chance of bouncing back and giving you the temporary starting caliber QB you need . . .Last, but not least, Ben Ellington supports the analysis of his Cat Scratch colleagues by blaming Delhomme's offensive coordinator for the infamous meltdown, and underlining Dator's point about Delhomme's leadership:
It all started with the playoff game versus Arizona. The Cardinal defense was inspired, but the coaching staff inexplicably abandoned the run early and put the game on Delhomme's arm. Even in his Pro Bowl year, he wasn't the type of quarterback who could handle that load. Personally, I think offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson completely mismanaged Delhomme, and ruined a pretty good quarterback.
Then when the regular season started, the same sort of thing happened against the Eagles, and you could just see it getting into his head. He's never had an exceptional completion percentage, nor has he protected the ball reliably. But this was different--he looked desperate on long throws a lot of the time and his accuracy was just shot. Don't listen to comments about his lack of arm strength, he has plenty. What he doesn't have is confidence, but that can change.
So now that you have him, you're faced with a big if. If your OC asks him to be a game manager who distributes the ball on a lot of short, high percentage throws, then you're going to be amazed that we let him go. Because what you'll see is his amazing leadership and presence on the field. Few quarterbacks have the "it" factor that Jake brings, particularly in late game situations. If he just plays conservative through the first three and doesn't get forced into throws outside his comfort zone, he'll become Peyton Manning in the fourth. But if the OC sends him out there to win in the first quarter, then you're doomed.
Jake when healthy (and mentally healthy) is one of the better quarterbacks in the league. What's more important, he can bring a sense of winning to the locker room. You're lucky if you get that. He's really got the intangibles you need to turn a loser into a winner.
I don't know about you folks, but I'm feeling better already. It would have been easy enough for these folks to say "good riddance" and join the national media chorus in calling it a head-scratcher for Cleveland, but none of them did.
At the very least, the Browns now have a quarterback who has started a Super Bowl and two conference championship games, and whose arm strength, ability to mentor young quarterbacks, and status as a locker room leader do not look to be in question. Whatever else about Quinn, this is certainly more than we can say for him at this point in his career.
Of course, every decision won't go exactly as hoped for or planned, but as Coach Mangini has always said, what's important is having good reasons for the decisions that are made. Given the uncertainty surrounding Quinn, and the appeal of a new direction given all that's happened in Quinn's time here, it's easy enough to understand the decision to go with a quarterback with Delhomme's attributes.
Best of luck to Quinn in Denver. Welcome to Cleveland, Jake Delhomme. You're gonna love it here.
Many thanks to the guys at Cat Scratch Reader for the responses.
Back later with a response to Holmgren's afternoon press conference and who knows what else.
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Also, sayonara Kamerion Wimbley. As a general matter, heading into a period of uncertainty over the salary cap, it doesn't seem like the worst idea to shed expensive but inconsistent talent to stockpile picks in a talent-rich draft.
UPDATE: Good stuff on the Holmgren/Mangini press conference at the OBR and WFNY that should make one feel even better about the Delhomme signing. I'll post my take in the morning.




